Barbed wire curls incessantly on top of the raised walls, guards stand vigilantly with rifles ready, security cameras perched high scan for suspicious behavior or objects. Brave, defiant but worried, children file through metal detectors to the morning assembly, then on to the classrooms. While the peril of another Taliban attack still looms.
But, sadly that’s not the only danger children face. The textbooks that thousands of them will read in the reopening classrooms, across Pakistan, after the Peshawar school attack, too will continue to jar their innocence. Students will still learn lessons that encourage hate, discourage diversity of opinion and preach jihad.
Although, fortifying schools is needed and should be done with all diligence, planning and care— just as important is protecting innocent minds from the narrow scope of curriculum. Doing the right thing should be its own reward, but reforming education would also give the government much needed national and international credibility.
How long will we wait before we stand up to all forms of extremism from all its sources?
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