University Sets New Campus Safety Model
Beaconhouse National University has launched two important student welfare manuals aimed at tackling substance use and psychological distress on campuses.
The manuals are titled “From Risk to Resilience: BNU Substance Use Control Program” and “Campus Care: A Guide to Psychological First Aid.”
The launch ceremony was attended by Senior Minister Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb and Provincial Minister for School and Higher Education Rana Sikandar Hayat.
Vice chancellors from public and private universities also joined the event. Senior officials from the Anti-Narcotics Force, Punjab Counter Narcotics Force, provincial departments and mental health experts were also present.
The initiative is being seen as a major step toward open discussion on student welfare issues that are often avoided due to stigma and institutional pressure.
Empathy Placed Before Punishment
BNU said its substance use control framework focuses on prevention, support and early intervention.
The university has moved away from a punishment-only model. It has placed empathy, counselling and constructive engagement at the centre of its approach.
According to BNU Vice Chancellor Dr Moeed Yusuf, the initiative was created from the university’s own experience. He said the project became a wider institutional mission involving students, faculty, staff and leadership.
The university said substance use should be treated as a wider social issue, not just a campus problem.
BNU identified three major sources of psychological stress among students. These include childhood or family abuse, harmful peer relationships and pressure, and the communication gap between Gen-Z students and university staff.
The manuals aim to help institutions recognise these problems early and respond with care.
Punjab Government and HEC Back Wider Implementation
The Punjab government has supported the initiative and promised to work with BNU to implement the framework.
The Higher Education Commission has also moved to form a committee under Dr Moeed Yusuf to explore replication of the model across educational institutions in Pakistan.
The first manual offers a practical roadmap for preventing and addressing substance use.
The second manual trains educators, staff and student leaders to identify distress, offer immediate psychological support and refer students for professional help when needed.
Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb praised BNU for breaking silence around substance use and student mental health.
She said the university had created a model based on resilience, care and responsibility.
Rana Sikandar Hayat said educational institutions must protect both the mental and physical well-being of students.
Other university leaders and officials also called for quick implementation of such welfare models.
BNU said its manuals are not only institutional achievements. They are also a contribution to Pakistan’s wider education sector.
The university hopes the model will help schools, colleges and universities build safer, healthier and more supportive learning environments.
