The curtailment of administrative powers of the heads of the educational institutions by the concerned authority in its new centrally control policy has affected the day to day affairs and caused resentment among the staff.
According to an official source, the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) in a new policy has further curtailed the administrative powers of head of the educational institutions. The Principals have been asked to grant only one casual leave in a month to his or her staff. The staff can grant one additional casual leave in case of emergency if evidence is provided. The Principals are not allowed to grant more than two casual leaves to their staff in a month. In case of more than two, the case will be sent to the respective Area Education Officer (AEO). In a similar move the procedure to allow fee concession for children of staff which was so simple has now been made complicated involving FDE bureaucratic protocols.
Earlier, Principals granted the fee concession to the employees of FDE and institutions after verification of documents.
But now FDE staff will have to go through far longer procedures to seek a minor fee concession for their children.
Earlier, FDE has fixed identical timings and duration of periods for schools and colleges which was also not a rational decision. Schools and colleges are different on the basis of students of different age groups. Colleges should follow the university calendar instead.
A Principal of a college said, “The excessive involvement of FDE in institutions’ matters through Area Education Officers (AEO) is causing an immense resentment among the Principals.
These posts have been occupied by irrelevant officers since the last four years or more despite a number of eligible and qualified officers in the department. Those occupied positions are of grade 19, on which some non-cadre and junior officers of below rank have been posted who are exercising their powers on the behalf of FDE. They take all the decisions and decide how to implement them. Principals are not supposed to take any initiative and are to do whatever they have been directed, the principal said while talking to APP.
A clerk of a college said, “Concentration of administrative powers with FDE creates delay in performance of work because of transmission of letters from and to the schools/colleges. Quick decisions are not possible which also results in delay of official work.
Our college attendant got a reply from FDE through AEO after 20 days that his leave cannot be granted while he had already availed leave. Centralization of powers is the problem, not the solution, he added.
The elected president of the teaching community, Dr. Rahima Rahman said, “New casual leave protocol has irked teachers. Resentment of teachers has been observed against the new casual leave policy enforced by FDE”. “Moreover Division of administrative powers between FDE and educational institutions has created an imbalance in the structure of the organization. If educational institutions are given some degree of authority and local autonomy, it will bring FDE closer to the teachers and will improve their morale”, Dr. Rahima said.
