Body to probe into harassment allegations at Lahore school

[MenInG]

LAHORE: The district education authority on Tuesday constituted an inquiry committee to probe into the allegations of harassment against teachers of a private elite school by many of its students.

Mr Ghyas Sabir, principal of the Government Islamia High School, Cantt, has been appointed as the convener of the committee with Model Town deputy district education officers Shahid Ali Shah and Ms Sadia Naeem as its members.

The committee has been asked to “dig out facts” and probe into the sexual harassment allegations levelled by multiple girls of the Lahore Grammar School Ghalib Market branch against at least four male teachers, and submit its report along with recommendations in three days.

Also on Tuesday, Punjab School Education Minister Dr Murad Raas tweeted: I will deal with the case in Lahore Grammar School 1A1 myself. Have talked to the Principal this morning. Getting all the details…I will protect them (the children). This case will be brought to a proper conclusion according to law.”

Meanwhile, the school branch in question issued a statement addressed to its alumni and current students.

Director of the branch, Ms Nighat Ali, said in the statement that she would not allow any cycle of ongoing harassment and victimisation to continue. She said that “nothing would remain unaddressed or unresolved” and the first step was carried out already, which was the termination of employment of all four teachers.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1566171/body-to-probe-into-harassment-allegations-at-lahore-school

 

[MenInG]

LAHORE: A day after a Lahore private school fired four employees, including a teacher, accused of sexually harassing multiple female students, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took notice of the incident on Wednesday.

The chief minister directed CCPO Lahore to carry out an impartial inquiry into the incident, adding that harassment of students will not be tolerated at any cost.

“Action against the accused should be taken in accordance with the law,” said CM Buzdar. He added that the affected students will be provided justice at any cost.

Lahore pvt school fires four employees accused of sexually harassing female students
On Tuesday, four employees of a private school in Lahore, including a teacher, were sacked by the administration after they were accused of sexually harassing female students.

Numerous students said that they were being harassed since 2016 but had decided to report the incidents to the management after it became unbearable.

According to the school administration, the four persons against whom the complaint was lodged include a chemistry teacher, an administrative officer, an accountant and a janitor.

Administration Officer Aitzaz, Accountant Omar, a chowkidar named Shehzad and chemistry teacher Zahid Warraich were accused of harassment by female students, some of whom had left school a few years ago and others who were still studying there.

Students said that they had lodged various sexual harassment complaints over the years against the accused but no action had been taken by the administration. Dismayed, the students said some of them were forced to leave the school and seek admission in others.

The administration said that after receiving evidence against the accused, which included videos, photographs and indecent messages sent by them to students, all four persons involved were shown the door.

The students revealed that the chemistry teacher, Warraich, used to harass them by staring and trying to touch them inappropriately. They also said that he tried to sit with them in a manner that made it very uncomfortable for the students to study.

They also spoke of a female teacher in the school who told them about how she was also a victim of harassment by one of the staff members at the institute but instead of taking action against the harassers, she told the students to remain silent.

On the other hand, the police said that they have not received any request from the school administration to take action against the four accused in the case.

Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari has also taken notice of the incident and said that Ministry of Human Rights (MOHR) helpline 1099 is available for such complaints and for help of the victims.

"Have taken note of serious harassment allegations of young girls and women at educational institutions - most recently at two premier private institutions in Lahore. MOHR helpline 1099 is available for complaints & for help. Our regional offices have been alerted on this issue," Mazari wrote on Twitter.

Three-member committee formed to submit fact-finding report
In pursuance of the complaint lodged against the incident, the District Education Authority has also formed a three-member committee comprising educationists and government officers to probe the incident.

The authority has directed the committee to submit the findings along with "clear cut recommendations" within three days to decide the future course of action regarding the reported incident.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/295729-cm...f-lahore-pvt-school-sexual-harassment-scandal

 

[MenInG]

LAHORE: A private university in Lahore has penalised, lowered grades and threatened to cancel degrees of some students for making fun of teachers on social media.

According to Geo News, 13 students were issued a warning in a circular which has now gone viral on social media. The university has asked the students to submit a written apology to the administration and upload it on their Facebook timeline within 10 days of the issuance of the notice.

The university has also demoted 10 students for two semesters along with lowering their grades and has ordered “one-hour daily community services of cleaning and removing litter from the campus lawns and highways after the opening of campus for four weeks.”

Twelve graduate students have also been asked to upload the apology on their Facebook timeline and told that failure to do so will result in them being blacklisted and their degrees getting cancelled.

“Failure to comply with the orders will render the respondent liable for either cancellation of the degree; or blacklisting; or reporting to authorities for trial under cyber bullying and harassment laws; or all of the mentioned punishments,” the notification read.

A student who received the warning from the university said it was normal for students to crack jokes. “It is wrong to associate this to cybercrime. By demoting us and lowering our grades the university is affecting our education,” the student said.

The university has informed students that they can file an appeal against the decision within 15 days.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/295732-la...s-after-students-upload-memes-on-social-media

 

[MenInG]

Good to see some traction here but who will check what's happening in the smaller schools?

 

[MenInG]

LAHORE: A private university has initiated disciplinary action against 36 current and former students for allegedly posting defamatory memes of teachers on their personal as well as the university Facebook accounts and other groups.

FAST National University (NU) of Computer and Emerging Science Faisal Town Campus took action against 24 current and 12 former students for posting the allegedly objectionable memes online.

A FAST Disciplinary Committee notification, available with Dawn, revealed that 13 students were directed to submit an apology to the campus administration and also post it to their personal Facebook timelines within 10 days from June 27. Two other students were expelled for the Fall 2020 semester, their one grade reduced in all courses registered in the Spring 2020 semester, and directed to do one-hour daily community service for four weeks by cleaning the campus lawn and highway after reopening; one student was expelled for a year and told to do one-hour daily community service for six weeks by cleaning the campus lawns and highway after opening.

