islamabad - Complying with the Supreme Court orders, the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) yesterday reappointed Dr Shehnaz A. Riaz as head of the regulatory authority of schools and colleges in Islamabad Capital Territory.
The apex court on March 30 hearing a contempt plea had directed the federal government to remove the newly-appointed head of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), Ali Ahmad Kharal, and cancel Dr Shehnaz’s transfer orders. Dr Shehnaz was transferred from the post of Director General of FDE to the National Institute of Science and Technical Education.
Earlier in February, the apex court bench had also taken strong exception to the appointment of Moin Uddin Wani, a grade-19 officer, against a grade-20 post of DG ordering his removal.
The court had issued the orders on a contempt plea filed by Shahnaz A Riaz challenging her removal from the post of DG on April 7, 2015, in violation of court’s orders.
She has been appointed as DG on the court’s orders and was removed by the CADD time and again on the pretext of one or other reasons. “The apex court has been restoring me since 2007 to the post of DG and Federal Services Tribunal had given the decision to appoint me as DG in 2004. But despite consecutive orders the CAAD has appointed over 12 DGs on the position and many of them were removed by the Supreme Court,” said Dr Shehnaz. She assumed the charge yesterday as the CADD notified her transfer from NISTE to FDE.
The Directorate that looks after around 424 schools and colleges in ICT has been going through a multitude of crises for the last many years as several DGs were appointed and relived at short intervals, some for barely a few days or weeks.
The post of DG FDE has become a musical chair for the last decade or so, and this unfortunate phenomenon has inflicted a serious damage on the educational institutions of ICT, said an official requesting anonymity. The educational institutions of the ICT also face a tough challenge from the private set-up which has already encroached upon the space that was available to the government educational institutions, he said.
For the last many years, he said, the FDE has been in the swamp of confusion and disorder because appointment of DG has been made through transfer from other departments against the rules of appointment, ignoring the department of education.
According to the rules of recruitment, appointment for the post of DG should be made through promotion for which persons such as either a ‘Director (BPS-19)’ or ‘Principal of a Degree College (BPS-19)’ with minimum of 17 years teaching/administrative experience shall be eligible for the promotion to the post of DG FDE (BPS-20).
Many believe if the government wants to end this crisis and see the federal government educational institutions progress academically to impart quality education to the poor class of society, then appointment for the post of DG should be made from the system and a principal of a Degree College (BPS-19) should be promoted to this highest office in FDE in the coming meeting of Central Selection Board (CSB).
Some representatives of teachers view that although Dr Shehnaz satisfied the recruitment rules as she was promoted from the post of Director (BPS-19) but she could not perform well. Hence, she was removed many times.
But Dr Shehnaz opined that she was not given enough time to perform as every time she was removed after a couple of weeks and months. “Still I have tried to resolve the issues of teachers’ fraternity and there has been no complaint of pendency of cases or corruption,” she added.