News - Country:
Pakistan - Theme: Human and Trade Union Rights
Pakistan: Attacks on schools and teachers now occurring daily (30 March 2013)
A head teacher was murdered this morning in Pakistan - and three school children are fighting for their lives with another three badly injured - after the latest attack on a school and on the right of girls to education.
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School in Rhbat village, near Chalt, Pakistan. Image by Shaun D Metcalfe via Flickr.
http://www.ei-ie.org/kroppr/eikropped/pakistan_school_136464245713646424579538.jpg
As pupils gathered early on Saturday to receive exam results, grenades were hurled into the Baldia Town school causing carnage. The Principal, Abdur Rasheed, died on the spot. The perpetrators are thought to be from TPP, a Taliban terrorist sect, as their campaign of violence against girls’ education moves from the tribal areas into one of the country’s largest cities, Karachi
The latest attack follows the murder earlier this week, in the Khyber tribal district, of Shahnaz Nazli, a 41 year old teacher gunned down in front of one of her children, only 200 meters from the all-girls school, where she taught. Earlier this week UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has spoken out against the shooting of Shahnaz Nazli and has given his personal support to teachers persecuted for their advocacy of girls’ education.
Now authorities in Pakistan are under international pressure to deploy their security services to ensure the safety and protection of teachers and girls trying to go to school.
Education International calls upon its membership to sign a petition which is now available on http://www.educationenvoy.org calling for a cessation of violence against teachers who are defending the right of girls to go to school.
EI has co-signed a letter supporting Pakistani children and teachers. It is available here
