PESHAWAR: The Islamia College administration has decided that any kind of fooling with new students has been banned in Islamia College, and anyone found involved in this unethical tradition would be fined and expelled from the college.
This trend frequently causes unrest in the college and results in rivalries and firing incidents, which portray a very bad image of the educational institutions. Parents expect ethics and knowledge from their children, while from the day first they are being taught how to torture their colleagues.
Under the notification issued by the Chief Proctor, senior students have been strictly prohibited from doing so. According to the college administration, advanced steps have been taken this year to stop fouling. Newly admitted students were allowed to block the college a week in advance, and their classes started. Similarly, all proctors have been instructed to stop fouling.
According to the Islamia College administration, no incident of fooling has taken place with any student inside the college; however, there is no knowledge of incidents outside the gate. He said that disciplinary action will be taken against students against whom complaints of fouling are received.
For the first time, an anti-fouling campaign has been launched in educational institutions of Peshawar, in which senior students affiliated with the Jamiat-e-Islami Students initially participated, but other student organisations also participated in the campaign. In the anti-fooling campaign, senior students went to the classrooms and welcomed new students and assured them that they would not be subjected to any fooling or misbehaviour.
The senior students assured the juniors that their honour would be taken care of. Campaigns to discourage fooling are also underway in other renowned educational institutions, including Islamia College Peshawar. Rab Nawaz says that ‘the faculty staff has also played a full role in the anti-fooling campaign’
Rab Nawaz, a student of Islamia College, told media persons that ‘instead of fouling students, they should be welcomed. Apart from classes, fooling is done in the hostel, but this time under the anti-fooling campaign, new arrivals have been welcomed in the hostel as well, and fouling incidents have also been prevented after receiving complaints.
He says that ‘the faculty staff has also played a full role in the anti-fooling campaign, which has encouraged the students.’Physical violence in the name of fouling is unacceptable, which sometimes results in a fight and the exchange of fire.
Social activist Sidra Waheed Advocate says that ‘fooling was a way of joking with juniors in educational institutions, but now it has become a kind of physical violence.’ She said that videos of youths are made by taking off their shirts or making them utter obscene words.
‘This is not a joke, but mental and physical torture which must be stopped. Former Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, Justice Qaisaf Rashid, had ordered educational institutions to end the fooling culture. According to Advocate Sidra Waheed, fouling causes some new students to suffer from mental stress, which affects their academic activities.
In the Swat district, the degree college administration has started action against students who are involved in this un-Islamic culture. He further said that “due to a fooling culture in the college, some children say goodbye to their educational journey, which is a big loss.”
In the Swat district, the degree college administration has started action against fool-mouthed students. According to a statement issued by the principal’s office, eight students, including second-year students, have been expelled from the college on charges of fooling. According to the administration, students were prohibited from using foul language, but despite this, first-year students were harassed.
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