KP male faculty barred from meeting female students in offices at public universities

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Department has prohibited male teachers from meeting female students in their offices at all public universities.

In a move to create safer learning environments and strengthen student protection, the department has instructed each university to nominate a female faculty member in every department to address students’ complaints.

The KP department, in a letter issued to the administrations, ordered the universities to organise quarterly seminars to raise awareness about the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act.

In a similar move to ensure the safety and privacy of female students, the Sindh government has banned photography in all government girls’ colleges, citing concerns over the misuse of images of students and female faculty.

The College Education Department issued a notification on Tuesday, noting that it had received multiple complaints regarding photographs of students and teachers being taken without consent and later circulated on social media platforms, raising serious privacy concerns.

The director of the College Education Karachi Region emphasised that taking or sharing photographs without permission on platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, or other digital media will be considered a punishable offence under relevant laws.

The director’s order added that unauthorised photography is strictly prohibited in all women’s colleges, and any violation will invite legal action alongside disciplinary measures, with the institution’s principal and staff held accountable for enforcement lapses.