PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor, Shah Farman, who is also chancellor of the public sector universities in the province, has directed the Governor Inspection Team to conduct inquiry into alleged harassment of girl students by teachers of Islamia College University and submit its report within two days.

An official statement issued here on Thursday said that the governor took notice of the protest march against harassment of girl students by some faculty members. Islamia Law Fraternity, a student body of the university, had organised awareness walk against harassment on the campus on Wednesday.

“The chairman of the inspection team has been directed through a notification to conduct transparent inquiry into the protest march and submit its report within two days,” the statement said. It added that harassment in educational institutions could not be tolerated and there would be no compromise on the honour of students.

The statement said that government would provide complete protection to the students in all educational institutions including Islamia College University.

Maimoona Khan, who is vice president of the Islamia Law Fraternity, told Dawn that cases of harassment of girls by teachers and boy students were growing in the university. She said that the walk was organised in the backdrop of the growing cases of harassment of girls and subsequent failure of the university’s administration to take action against the culprits.

Governor directs inspection team to submit report within two days

She said that the university’s anti-harassment committee had become dysfunctional. She said that despite registration of four to five complaints, the administration did not take any action. “Teachers apply different tactics and put inappropriate demands to the girls to blackmail them,” she said, adding that boy students also attempted to harass the girl students.

Sources said that a student had lodged complaints against chairperson of a department. They said that the issue was brought into the notice of the registrar.

The university registrar, Dr Ibrar, when contacted, confirmed that parents of a girl student had come to his office and lodged complaint against chairperson of a department on Monday last. He said that the university’s anti-harassment committee would start proceedings in the case on Friday.

Initially, he said, the parents of the affected student visited his office last week and lodged verbal compliant against a senior professor. He said that on his advice written complaint was lodged to fulfil legal formalities.

“The administration will take the case to its logical end,” said Dr Ibrar, adding that the administration would also investigate the motives behind the awareness walk which was organised without taking permission from the administration.

“This is the first case of harassment registered in the history of the university, which I have received,” he said, adding that some people might have ulterior motives behind the walk to malign senior faculty members.

MPA Khaleequr Rehman, who had served as adviser to the chief minister on higher education, admitted that the menace of harassment in educational institutions was common and such complaints were frequently reported from different institutions.

“Harassment of girl students in our educational institutions is a harsh reality and cases are being reported,” he said, adding that provisions related to harassment would also be incorporated in the proposed university Act.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2020