ISLAMABAD: The capital`s education authorities have found a shortfall of at least 60 government-run schools, likely resulting in the mushrooming of private schools and seminaries that already outnumber the existing 348 public schools in the city.

Sources in the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and the offices of area education officers (AEO) told Dawn around 60 new schools are needed in various parts of the capital.

They said the state minister for capital administration and development division (CADD), Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, recently directed all AEOs to conduct surveys and identify potential areas where new schools are needed.

Sources said the AEOs found, based on the population in their areas, that around 60 schools are needed because no new schools have been opened in Islamabad in the last five years.

The schools run by the FDE are looked after by six AEOs from Tarnol, Sihala, Bhara Kahu, Nilor, Urban I and Urban II. Sources said 20 schools are needed within the limits of the Tarnol AEO, followed by 14 required in Nilor, 12 in Sihala, nine in Bhara Kahu and three in both urban sectors.

The last school opened in Islamabad was inI-14, in 2012. Although the incumbent government has launched an education reforms programme, worth over Rs4 billion, which entails improving the physical infrastructure of 422 educational institutions in the capital including 348 primary and high schools, intermediate colleges and FG and model colleges little attention has gone towards opening new schools to resolve the issue of accessibility to students.

AEOs and FDE officials Dawn spoke to said there seems to be little chance new schools will be opene d in the next few years, aside from those already in the pipeline, as those schools would most likely not be a part of the upcoming Public Sector Development Projects budget.

`We are at the survey stage, finding locations where schools are needed, then there is a lengthy process of the PC-l etc. I don`t think the new identified schools will be made a part of the upcoming budget,` a senior FDE of ficial said.

Ministry of CADD spokesperson Attiqur Rehman confirmed that AEOs identified locations where new schools could be opened on directives from the CADD minister.

`Consolidated data will reach the CADD ministry in the next few days. We are serious, which is why the minister ordered this survey,` he said.

While discussing the upcoming budget, the spokesperson said the new schools would be setup in phases in the coming years.

Mr Rehman said the PC-1s of seven new schools have already been finalized, and have been forwarded to the Planning Commission.

`In addition to this there are six other schools whose cases have already been passed by the Departmental Development Working Party and after approval from the CDDP, their cases will also be moved to get funding,` the spokesperson said. He added that the ministry is hopeful about receiving funding for approved new schools in the upcoming budget.

According to Malik Ameer Khan, the president of the Federal Government Teachers Association, the teaching community has demanded that new schools be opened for severalyears.

`There is an immediate need for over 50 schools in various parts of the capital, particularly in G-13 and G-14, as well as some housing societies,` he said. He added that existing schools are facing a shortage of teachers, with around 2,000 pending teaching vacancies, but no practical steps have been taken to fill these posts.

`The PM`s reforms programme is a good initiative, but without the required teachers the government could not get the desired results, so serious focus should be paid towards opening new schools and recruiting teachers,` he said.