Minister asks FDE not to charge transport fee from students.

ISLAMABAD -- After hue and cry of parents and students, the Federal Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain on Friday directed the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) to withdraw the notification regarding charging of transport fee.

'Have taken strict notice of the reports regarding imposition of Rs2,500 as new transport/bus fee in schools/colleges under the ambit of Federal Directorate of Education, Islamabad. Directions issued that NO such fee will be charged and for FDE to withdraw any such order,' the minister tweeted.

The minister took notice of this as parents and students for the last 10 days or so had been urging the FDE to withdraw the notification that mentioned the bus fee as Rs2,500 per student.

Sources said the FDE had empowered school and college management committees to run buses on cost-sharing basis as no separate funds were available with the FDE for bus services.

It had been highlighting that without bus fee, schools and colleges could not operate buses as the government had not provided funds for fuel and even for drivers and conductors. Sources said the FDE had informed the education ministry that no fee would be taken from students, adding that the bus service would remain functional.

However, officials said the directorate had requested the ministry for funds amounting to Rs288 million for the bus service.

'We were not in favour of charging the bus fee, but we were not provided any funds and even our summary of hiring of drivers and conductors was also rejected by the government earlier this year. Therefore, we had no other option but to request schools and college management committees to run buses on cost-sharing...