ISLAMABAD: The Private Educational Institution Regulatory Authority (Peira) chairman will temporarily run the affairs of the Federal Directorate of Education in addition to his current responsibilities.

`Mr. Hasnat Qureshi, Chairman Peira will hold additional charge of the post of DG (director general), Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), in addition to his own duties with immediate effect for a period of three months or till availability of regular incumbent of the post,` read a notification issued by ministry of CADD on Friday.

`The post of DG fell vacant in December 2016 after the retirement of Dr. Shahnaz Riaz, and since then no effort has been made to appoint a regular director general. The government will spend Rs4 billion on schools, appoint hundreds of new teachers, but there is no regular DG to monitor all this,` said anofficer of the FDE on condition of anonymity.

He said it seemed some elements in CADD didn`t want to see a powerful DG at FDE to run schools. `If they were interested in education sector, the process of appointment of new DG should have been started well before the time of retirement of Dr. Shahnaz,` the of ficial said.

The education reforms programme initiated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in December 2015 is already facing delay as so far the CADD could upgrade only 22 schools and provide 70 buses to schools.

However, now CADD is finalising things to get construction work started in 200 schools through private contractors. Then in next and final phase, the f ace of remaining 200 schools will be uplifted.

`The PM reforms initiative is a good step, and we want to see this project completed during the tenure of this government as next year is elections year, and we fear, the project would face delay,` said Malik Ameer Khan,President School Teachers Association.

He said the teaching community had concerns over delay in appointment of regular teachers. `The regular DG should be appointe d at the earliest so that he could keep focus on all 422 educational institutions (schools and colleges),` he said.

When contacted, CADD spokesperson Attique-ur-Rehman said efforts were being made to appoint a regular DG of the FDE.

`This is a wrong impression that CADD was deliberately delaying the process of appointing a regular DG,` he said and added that mixing PM package with the appointment of DG is wrong.

`Our efforts are under way to find out a suitable candidate to be appointed as DG,` he said and added the Peira chairman would enjoy full power of the DG, during his stay there.

`As far as PM reforms initiative is concerned, CADD has a full-fledged adviser, who is monitoring the entire programme,` he said.