Sexual harassment at Quaid-e-Azam University

Yet another shameful attempt of sexual harassment at QAU
Islamabad, July 11: At a time when 4-member probe committee is huddling over the alleged molestation incident (June 17) of a female student of Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) allegedly by the controller examinations, another case of sexual harassment has surfaced.

According to reliable sources, campus when Information Technology (IT) department lecturer Noor Mustafa Awan allegedly harassed a female student allegedly for 'improvement of grades'.

The issue came up when a group of female students led by the victim submitted application against Awan with QAU VC.

The sources stated that a female student of MSc 2nd semester of IT department after taking the examination on June 27 talked to her teacher Awan (BPS-17) regarding low percentage in the semester and sought his help for 'improvement of grades'.

"She was asked to meet him alone in his office room to decide whether she will obtain 'A' grade or 'F'. When the girl entered his room, he allegedly grabbed his hand and tried to make indecent advances with her," the sources maintained.

"Just at the time when Awan grabbed the hand of student and she fled the room. Meanwhile, few passersby gathered outside the room of Awan to take up the matter but administration of QAU tried to hush up the matter, sources said.

The sources said the student later, rushed towards Natural Sciences Dean Qaisar Mushtaq to aware him about the issue but in the meanwhile she received a call on her cell phone from Awan. "Still you have time, comply with my words or you will be flunked", sources said. Adding salt to the wounds to the victim the faculty member warned the student that if she did not act according to his 'wishes', she, along with other fellow students would also be awarded with F grade.

The sources revealed that after this shameful incident the alleged teachers continued to harass other female student by different means and ways. So taking the bull by the horns, she on with other fellow mates the other day submitted an application with the vice chancellor for this perpetual shameful act.

Sources said this is not the first case of sexual harassment at the varsity campus, when the poor and helpless female students are forced by male teachers to fulfill their sinister demands. "Awan has been harassing his female students since he joined QAU but for the sake of honour, the female students did not reveal it publicly. He has been harassing female students via text messages as well," the well-placed sources told this scribe. This is the first time that a group of female dared and registered their complaint against baleful activities and filed an application with QAU Vice Chancellor (VC) Masoom Yasinzai.

An official of QAU said that the VC had constituted the same inquiry committee to probe the incident that has failed to reach to any conclusion of the previous harassment incident of involvement controller examination Sardar Babar. "The 4-member committee comprising Dr Saqib Ali (Chemistry Department), Dr Anila Kamal (National Institute of Psychology), Colonel (r) Nadeem Gill (Director Campus Manager) and Prof Dr Wasim (Department of Biochemistry) are to probing the issue. "This committee after taking less than a month has not yet finalised its report than how can it handle this new issue to resolve," the official said. The application submitted by the group of females of IT department demanded VC to immediately terminate Awan who has been creating restlessness among the students since long.

Few months back, to eliminate the increasing incidents of sexual harassment at educational institutions, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had decided to take stern measures to implement the 'Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010' in 128 public sector Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) across the country, but QAU has not done anything to form a permanent committee to deal with such issues.

To follow the policy of HEC at QAU, a four-member task force was formed with Prof Najma Najam as convener and three others Prof Iftikharun Nisa, Perveen Shah and Wasim Hashmi Syed to assure the provision of educational and working environment in HEIs free from intimidating, offensive and hostile behaviors.

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NCSW to write a letter to QAU about this issue, says its spokesperson
Islamabad: Tahira Noor, spokesperson for National Commission of Status of Women (NCSW) said the commission had already taken up this issue of alleged sexual harassment at QAU. "We will send letter to QAU VC inquiring that why and how such cases are increasing in the campus and what policy QAU has adopted to counter this issue," Noor said. She said that it was a matter of grave concern that within no time such incidents are being surfaced at QAU. Daily times

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NA body ignores HEC arguments against University Act changes
Islamabad: Even a long and logical briefing by the executive director of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) could not convince members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat to make changes in the amendment bill of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) as the committee recommended passage of the bill which will allow appointment of varsity s rector in violation of HEC s rules.

The chairman of the committee says when the affairs of the university were moving smoothly then there was no need to bring the criteria of appointment of its rector at par with the other universities of the country. If this bill is passed by this recommendation by the committee, there will be no criteria for the appointment of its rector and an intermediate with dozens of war courses at his back can also be appointed as rector to educate students in the capital of the country.

A meeting of NA standing Committee on Cabinet was held here on Friday with Dewan Syed Ashiq Hussain Bokhari in the chair, which recommended a bill, which was first promulgated as an ordinance by President Asif Ali Zardari to please the army.

