Students told to follow moral ‘limits’

GIMS withdraws earlier notice banning interaction of men and women

KARACHI:

The Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) on Thursday withdrew an official notice restricting female students interacting with male students at the college premises.

The first notice issued on Wednesday by GIMS Principal Professor Haresh Chand said that the administration had observed interaction of male and female students in parks and other parts of the college, "which is strictly prohibited".

In view of local traditions in this extremely conservative area of Sindh, the college administration advised students to maintain gender segregation.

"Girls can join each other girls and the boys with their same gender when walking and sitting in college parks," the notice said. As the notice went viral on social media, the students themselves started defending the college administration. Unlike people living in urban centres, life is somewhat different in the rural Sindh, they said supporting the college administration's decision of segregation.

Meanwhile, another section of students contacted GIMS Director Dr Rahim Bux Bhatti and convinced him to withdraw the notice.

In the official circular issued by GIMS on Thursday, the previous notification was cancelled. "Upon written and verbal assurance by all students that they will adhere in letter and spirit to the moral and social limits," it said.

"The first letter was mistakenly issued," defended a fourth year student. "The misunderstanding has been resolved," he told The Express Tribune, confirming the students held a meeting with the administration.

"We have asked students to follow moral and social limits of the Sindhi society," Dr Bhatti said talking to The Express Tribune.

There have been some gruesome incidents of harassment, assault and even murder in educational institutions which has made the administrations of institutions cautious about the safety of young women studying under their watch.

The GIMS administration said that outsiders were visiting college premises that could create unhealthy environment for the future doctors. "There were parties going on at the campus, outsiders were coming in, so we had to put up some restriction, as you know, prevention is better than cure," Dr Bhatti said.

There was no harsh restriction on girls students. "They all are students and we care for them as their own parents," he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2021.