PM orders urgent reforms in Islamabad government schools

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the urgent implementation of reforms in infrastructure, curriculum, teachers' training and other areas in all government schools in Islamabad. He ordered that the issues facing the institutions be resolved within a week.

He was chairing a high-level meeting on reforms in the federal capital's government schools. He directed Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal to ensure the problems were resolved within the stipulated time.

The prime minister told the authorities concerned to mobilise all available resources to address infrastructure problems on an emergency basis. He said providing students with a safe learning environment was the government's responsibility.

Among other directions, he ordered the activation of a free lunch programme in government schools to ensure proper nutrition for students, and the installation of smart boards in all government schools at the earliest. He also asked for a strategy to turn the Federal Directorate of Education into an effective and efficient institution.

He said teachers should focus only on teaching and educational activities and should not be given other tasks, and that teachers should be recruited strictly on merit. He also called for expanding the government school bus service, outsourcing the bus services with third-party validation, promoting solarisation, installing ramps in all institutions for students with physical disabilities, and providing quality medical facilities.

Officials presented a survey report on the curriculum, infrastructure and other matters in the capital's government schools, conducted under the prime minister's directions of September 2026. The meeting was told that most schools have basic facilities, including internet connectivity, clean drinking water and computer laboratories, but that infrastructure-related issues were identified in some of the surveyed schools.

The briefing also highlighted the need to empower head teachers and promote innovation in government schools. Officials said 278 government buses operate across Islamabad to carry students to government schools.

Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Dr Musadik Masood Malik, Attaullah Tarar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani and senior officials of the relevant departments attended the meeting.