Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday gave authorities one week to fix problems in Islamabad’s government schools, calling for urgent improvements to facilities, teaching standards and student welfare after a recent survey highlighted gaps in some schools.
At a meeting on school reforms, the prime minister directed Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal to oversee efforts to resolve the issues within the deadline. The review covered infrastructure, curricula and other aspects of the federal capital’s public education system.
The survey, conducted on the prime minister’s September instructions, found that most government schools had internet access, clean drinking water and computer laboratories. However, some schools continued to face infrastructure problems, according to a briefing at the meeting.
Sharif called for immediate action to address these deficiencies, alongside the installation of smart boards, better medical facilities and ramps for students with physical disabilities. He also directed officials to introduce a free lunch programme to improve students’ nutrition.
The prime minister ordered an expansion of the government’s school bus service and asked officials to explore outsourcing transport and introducing third-party validation. Officials told the meeting that 278 government buses were operating across Islamabad.
The proposed reforms also target school management and staffing. The prime minister directed that teacher recruitment be strictly merit-based and that teachers not be assigned duties unrelated to teaching. He also called for greater authority for head teachers, improved teacher training and curriculum changes.
The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), which oversees the capital’s federal government schools, was asked to draw up a strategy to make the organisation more effective. The prime minister also called for greater use of solar energy in schools.
Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Musadik Masood Malik, Attaullah Tarar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, State Minister for Finance Bilal Kiani and senior officials attended the meeting.
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