Govt withdraws transport charges from FDE students: Javed Abbasi.

ISLAMABAD -- Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi on Monday said the orders of imposing Bus Transportation Fee over the students of schools and colleges of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) has been withdrawn.

The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) made this move on the directions of Federal Education Minister, he said while responding to a Calling Attention notice in the National Assembly session.

The notice was raised by MNAs Aliya Kamran, Muhmmad Jamal ud Din, Salahuddin Ayubi, and Qadir Khan Mandokhail regarding collection of transport charges from students of schools and colleges at high rate. "The decision had already been reverted," Abbasi informed the NA.

He said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), during its government in 2016-17, had given 200 buses to the 423 schools and colleges of the ICT, being controlled by the FDE. The issue of school buses had been under consideration from 2021 due to shortage of transportation funds, he said, adding that to resolve the issue, the concerned government had formulated committees to discuss the relevant options, including public-private partnerships and establishment of parent-teacher committees.

He said the relevant committees, after having consultation, constituted parents-teachers committees, under which the rules were passed and implemented by FDE. However, he added, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain took strict notice of the matter and directed the authorities' concerned to withdraw the...