Parents of students at OPF Boys College, H-8/4, and OPF Girls College, F-8, Islamabad, have raised serious concerns over a sharp academic decline following a wave of controversial staff transfers initiated by the management of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF). They warn that the situation is disrupting students’ education and damaging the reputation of two of OPF’s most well-regarded institutions.
In what many are calling an unprecedented move, several faculty members from these colleges—who had previously filed a writ petition in the Islamabad High Court challenging certain administrative practices—have been forcibly transferred. These transfers were issued under the pretext of “temporary attachments” for teacher training and admission campaigns. However, the attachments have sent experienced and essential teaching staff to distant OPF institutions in cities such as Quetta, Larkana, Multan, Parachinar, Dera Ismail Khan, Sanghar, Bhalwal, and Sheikhupura.
Although OPF operates 27 educational institutions across the country, the recent transfer orders have been heavily concentrated on staff from the two Islamabad colleges, raising allegations of targeted victimisation. The writ petition, filed in December, has since been dismissed by the High Court, but the timing and selectivity of these transfers have sparked widespread criticism and concern among stakeholders.
Reports indicate that the transfers were executed without prior consultation with department heads or principals of the respective colleges, prompting further speculation about administrative overreach. Never in OPF’s history have such mass attachments been carried out under what many consider vague and unconvincing justifications.
Parents argue that the abrupt removal of experienced faculty has significantly disrupted the academic process. With several classes now lacking regular teachers, academic coursework has been delayed, and extracurricular activities have come to a halt. Students, they say, have been left in a state of academic uncertainty. One parent stated that these arbitrary attachments have shattered the academic calendar and destroyed the educational environment at two of OPF’s flagship institutions. Another parent lamented that their children’s futures are being jeopardised due to what they believe is administrative retaliation, noting that institutions once known for academic excellence are now facing reputational decline.
In response to the growing unrest, parents have appealed to government bodies, including the Senate and National Assembly’s Standing Committees on Overseas Pakistanis, to intervene. They are also urging the Islamabad High Court and the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of what they describe as administrative high-handedness that threatens students’ right to quality education.
Education experts have also weighed in, warning that frequent disruptions in faculty can have long-term impacts on students’ academic performance and mental well-being, especially during critical examination years. They have called upon OPF leadership to immediately reverse the transfers and re-establish a stable and consistent teaching environment.
Despite numerous attempts to solicit a response, OPF officials have remained silent on the issue. Meanwhile, parents are preparing to file a formal petition with the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, demanding immediate action to safeguard the academic year and restore the standing of the affected institutions.
