ISLAMABAD: The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has empowered school and college management committees to run school buses on a cost-sharing basis by engaging the community and parents for the operationalisation of these buses.

In a notification dated October 14, the FDE empowered School Management Committees (SMCs) and College Management Committees (CMCs) to run the buses on a cost-sharing basis, in accordance with a decision taken by the federal cabinet last year.

“In pursuance of the approval of the Cabinet dated 02-02-2021 regarding operationalisation policy for buses in FDE…and in accordance with the Right to Free & Compulsory Education and School and College Management Committee Rule 2021, the buses will be operated by School/College Management Committees (SMCs/CMCs). The expenditure and revenue will be managed locally by SMCs/CMCs with notified monthly rates for students,” read the notification.

It directed all institutions to constitute and bus management committee and mobilise the resources through SMCs/CMCs by engaging the community and parents. The bus management committee will ensure the maintenance of proper records for transparency.

An official of the FDE said that in April this year, the finance ministry had rejected a summary seeking the creation of posts of 171 drivers and 214 conductors and now, the SMCs and CMCs will hire drivers and conductors at their own expense.

In response to a question regarding a delay in the decision to empower management committees to ply the buses, the official said that the schools and colleges were paying for these buses, mainly from student funds. Now that a formal notification has been issued it would make SMCs and CMSs responsible to run these buses, he added.

The committees will decide on fares after consultations with parents, the official said, adding that the expected fare would not be more than Rs2,000 and that too for longer routes.

It is relevant to note during PML-N’s tenure, the FDE had procured 200 buses for schools and colleges; however, funds were not allocated for fuel and drivers. As a result, most buses remained parked as the educational institutions were unable to afford them.

The matter remained in the limelight for a couple of years and was discussed in several standing committee meetings as well. Eventually, the FDE through the Ministry of Federal Education forwarded a summary to the federal cabinet seeking approval to run the said buses on a cost-sharing basis. The cabinet approved the summary last year.

According to the summary, in 2017 the Finance Division proposed to run the buses on cost-sharing and the prime minister at that time had approved this proposal. “The buses will be operated by the school management committees (SMCs) and the expenditure and revenue will be managed locally by them with notified monthly rates for students,” the summary had read.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2022