ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Federal Education and the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) want to set up a Project Management Unit (PMU) for executing a mega project aimed at providing basic facilities in 189 educational institutions in Islamabad.

An official of the ministry said they wanted to get the project executed through the PMU for its speedy completion. He, however, said for setting up the PMU, permission of the federal government was required.

The official said as per existing rules, the Public Works Department (PWD) was supposed to carry out the project but the education ministry wanted a PMU instead.

“If we are allowed by the government, we will set up the PMU otherwise the project will be executed through PMD or any other government organisation,” the official said.

A senior officer of the FDE said the project, ‘Provision of basic facilities in educational institutions of ICT’ worth Rs6.9 billion will be executed in phases and for the current fiscal year the government had already allocated Rs409 million for it. He said the staff of PMU will be appointed through a competitive process.

He, however, said as a stop-gap arrangement the ministry recently hired the services of an engineer from the CDA for three years on deputation. The engineer, Aaroon Joshua Das, was already engaged in a previous project for the face-lifting of 200 schools.

A notification issued by the ministry on September 2 stated that the federal secretary education had authorised the engineer, who was serving as the project director of the Project Implementation Cell of Prime Minister’s Education Reform Programme, to also work as the project director of the said mega project.

Under the PM reform programme launched by former prime minster Nawaz Sharif, around 200 schools were face-lifted in the capital. As the remaining 183 schools were not part of the project, the education ministry and the FDE are going to launch the new project worth Rs6.9 billion. Besides civil works, the project will provide basic facilities, including IT labs, in the institution.

FDE officials said most of the buildings in schools were in a dilapidated condition requiring rehabilitation on a priority basis to ensure safety of the students.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2021