‘Form bodies to prevent sexual harassment at educational institutes’

The authorities of all educational institutions under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) have been asked to form five-member committees for preventing sexual harassment.

Shahedul Khabir Chowdhury, director (college and administration) of the DSHE, told The Daily Star that they have sent the notice to all the government and non-government educational institutions under DSHE in line with the 2009 High Court directive.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

DSHE officials said that Shahedul Khabir Chowdhury signed the order on Thursday and sent to the school and college authorities today.

The educational institutions will form the five-member committee and will publish it on their own websites, said the notice.

The directorate has also asked the educational institutions to undertake necessary steps to prevent incidents of sextual harassment and inform the DSHE.

The order came at a time when a recent spate of incidents of sexual harassment of students in educational institutes sparked outrage nationwide.

Nusrat Jahan Rafi, a madrasa student in Feni’s Sonagazi upazila, was killed by arson as she came up with allegation of sexual harassment against the principal of the madrasa and refused to withdraw a case filed in this connection.

The incident is now being investigated by Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).