A press release issued after the committee s meeting says: While the committee begins its consideration on the National University of Modern Languages (Amendment) Bill, 2011 (No.1 of 2011), the chairman of the committee invited representatives of HEC and NUML to give their comments on the bill .

The HEC executive director with reference to Clause 4 of the bill opined since rector shall be an eminent academic administrator and shall be appointed by the chairman Board of Governors (BoG) solely that is not as per rules in vogue in the other universities in the country.

He wanted the formation of a search committee for the recommendation of persons suitable for the appointment of a rector by the BoG. He further stated that the composition of BoG might be diversified to create a broad based body that is in conformity with the Federal University Ordinance. This was not agreed by the representative of the NUML. In view of above and after discussion at length, the committee recommended the passage of the abovementioned bill without any amendment therein.

The chairman of the committee, Dewan Syed Ashiq Hussain Bokhari, when contacted, proudly said his committee had recommended the NUML Ordinance Amendment Bill because it was approved by the cabinet. When asked his recommendation has allowed the appointment of an intermediate to head NUML, Bokhari stated laughing: We did not see any problems with the general sahib {Maj Gen (R) Masood Ali Khan, new rector of NUML}. Therefore we have recommended the bill .

About briefing given by Dr Sohail Naqvi, HEC executive director, Bokhari replied: When the affairs of the university were running smoothly, there was no need to change the criteria of appointment of NUML s rector .

The PPP government has thrown the majority will of the parliamentary body into the dustbin, and is going to amend the NUML Ordinance 2000 which will make Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani as NUML chief instead of President Asif Ali Zardari.

The NA Standing Committee on Education had unanimously recommended that the professional generals of Pakistan Army not be engaged in unprofessional things and the administrative position of the NUML rector be kept by President Zardari himself. After the devolution of the Education Ministry, NUML s affairs will land in the Cabinet Division s domain now.

In a strange move President Zardari issued an ordinance in March this year making General Kayani, chairman of NUML BoG, disappointing the National Assembly body that has been fighting for the president for last one year.

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HEC's Best Teacher Awards ceremony
Islamabad: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) will confer Best University Teacher Award on 57 faculty members of public and private sector universities in a ceremony to be held on July 12 (Tuesday). For the year 2010, 118 nominations from 60 public and private sector universities/degree awarding institutions were received and 57 teachers have been selected after scrutiny and detailed evaluation. Chairman, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Senator Salim Saifullah Khan will be the chief guest in the award ceremony.

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Erra-SZABIST sign MoU
Islamabad: The importance of academia could not be neglected in preparing the young generations through academic research, well planned strategies and trained human resource for pre-emption of any future disasters, said Erra Deputy Chairman Lieutenant General Sardar Mahmood Ali Khan.

He was addressing the MoU signing ceremony between Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) today at ERRA Headquarter.

The deputy chairman Erra said that institutional approach and professionalism was initially missing in the field of disaster management. The collaboration between scholars, academia and professionals will improve the current and future disaster management strategies which are of paramount importance in the current age, he said.

He said that Erra being the pioneering entity in disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation knows the importance of media as a partner in post disaster scenario and since 2008, has created linkages with eight universities within Pakistan, amongst which one is SZABIST.

Mutual research with academia and the honed expertise of Erra in the field of disaster management will broaden the base for disaster preparedness and aid in drawing up better contingency plans for the future, he said.

MoU was signed by Erra s Media Advisor Shazia Haris and Dr. Shamim Sahibzada Head of PhD Department of SZABIST on Saturday. Deputy Chairman Erra Lieutenant General Sardar Mahmood Ali Khan, Chief of Staff Brigadier Masuood Ahmed from Erra and Director Syed Asad Hussain, Dr. Bakhtiar Ali Head of MS Management Sciences Department witnessed the MoU signing ceremony.

Director SZABIST Islamabad, Syed Asad Hussain lauded Erra s role in reconstruction and rehabilitation of earthquake-affected areas. He also appreciated Erra s efforts and its vision of creating linkages with academia and industry for research and capacity building activities on disaster related subjects.

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AIOU assignment results uploaded on website
Islamabad: The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has placed assignment results of matric, intermediate, BA and Postgraduate programmes for the Semester Autumn 2010 on its website www.aiou.edu.pk.

The purpose of placing the assignments results on website is to rectify discrepancy if found in it before announcement of the result of final examinations, said Hafiz Ullah, Controller of Exams.

He said that assignment results of PTC/CT and BEd programmes have already been placed on the website during the last week of previous month. He advised all the students of these programmes to check their assignment results from the website. The news

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