DID YOU KNOW?: Pakistan Arming Teachers

Teachers Being Trained to Carry Firearms After Taliban Massacre

AP

On Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, a Pakistani teacher holds a weapon during a two-day training session by the police in Peshawar Pakistan. When Pakistani Taliban militants stormed a Peshawar school on Dec. 16, 2014 and massacred almost 150 children and teachers, nobody could fight back. Some teachers want to change that. Government authorities in Pakistan’s northwest frontier have given permission for teachers to carry concealed firearms in response to the attack. However, other provinces have not allowed teachers to be armed, and most education organizations say that’s the right call. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

Emma Saltsman, Staff Writer
February 3, 2015

  • After the December school shooting in Pakistan, teachers are now allowed to carry guns.
  • The shooting took place in a school in Peshawar, Pakistan where the Taliban massacred 145 people, including dozens of students.
  • School security has been increased to include the use of barbed wire, surveillance cameras, and snipers.
  • Private schools have been instructed to arrange security guards and metal detectors.
  • The Khyber Pakhtunkua police force has started basic weapon training for any teachers interested in using firearms.
  • About 20 female teachers have already received training; most had never held a gun before.
  • Many teacher are happy to have guns by their sides, but many are angered just by the idea of having a gun.
  • Teachers argue that guns are being glorified and students will begin using them in the future.
  • Other teachers argue that guns are reassuring to students, who are still terrified every time they hear a sound.
  • School principal, Abul Saeed, agrees with the use of guns.
  • “We were once warriors of the chalk and the blackboard,” said Saeed. “Now we must be soldiers at war and fight for the cause of education and a brighter future for our children.”

 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/01/asia/pakistan-peshawar-school-guns/index.html