ICT private education institution bill approved by National Assembly body

The National Assembly Standing Committee on cabinet secretariat on Tuesday approved the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) private education institution (Regulation and promotion bill 2007).
The main objective of the bill is to register and regulate private educational institutions in the ICT in order to ensure that such institutions follow uniform policy regarding curricula, duration of academic sessions and holidays, qualification of teachers as well as teachers' terms and conditions of service, besides promotion of curricula and co-curricular activities on inter-institutional basis.
Chaired by MNA Dewan Ashiq Hussian Bokhari, the meeting also attended by Malik Nawab Sher Waseer, Tariq Shabbir, Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, Tahira Aurrangzeb, Sardar Shahjehan Yousuf Pervez Khan, officials of Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Capital Administrative and Development Division (CAAD).
Khalid Hanif, deputy secretary CAAD informed the committee that provisional government had enacted laws to regulate private educational institutions while there was no such law in ICT due to which there was no check on private educational institutions. After consultation with stakeholders "The ICT private educational institutions ordinance 2006" was promulgated on September 21, 2006. The authority had started work in December 5, 2006 and framed academic and service rules, he said. He said that the authority devised registration and renewal of registration application forms and made available to private educational institutions.
The bill was introduced in the National Assembly on April 25, 2007. National Assembly standing committee in its meeting held on July 26, 2007 recommended the enactment of the bill, he said. Khalid said that due to imposition of emergency in the country on November 3, 2007 the ordinance became a valid law under the provisions of article 5 of the Provisional Constitution Order PCO, 2007.
Later following the directives of Supreme Court decision of July 31, 2009, the ordinance was introduced in National Assembly on August 20, 2009 and referred to National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) on education. The NASC discussed the bill in a few meetings but due to devolution of Ministry of Education and subsequent devolution of NASC following 18th amendment, control was handed over to CAAD under the cabinet secretariat, he said. Earlier, the committee expressed concern over the absence of CDA Chairman Farkhand Iqbal.