Islamabad:Administrative inefficiency and inequitable teacher distribution are severely undermining the quality of education in Islamabad’s government colleges, complain educators.
According to them, the situation has worsened in recent months, especially after the power to transfer teachers was handed from the college regulator, Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), to individual college principals.
Now, some colleges are grappling with acute teacher shortages, while others have surplus faculty, with no clear placement strategy in place. Previously, the FDE played a central role in ensuring balanced staffing by overseeing and adjusting teacher distribution across colleges.
However, the decentralisation of this power has created a vacuum of coordination. College principals, while aware of staffing needs within their own institutions, lack a broader perspective on district-wide shortages and surpluses. This lack of inter-college coordination has led to serious disparities, negatively impacting student outcomes and deepening educational inequities.
Islamabad Model Postgraduate College, H-8 is among the worst-hit.
The college is suffering a severe shortage of faculty across multiple subjects. There is currently ‘no teaching faculty for psychology.’ The economics department has only one regular teacher, who is nearing retirement.
Though a teacher on deputation is currently filling in, this is merely a stopgap arrangement. At least three teachers are needed to adequately serve the department. In contrast, the college has surplus staff in geography, a clear sign of misaligned resource allocation. There are also critical shortages in history, English and Urdu departments.
A similar situation exists at Islamabad Model College for Boys, H-9, which is facing a serious shortfall in key subjects. The college needs two teachers each for computer science and mathematics, three for Urdu and two for English to meet student demand.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad College for Boys, G-6/3 is a picture of the inefficiency of the current system in a different way. Despite having no department for political science, a teacher in the subject remains posted there. He has been forced to teach history, a subject outside his specialisation. Similarly, a surplus economics teacher has been redirected to teach commerce (banking), an area in which he lacks expertise.
"This mismanagement is not only academically unjust but professionally irresponsible, akin to asking an eye specialist to perform heart surgery," insisted a teacher. He said assigning teachers to subjects they were not specialised in was like asking an eye specialist to perform heart surgery. “It’s dangerous and detrimental for students,” said a teacher.
The issue is even more pronounced in many colleges for girls, especially those in underserved or suburban areas such as Islamabad Model College for Girls, I-8/3; IMCG, Humak; IMCG, Bhara Kahu, and IMCG, I-14/3. These educational institutions are grappling with acute shortages in multiple disciplines though some of their male teachers remain surplus. Meanwhile, colleges in central locations often retain more staff than necessary.
Another teacher told ‘The News’ that the inconsistency in teachers transfers was widening the achievement gap between well-resourced and under-resourced institutions. "Students in poorly staffed colleges are at a significant disadvantage, potentially affecting their academic performance and future prospects," he said. The educator also complained that teachers forced to work outside their field were prone to burnout and attrition, exacerbating the already dire situation.