By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Children of Capital Development Authority (CDA) employees will receive major fee concessions at the Global System of Integrated Studies (GSIS) under a newly signed agreement.
The CDA Officers Association and Global System of Integrated Studies (Pvt) Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday for the welfare of CDA employees and their families.
The event was attended by CDA Member Estate, Muhammad Zaman Watto, CDA Officers Association General Secretary, Chaudhary Kamran Bakht, Principal/Director Admin of GSIS, along with other CDA officers and employees.
Under the agreement, GSIS will waive all one-time admission fees for children of regular CDA employees. The refundable security deposit will also be waived. The MoU also provides a 50 per cent reduction in monthly tuition fees, allowing CDA employees’ children to study at the institution at half the regular tuition cost.
CDA Officers Association General Secretary Chaudhary Kamran Bakht said the agreement would reduce the financial burden on employees. He said admission and security fees had been completely waived for children of CDA officers and employees. Children of CDA employees will also receive priority during admissions. They will be given preference on the waiting list over members of the general public.
They will have full access to academic facilities, co-curricular activities and student development programmes. They will be treated at par with regular fee-paying students. CDA Member Estate Muhammad Zaman Watto described the agreement as an important step for the welfare of CDA employees and their families.
He said the authority had always remained committed to protecting employees’ rights and ensuring their welfare. General Secretary of the Labour Union Chaudhary Muhammad Yaseen said hundreds of CDA employees’ children would benefit from quality education under the agreement.
He said CDA employees played a key role in the construction and development of Islamabad. Providing better educational opportunities for their children was an important need, he added.
GSIS Principal and Director Administration Quratulain Ali Rizvi said the institution was committed to providing quality and unbiased education and building partnerships with the community.
She said offering educational facilities to CDA employees’ children in recognition of their services was a moral obligation. She assured that every effort would be made to implement the agreement successfully.
The CDA Officers Association also assured GSIS of its cooperation in promoting education at the institution and organising sports tournaments and other national-level events.
Kamran thanked CDA Chairman and Chief Commissioner Islamabad Sohail Ashraf for his vision, guidance and education-friendly initiatives, which he said helped make the agreement possible.
