Islamabad: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is going to initiate a drive to move private schools from residential areas, a news source reported. Following the orders issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the CDA will soon finalise a comprehensive policy and mechanism for this purpose.
The CDA has already completed its working and homework for preparing the policy. It has consulted relevant departments and stakeholders for their suggestions on the shifting mechanism. In this regard, the CDA will hold a meeting on September 12, Thursday.
Officials of the Private Educational School Regulatory Authority (PIERA), Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), and other authorities concerned will attend the meeting.
The CDA plans to devise a comprehensive and transparent plan for shifting the schools so that it can accommodate all the institutes equally. The plan will ensure that plots for educational facilities will not be allotted to any irrelevant individuals or organisations.
The CDA will also ensure that no private schools will ever be set up within residential areas in the future. It has directed housing schemes to utilise all plots reserved for educational institutions within three months. In case the society administration uses it for any other purpose, it would have to provide another, equally large space for construction instead. The CDA will take action against housing societies found not complying with these orders.
The civic body has requested the FDE to submit a proposal for the future, and identify the unused land, so that it may be surrendered according to the aforementioned rules. CDA would then reallocate these plots for educational activities. The expected proposal is also meant to encourage private and government educational facilities.
The IHC issued the orders for the relocation because these schools within residential areas, along with other commercial entities, were paying property taxes and utility rates reserved for the residential sector. They are required to pay property taxes and utility costs at commercial rates.
