University priorities
It appears Pakistani universities, at times, function more as nunneries than varsities instituted to impart education
National Textile University, Faisalabad. PHOTO: FILE
It appears that Pakistani universities, at times, function more as nunneries than varsities instituted to impart education. Following the Government College University Faisalabad’s recent dress code notice to students — al beit later withdrawn — the University of Sargodha, Lahore has initiated a similar move. Not only did it issue a dress code, asking students to dress modestly, it also warned students that two people of the opposite gender cannot sit together and termed this “inappropriate interaction”. The absurd priorities of our educational institutions are not unnoticed here. Increasingly so, they seem to be obsessed with how students, and particularly female students, conduct themselves. Instead of focusing on improving educational standards, and ensuring that there is no gender discrimination or sexual harassment, universities in Pakistan are still bogged down by trivial matters.
The very essence of academia is being ignored here. The purpose of the university is to open minds by encouraging interaction with students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and this also means students mixing with the opposite gender to help their understanding of people and the world. The university administration in the above case has instead attempted to close the minds of students. Those in positions of power are responsible for creating certain dichotomies and mindsets that graduates carry forward into the ‘real world’. Successful universities encourage students to step out of their comfort zones in order to learn; ours seek to stunt personal growth and learning, potentially damaging students forever by instilling regressive ideologies. It is not for universities to regulate either interaction between students or their choice of attire, which is considered a form of individuality and something that this culture heavily lacks. Universities are meant to be spaces for higher learning and critical thinking. They are not there to impose a regressive, twisted ideology based on misogyny and a misplaced sense of propriety.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2016.
The very essence of academia is being ignored here. The purpose of the university is to open minds by encouraging interaction with students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and this also means students mixing with the opposite gender to help their understanding of people and the world. The university administration in the above case has instead attempted to close the minds of students. Those in positions of power are responsible for creating certain dichotomies and mindsets that graduates carry forward into the ‘real world’. Successful universities encourage students to step out of their comfort zones in order to learn; ours seek to stunt personal growth and learning, potentially damaging students forever by instilling regressive ideologies. It is not for universities to regulate either interaction between students or their choice of attire, which is considered a form of individuality and something that this culture heavily lacks. Universities are meant to be spaces for higher learning and critical thinking. They are not there to impose a regressive, twisted ideology based on misogyny and a misplaced sense of propriety.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2016.