HEC calls meeting to discuss campus violence

Vice-chancellors of public and private universities to devise mechanism to prevent such incidents

ISLAMABAD: In the aftermath of a brutal lynching at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan [AWKUMM], the Higher Education Commission [HEC] has called meeting of vice chancellors of public and private sector universities to discuss growing intolerance at universities and to find way to plug loopholes.

The country’s National Action Plan [NAP] against terrorism calls for madrassa reforms to stem the tide of extremism. However, in the recent past there has been increasing incidents of violence and intolerance carried out by students of modern educational institutions.

The recent lynching of Mashal Khan at AWKUM was preceded by a violent clash between two groups of students at Punjab University. Involvement of educated people including a student of IBA Karachi in May 2015 Safoora Goth massacre had also set off alarm bells.



In view of these incidents, Minister for Education and Professional Training Balighr Rehman contacted the HEC Chairperson Mukhtar Ahmad, who has convened the meeting on April 29.

“We have directed the HEC to hold the meeting and prepare a mechanism to stop such incidents in future,” Rehman recently said while addressing a research conference in Islamabad.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the HEC chief said the HEC had already been considering such a meeting in the aftermath of recent incidents of violence. “Now we need to seriously take up the issue. If we want to resolve the problem then we should avoid brushing such matters under the carpet,” he said.

Ahmad said all such incidents – from mob justice and violence at campuses to students’ joining terrorist groups – were equally disturbing and seriously needed to be looked into.



“We have invited all the VCs, even from the private sector, with one-point agenda to discuss the growing menace of violent approaches and intolerance at campuses and how to get rid of it,” he said.

Allama Iqbal Open University VC Shahid Siddiqui said heads of varsities should be taken in confidence about such important and critical issues.

“The VCs should and will discuss what the threats are and what the nature of such threats is and will try to evolve a collective thought to overcome the problem.

“Initially seminaries had been considered hotbed of such activities but the affairs in the recent past at higher education level has also called for a collective solution,” he added.

The Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) also called a VCs’ meeting on April 20-21 in Lahore where a 7- member working group was formed to promote peace, tolerance and diversity at campuses.

The two-day huddle suggested antipathy towards criticism, promotion of social sciences and revisiting curricula with incorporation of the values of peace and tolerance.

The moot also suggested complete ban on political, sectarian, racial and ethnic activities on campuses. The issue created ruckus as several VCs opposed idea of the ban.