ISLAMABAD– National Assembly legislative body on Friday directed the ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division to hold enquiry against private schools allegedly involved in conducting debate competitions on homosexuality.
The committee members expressed concerns on a media report by renowned anchor of a private TV channel Hamid Mir, who was especially invited to attend the meeting.
Mir told the committee in July three private schools, who have been studying ‘O’ and ‘A’ level in the federal capital had conducted internal debate competitions on the topic of “Gays and lesbian Rights”.
He said that parents of the students also have reservations on these debating topics assigned by the above mentioned school’s administrations. He said that one of the same schools had cancelled the upcoming debate because of the issue’s disclosure in the national media.
The Chairman of the committee directed the ministry high-ups to submit inquiry report as soon as possible.
The committee further suggested that registration of said institutions should be cancelled if they found guilty. The chairman added that the committee would help the ministry in letter and spirit to seal these institutions.
The chairman said that the committee would take up legal opinion on the issue to launch a first information report (FIR) against the involved institutions.
It was informed the committee that such activities not only practiced in the capital rather some English medium private schools in Lahore and Karachi also launched such immoral debates.
The joint secretary CADD briefed the committee that as per rules the CADD has no right to amend the syllabus of the O and A level’s private schools. He said that Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority was formed in 2006 to oversee only registration, sports and teaching staff related issues of the private schools.
Meanwhile, the committee also summoned the Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Engineer Farkhand Iqbal to show cause of his non-appearance in the committee meeting.
It was informed the committee that CADD was established in 2011 and a number of allied departments were excluded from its jurisdiction after organization of different ministries in the capital.
The committee wrote the Prime Minister (PM) to restore relevant departments under the administrative control of CADD, as the summary already laid before the PM.
The committee meeting was headed by member national assembly Jamshed Dasti.
The higher officials of the ministry of CADD and its related departments participated in the meeting.