The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training met in Islamabad on 18 December 2025 under the convenorship of Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro at the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission conference room to address mounting concerns over institutional oversight and education governance.
The Committee voiced serious alarm over the deteriorating governance situation at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences & Technology (FUUAST), noting persistent failure by the university administration to redress officially reported grievances. Members resolved to visit FUUAST and hold a formal meeting on its premises to directly examine complaints, meet stakeholders, and initiate steps for prompt redressal, warning that continued non-compliance would prompt recommendations for stringent action to protect academic and administrative integrity.
Strong displeasure was expressed at the unexplained absence of the Executive Director of the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission NAVTTC, who neither attended the meeting nor informed the Committee of any prior engagement. In light of the principal officer’s absence, the Committee unanimously decided not to proceed with the NAVTTC agenda item, questioning claims that the officer was attending a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office and stressing that any misrepresentation would be treated as a serious breach of parliamentary oversight.
The Committee highlighted the broader implications for education governance where leadership gaps persist. Members noted the resignation of the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority chairperson, the unfilled post of Higher Education Commission chairman, and the vacancy at the Federal Directorate of Education director general position, saying such vacancies reflect administrative inertia and a lack of priority for the education sector.
Concern was also raised over the recurring rise in private school fees, a development the Committee described as exploitative and deeply troubling for parents. The Committee underscored the need to empower PIERA with adequate staffing, technical capacity, and enforcement authority to regulate fee structures, ensure transparency in charges, and enforce approved curricula. Members additionally drew attention to the proliferation of small privately run schools operating from residential streets with limited rooms and inadequate infrastructure, questioning safety, quality, and the learning environment provided to students.
The convenor emphasized Pakistan’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and expressed reservations about the Ministry’s compliance with key CRC articles, urging fuller implementation in letter and spirit. The meeting was attended by MNAs including Anjum Aqeel Khan, Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Zeb Jaffar, Farah Naz Akbar, Musarrat Asif Khwaja, Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Mussarat Rafique Mahesar, Abdul Aleem Khan, Sabheen Ghoury and Zahra Wadood Fatemi, alongside secretariat officials from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, representatives of the Higher Education Commission and other concerned officers.
