Shahnaz Nazli, a 41 year-old teacher was shot on Tuesday 26 March as she walked to school near the town of Jamrud in Peshawar, Pakistan. Gunmen opened fire, when Ms Nazli was just 200 metres from the school, and fled after hitting their target. The Head Teacher took her to the local hospital, but Shahnaz died of her gunshot wounds three hours later.
EI and its affiliates condemn this murder in the strongest terms, offer their condolences to the family and colleagues of Ms Nazli, and pledge to put pressure on the Pakistani authorities to guarantee the safety of teachers and their pupils on the way to and from school, and while they are in school.
The EI Declaration ‘Schools Shall Be Safe Sanctuaries’ urges the international community to act to prevent violations of the right to education, to ensure the safety and security of learners, teachers, education personnel and academics everywhere, and to strengthen international law and to end impunity.
Shahnaz Nazli’s killing highlights, once again, the risks that teachers face every day in hostile environments.
“There must be zero tolerance for violence against teachers in general, and against women teachers and girl students in particular”, stated EI General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen. He added: “EI and its affiliates will not rest until the Pakistan government and authorities hear and act on this message that we are sending to them: it is their responsibility to secure the safety of teachers and of students. There cannot be any kind of development or progress anywhere in our world if people, who dedicate their professional lives to nurturing the minds of our children, are not able to do their work in safety. Shahnaz Nazli’s death and the attempt on the life of Malala Yousazai show us that we have reached a critical point in the struggle between those who would deny our children their human right to be educated, and those who would promote that right, even at the cost of their lives. It is time for the Pakistan authorities to ‘walk the talk’ and do the right thing. The future of their children, of their country and of the world, depends on it”.
EI and its affiliates fully support the initiative of the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown on this matter, and on promoting girls’ right to education more broadly.
Click here to read Gordon Brown’s statement following the killing of Shahnaz Nazli: http://educationenvoy.org/press
