Senate committee considers FBISE (Amendment) Bill

ISLAMABAD, Jan 10 (APP): The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training Tuesday considered “Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
The committee met here with its Chairperson Ms Rahila Magsi in the chair, also got feedback from the authorities concerned on its recommendations made on October 4, 2016.
The meeting was briefed on the status of its recommendations with regard to the issues of Hazara University, said a press release.
Speaking about the bill, Nuzhat Sadiq said the scope of the FBISE, in terms of number of affiliated institutions and candidates appearing in the examinations, was very limited at the time of its inception which by now had expanded many folds.
Currently, she said, many educational institutions in the public and private sectors had the option to become affiliated with foreign boards (for instance for ‘O’ and ‘A’levels) or with any local private or semi government or government for secondary and higher secondary certificates.
She said,”Ironically those institutions, which wish to be affiliated with the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, cannot do so as the Act prohibits going beyond cantonments, garrisons and federal areas.”
Under the existing provisions of FBISE Act, 1975, the Federal Board cannot allow such affiliation without extending its jurisdiction through amendment in its Act. She said that the Bill seeks to amend the FBISE Act , 1975 to achieve the aforesaid objectives, she added.
The meeting was attended by Senators Khushbakht Shujaat, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Nuzhat Sadiq, Numan Wazir Khattak and Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, besides Minister for Education and senior officers of the ministry and attached departments.