Minister Mina Khan Afridi says student unions vital for nurturing democratic leadership
PESHAWAR:
A significant development has emerged regarding the revival of student unions in higher educational institutions of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as the provincial government initiated formal consultations with student bodies and education officials.
An important meeting, chaired by Minister for Higher Education and Local Government Mina Khan Afridi, was attended by officials of the Higher Education Department and representatives of various student organisations. During the meeting, participants held detailed discussions on restoring student unions and shared their viewpoints and proposals.
Office-bearers of Islami Jamiat Talaba, Insaf Students Federation, Peoples Students Federation, Pakhtunkhwa Students Organisation and other student societies presented their recommendations. The meeting approved the formation of a committee headed by Insaf Students Federation’s provincial president, Musharraf Afridi. The committee will include representatives from the Higher Education Department and leaders of different student organisations.
It was decided that the committee would finalise its recommendations within 15 days and present them to a meeting chaired by the higher education minister, with the aim of devising a consensus-based and workable framework for the restoration of student unions.
Addressing the meeting, Mina Khan Afridi said the government was making earnest efforts to restore student unions at the earliest, terming them vital for producing capable and democratic leadership at both provincial and national levels. He said student unions were dismantled during an authoritarian era to weaken grassroots leadership, the adverse effects of which were still being felt.
He added that reviving student unions would help counter dynastic politics, feudal mindsets and monopolies of privileged classes, while providing youth an opportunity to participate meaningfully in democratic processes. He regretted that certain unseen forces continued to obstruct the growth of genuine democratic leadership but reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment.
Earlier, another meeting chaired by the minister reviewed issues related to teaching and non-teaching staff recruitment in provincial universities. Senior officials from University of Shangla, Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences) Peshawar and Bacha Khan University Charsadda attended.
The minister directed that the recruitment process at University of Shangla be rationalised to ensure efficient use of resources and instructed the university to enhance student enrolment under the approved formula.
