Daily Times

January 12 was a difficult day for the traumatized yet courageous students of the Army Public School (APS) when they re-entered the building where they had experienced the deadliest terror attack. The terrible ordeal they had gone through on December 16 could not be explained in words. In a bid to console their feelings, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif himself came there to greet them. It might be an uphill task for parents, teachers and the school administration to cope with the memories of the gory incident, which would haunt their minds for life. However, the courage of the victims has foiled the enemy’s nefarious agenda of halting educational activities in the country. Hats off to the students and teachers who responded positively by attending their school, which is a clear message to the terrorists that cowardly violent acts could not deter their love for education. The APS underwent a complete renovation to remove all traces of the bloody act with some added security measures. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, teachers have been asked to keep guns with valid licences in case of emergency. However, making teachers a force against the terrorists is not a good idea. They cannot be expected to hold off the barbaric terrorists. The government has given a checklist of measures for the better security of schools including elevation of walls, installation of CCTV cameras, barbed wire and deployment of security personnel.

Insecurity and terror still prevails among parents, teachers and students across the country. Children especially need to undergo proper counselling to cope with the trauma. The threat of further terror still lingers. The best possible security measures have been adopted at the APS. However, many schools in the rest of the country are still insecure and have been left at the mercy of the terrorists. Except some missionary schools, almost all the institutions have started academic activities despite the fact that the security situation is not satisfactory. The administration of many schools is not taking the issue seriously and they have made spurious arrangements by transferring some low paid employess to ‘act’ as security guards. It is very troubling to note that our schools are most vulnerable to terror attacks across the country. Without indulging in any illusions, we should rather be alert to the possibility that every school and child is a potential target for the terrorists. It is the responsibility of the parent body, teachers, school administration and government not to show any lethargy. There is a need to accept this reality that we are engaged in a war with a hidden enemy who can attack any time. The mainstream media should also play its role and create awareness about the importance of proper security at schools. *