ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister`s Education Reforms Programme initiated by Nawaz Sharif in December 2015 to improve the infrastructure of 422 educational institutions in the federal capital has slowed down with its future hangingin the balance.

Sofar, the physicalinfrastructure of only 22 institutions, which were included in the phase I of the project, has been improved.

The Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) started the work in about 200 schools through contractors a few months ago. However, currently the work is almost suspended because of the non-release of funds. On the other hand, the summer vacations are going to end next week.

`During the summer vacations, a major portion of the work such as indoor reconstruction and renovation should have been completed,` said an official of CADD who requested not to be named.

`Our talks are underway with the planning commission and the finance ministry for the release of funds. We are hopeful that very soon we will get the funds after which work on the project will be accelerated,` CADD spokesman Attiqur Rehman told Dawn.

Former CADD minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry while ignoring govern-ment institutions such as the Public Worl( Department (PWD) and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had formed a Project Management Unit (PMU) at CADD to have a direct control on the over Rs3 billion project.

On several occasions, he had said he formed the PMU to execute the project in a shortest possible time. However, it seemed this change of policy didn`t work.

Sources in the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and CADD said work in 200 schools had been started in June after a delay of many months. But after paying the mobilisation advance to the contractors, CADD had to surrender the funds to the federal government as the fiscal year 2016-17 ended on June 30.

In the federal budget 2017-18, the government earmarked Rs1.74 billion for the 200 schools and CADD is now waiting for the release of the amount.

`We will ensure timely completion of the project. There were some technicalities due to which we surrendered the funds in June. Now the funds are a part of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and soon we will get them,` the CADD spokesman said, claiming work was under progress in around 50 schools.

`During the first 18 months, physical infrastructure in 22 schools was improved. Later, we started work in 200 more schools but because of the shortage of funds and uncertainty due to the Panama papers leal(s issue, the contractors carried out some works in around 40 schools,` said a director of the FDE.

`We are concerned about the fate of the project. Elections will be held next year so the entire project should be completed during the tenure of theincumbent government. But the pace of work is discouraging. After completion of the project in 200 schools, CADD will have to carry out the construction work in another 200 institutions,` he said.

The FDE official said the project was the brainchild of Maryam Nawaz and her apparent exit from the Prime Minister Office would also have a negative impact on it. He requested newly-elected Prime Minister Shahid Khagan Abbasi to give proper patronage to the project and ensure timely release of the funds.

The reforms programme was announced in December 2015 by the former prime minister. Apart from the improvement of physical infrastructure, the recruitment of teachers on merit and appointment of an executive director for the FDE were a part of the reforms programme. However, so far no heed has been paid to these aspects as currently around 2,000 posts of teachers are lying vacant. Besides, the FDE has been without a permanent head for the last seven months.

Federal Government Teachers` Association president Malik Ameer Khan said the reforms project was a good initiative but because of ill planning it faced a delay. He said there was no role of school heads in the construction activitiesin theirinstitutions.

`It is strange that the principals do not 1(now what work will be done in their schools. The consent of heads of the institutions is imperative as they better know about the requirements of their schools.

He said work orders should be shared with the school heads. The process for the recruitment of teachers on merit should be initiated besides an early decision about the daily-wage employees, he added.