Islamabad (GNP): Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Ahsan Iqbal chaired a meeting of the Joint Committee on ICT Education Reforms and directed that comprehensive proposals be drawn up to restructure the education sector and make it a model of reform. Attending were MNA Raja Khurram Nawaz, Parliamentary Secretary for Education Wajiha Qamar, the Education Secretary, members of the Planning Commission’s Social Sector and Governance wings, and officials and private-sector education experts.
Iqbal said the Prime Minister has asked for an accelerated, actionable reform plan for Islamabad’s education system and has endorsed the idea of an autonomous education authority for the capital. The authority, he said, should have a board of governors with an independent majority and a chief executive chosen on merit, with clearly defined functions, powers and terms of reference. He told the relevant bodies to prepare the necessary legislation and a transition roadmap within 60 days, making sure the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) keeps operating without interruption in the meantime.
The authority should have wider administrative and operational autonomy and an ICT-wide mandate covering all education providers. Monitoring, he said, must be tied directly to corrective action and accountability. Despite heavy government investment and high staff costs, public schools are not producing results in line with their resources: about 77 percent of the FDE’s expenditure ceiling goes to employee-related costs, which shows the need for better institutional performance and value for public money.
On the proposed hiring of 1,100 teachers through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), Iqbal called for a review of the process and for considering contract hiring to attract highly qualified young professionals, drawing on Punjab’s earlier scheme of recruiting educated teachers on five-year contracts. He asked for the legal aspects to be examined and for hiring terms to provide for local recruitment and school-based postings, so as to avoid needless transfers and keep teachers connected to the communities they serve.
He added that Pakistan should learn from international models, especially China’s focus on strong teacher-student engagement, and that reforms must give priority to equity and student welfare alongside teaching standards, curriculum and learning outcomes.
Iqbal directed that safe, functional school buildings and facilities come first, followed by a costed and verified plan to bring every institution up to model standards, with rural schools prioritised and the specific needs of girls’ education addressed.
Raja Khurram Nawaz pointed to shortages of facilities in government schools, particularly the need for more classroom blocks for girls, and stressed the importance of a uniform curriculum across public and private schools to reduce disparities and the growing social divide among students.
The Planning Commission told the committee that the FDE network has 432 institutions, while many more private schools (including low-fee ones), informal schools and special education schools operate in Islamabad, and that ensuring quality facilities in these is a government responsibility. Following the Prime Minister’s directions and the committee’s first meeting, three working groups were formed on infrastructure, governance and academics. The proposed reform architecture is built around eight themes, supported by an implementation and sequencing framework. The briefing named seven: governance and institutional architecture; safe schools, standards and infrastructure; financing and school-level autonomy; teachers and school leadership; curriculum, pedagogy and foundational learning; assessment, data and accountability; and access, equity and student welfare.
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Iqbal called on all stakeholders to work together to turn the proposals into a practical, time-bound framework to improve the quality, accessibility and accountability of education in Islamabad.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
