ISLAMABAD: The director general of Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) on Saturday assured to rationalise fee structure, which saw almost 300 per centincreasein2010-11.

The assurance was given by the DG during his visit to H-9 Islamabad Model College for Boys.

Talking to teachers DG FDE Qaiser Majid Malik admitted that the fee structures in the colleges were too high.

In 2010-11, FDE on the direction of the then government renamed 11 federal colleges as model colleges and increased fees by almost three-time, creatingproblems for the poor students.

During his visit to the college the representatives of the Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA) requested the DG to review the increase in fee.

The DG was briefed by the teachers that a large number of students, who could not afford high-fee were compelled to quit educations.

They said in 2010-11 the fee for admission in first year was around Rs2,000 , which now has reached up to Rs8,000. Graduation fee at that time was Rs3,000, which now reached up to Rs12,000.

Students belonging to poor families prefer model colleges,particularly the Federal Model Postgraduate College, H-8, Islamabad Model College for Commerce H-8, IMCB H-9 and at IMCG Margalla and IMCG F-7.

Meanwhile, Professor Saghir Ahmed Mirani, President FGCTA and Professor Zahid Ali Shah briefed the DG about shortage of teaching staff in Sihala Degree College, Islamabad Model Colleges for Girls, I-8/3, IMCG I-14 and Humak.

These colleges started functioning in 2009, but still they are short of staff. Few teachers borrowed from other colleges recently are working there.Teachers also briefed the DG about excessive delay in the promotion of FG college teachers.

A spokesman for FDE Tahir Bhatti told Dawn that the DG showed his serious concern over three-time increase in fees and directed the director colleges to look into the matter and make sure the fee structure is revised and brought to a reasonable level.

He said that the DG also assured that the issue of of provision of posts in four colleges and shortage of hostel at H-9 colleges, as one of its hostel is in the use of Pakistan Baitul Mall, will be solved on priority.A Reporter