Three other students were punished with one-grade reduction in all courses of the Spring 2020 semester, four students with one-grade reduction in various courses and another directed to submit a written explanation to the Central Academic Office and his result for Spring semester would be withheld till further orders.

Some students expelled for a semester, one for a year, others asked to apologise

Twelve former students were also directed to submit a written apology to the administration and also upload it to their personal Facebook timelines within 10 days. “Failure to comply with the orders will render the respondent liable for cancellation of degree with intimation to HEC, blacklisting and reporting to authorities for trail under cyber bullying and harassment laws.”

However, students – both punished and others -- expressed outrage over the varsity’s decision on social media. Shah Murad, a student, posted on Facebook: “Dictatorship at its best.” He noted that there were countless problems to solve amidst this pandemic but FAST was worried about humorous memes and was taking this sort of decision to prove that it could not tolerate criticism.

Former student and journalist, Ali Moeen Nawazish, posted on his Facebook and twitter accounts in solidarity: “FAST University, this is shameful! Universities are supposed to be beacons of free speech and thought… What is wrong with FAST! Don’t reduce their grades! This is wrong on so many levels! You are toying with their futures to soothe your egos! You should be ashamed!”

FAST University Academics Manager Saifullah told Dawn that the students started this as a joke but later created obscene and objectionable memes over which they had taken disciplinary action against them.

He said a seven-member committee was constituted to probe into the issue that had called all the students individually and some had recorded statements over the phone. The students had two chances to challenge the disciplinary committee orders within 14 days -- before the university director and later before the Board of Governors chairman.

He said 12 students had apologised for their action and were given relief.

“The administration has not expelled any student, but rusticated some for one year and others for a semester,” he claimed.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1566405/varsity-penalises-36-students-over-teachers-memes

 

[MenInG]

The Punjab government will hand exemplary punishments to the perpetrators of the Lahore private school harassment incident, said the provincial government's spokesperson Musarrat Cheema on Wednesday.

Speaking to Geo Pakistan, Cheema said that the government has taken action against the harassment case reported in the private school.

However, she emphasised that the government will come to know about such incidents only when they are reported as Punjab has a population of 110 million hence it is impossible for the provincial government to know about every harassment incident.

Cheema said that as soon as the girls spoke up, the school administration took action and the Punjab education minister and chief minister took notice of the incident as well. She added that an inquiry committee has also been formed to investigate the incident.

“I to appeal all children that god forbid if you go through something like this then you need to point it out as currently there are a lot of harassment laws under which the culprits can be punished,” Cheema told the people through the Geo News programme. She added that whatever decision the committee takes will be shared with the nation.

The spokesperson also commented that this incident will send a stern message across the board, adding that suspension of those found guilty was not enough and action beyond this point will be taken against them.

“Yes, these culprits will not only have to let go of their jobs but they will also be punished according to the circumstances,” assured Cheema.

When asked about what the government plans to do in cases where students cannot speak up, Cheema stated that it was the “responsibility of the parents to educate their kids”.

“If their kids go through such an incident, they should inform the administration and also tell the government so that we can remove those evil humans, who are in the form of teachers,” said the spokesperson.

However, she once again pointed out that it was the “main responsibility" of the kids, students and their parents to speak up. She added that after that it was the government’s responsibility to ensure that the accused get punished.

Cheema also stated that it was also the responsibility of the schools and their administrations, which are charging exorbitant fees from parents, to check what teachers are being hired.

Responding to a question about the lack of female representation in harassment committees, the spokesperson agreed that it was “very important” that they there women are present in such bodies so that those girls can speak their mind. She added that the current committee investigating the matter has one female member.

'School holds full authority to take legal action against the culprits'
The Director of the institute Nighat Ali said that the five employees who were accused of harassing female students were fired from their jobs, whereas, the principal, administrator and coordinator have also been suspended.

Moreover, an inquiry committee has been constituted to probe further into the matter.

"The school has full authority to take legal action against the culprits and if the charges against the dismissed employees are proven, an action will be taken against them," Ali said.

Teacher among four employees of school accused of harassing female students
On Tuesday, four employees of a private school in Lahore, including a teacher, were sacked by the administration after they were found guilty by the school of sexually harassing female students.

Numerous students said that they were being harassed since 2016 but had decided to report the incidents to the management after it became unbearable.

According to the school administration, the four persons against whom the complaint was lodged include a chemistry teacher, an administrative officer, an accountant and a janitor.

Administration Officer Aitzaz, Accountant Omar, a chowkidar named Shehzad and chemistry teacher Zahid Warraich were accused of harassment by female students, some of whom had left school a few years ago and others who were still studying there.

Students said that they had lodged various sexual harassment complaints over the years against the accused but no action had been taken by the administration. Hence some of them were forced to leave the school and seek admission in others.

The administration said that after receiving evidence against the accused, which included videos, photographs and indecent messages sent by them to students, all four persons involved were shown the door.

The students revealed that the chemistry teacher, Warraich, used to harass them by staring and trying to touch them inappropriately. They also said that he tried to sit with them in a manner that made it very uncomfortable for the students to study.

They also spoke of a female teacher in the school who told them about how she was also a victim of harassment by one of the staff members at the institute but instead of taking action against the harassers, she told the students to remain silent.

After the report, the District Education Authority formed a three-member committee comprising educationists and government officers to probe the incident.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also took notice of the incident on Wednesday.

The chief minister directed CCPO Lahore to carry out an impartial inquiry into the incident, adding that harassment of students will not be tolerated at any cost.