ISLAMABAD: The Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) stopped Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) from charging fees from parents of preschool students.

A senior official at CADD told Dawn that CADD Minister Usman Ibrahim and Secretary Khalid Hanif took notice of the FDE’s recent decision to charge fees from parents of preschool students for the current month.

In the meeting held on February 25, FDE officials decided to charge Rs100 per month from preschool students studying in FDE-run schools in urban areas of the capital. Officials had cited day to day running expenses of the preschools as the reason for the decision. They said preschools have extra expenditures such as salaries of maids hired to look after young children.

The officials said the CADD secretary pointed out to the FDE that under Article 25-A of the Constitution, all children between the age of five years will be provided free and compulsory education by the state.

“We have told the senior officials at FDE to give up their plan of charging fees from students under the age of five. Officials at CADD do not wish to become involved in this controversy as we know that this decision may be challenged in court,” he said.—A Reporter