UoE female students out in protest against principal

Chant slogans against Principal Andleeb and demand action against her

LAHORE: Just a day after the closure of the Minhaj girls’ hostel, female students of the University of Education (UoE) Bank Road Campus protested against the allegedly “unacceptable behavior” of the principal.

A large number of students gathered at the main gate of the campus on Monday and protested against Principal Shagufta Andleeb’s behaviour.

Chanting slogans against the principal, they demanded action against her. The protesting students also recorded videos on their phones.

Earlier, more than 100 students lodged a complaint with Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajwana about the principal’s behaviour. The students conducted a signature campaign and claimed that she used foul language to abuse them in the name of discipline. The letter to the governor was signed by 119 students, but no action had been initiated against her thus far.



Students, requesting anonymity, said the administration sent a man named Nadeem to their peaceful protest and he started snatching mobile phones of the demonstrators. They added that he snatched five mobile phones from students and tried to intimidate the victims into revealing their passwords to unlock the devices.

The students said UoE security guards also accompanied the man and forced the students to end the protest. They alleged the administration wanted to delete pictures and videos which documented the unacceptable behaviour of the principal and the administration.

They added authorities closed the main gate of the university and were not allowing students to leave. This created problems for pupils and their parents who had to wait in the scorching heat.

When contacted, UoE Spokesperson Shehryar Ahmed said that some teachers and students disliked the fact that the principal tried to ensure discipline on the campus. He alleged some teachers were inciting students against the principal.

Replying to a question, he said that the university administration would definitely look into the matter and the committees concerned would take appropriate action. He said that if there were any genuine demands, they would be met. However, he also warned that any effort to create unrest would result in necessary action.

The appointment of the principal, Shagufta Andleeb, created unrest among the teachers of the campus as it was reportedly against the rules.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2018.