After the harassment of a female student by a teacher at the University of Malakand sparked outrage across social media and university campuses in the province, it is encouraging to see the issue reach the provincial assembly, where lawmakers from both sides are engaging in discussions to find a meaningful solution. This is precisely the right forum for such a debate. As the Malakand incident highlighted, students and faculty members had reportedly been raising concerns about this particular teacher’s behaviour for some time.

However, it was the university administration that failed to act—choosing to protect the institution’s reputation rather than address the complaints. This pattern is common in many educational institutions, where powerful, well-connected individuals are shielded from accountability. Universities, fearing damage to their public image, often dismiss or downplay allegations, siding with faculty members over students, who are viewed as less credible. This dynamic is particularly pronounced in academic settings, where teachers hold significant power over students’ education, grades, and futures.

In this context, the suggestions made in the KP Assembly for a centralised mechanism—one that operates independently of universities and allows complaints against faculty members to be investigated by provincial authorities—deserve serious consideration. Such a system would ensure that perpetrators cannot rely on institutional cover-ups. Additionally, as the assembly debate highlighted, there must be strict consequences for those found guilty of harassment. Only through exemplary punishments can a strong deterrent be established.

For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, this case is a wake-up call that demands urgent government intervention. The province already struggles with low female representation in government, the private sector, and education, largely due to concerns over safety, harassment, and cultural barriers that restrict women’s access to public spaces. If such incidents continue unchecked, even the education sector—one of the few avenues for women’s empowerment—will become a hostile and unwelcoming environment, making it even harder to convince families to send their daughters to university.