Governor Seeks Report on Sexual Harassment of Students in Peshawar University
Sexual Descrimination in Peshawar University Computer Center!
Peshawar University Second-Shift Students Protest on Hostel Issue
Food Poisoning in the University of Peshawar
Harassment for Donning Western Attire Continues in Peshawar
The issue of sexual harassment of female students at the hands of their teachers and even by heads of departments has been followed by the provincial government after parliamentarian Nighat Orakzai raised the issue in the provincial assembly last month.
The government has formed a committee to look into the reports of sexual harassment of girls studying in the university at the hands of their teachers and department heads. Such cases usually involve female students who are pressured by their teachers or thesis supervisors to allow closeness in order to secure high marks or god grades in exams and theses.
More recently, the governor of the province, Masood Kausar, who is the university’s chancellor, has asked the university administration to report to him on the issue. No wonder that the faculty of the university are, perhaps for the first time, on a high alert as they quickly conducted a meeting and issued a statement that no such harassment is taking place or has taken place on campus. They also expressed resentment over media reports of the issue.
But the contradiction in the statements of the Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) and that of the Vice Chancellor of the University seem to indicate that there is something wrong with the university’s administration. In this news post, telling about the formation of the committee to probe the harassment issue, the VC is said to have admitted that complaints of harassment at the hands of their teachers have been made by female students. But in this post, the teachers are reportedly denying the existence of any such complaints.
Hopefully, the governor will take strict action against any teachers who are found involved in exploiting girls because of their relative positions of authority and subordination. It is also highly recommended that the government creates an independent body where complainst against the unethicak advances of teachers might be filed by students in confidence.
