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"I had to pick her up and hold her close to my chest. My worry is that we will spend our time helping the girls deal with fear instead of teaching them math and science," said head teacher Razia Begum.
(Read: Militants blow up girls school in Mardan)
"I hope the parents keep sending their children to school."
Pakistan's Taliban movement, which is close to al Qaeda, has bombed hundreds of schools since launching a campaign to topple the US-backed government in 2007.
(Read: Militants blow up two school buildings in Mardan)
Like Taliban militants in neighbouring Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban want girls barred from education.
But the Taliban have failed to sell their violent philosophy to the vast majority of Pakistanis, and a campaign to terrify people into supporting militancy has had limited success, as the defiance at Government Girls Primary School No. 3 illustrates.
The students - age 4 to 15 - are undoubtedly scared, and disappointed about the damage to their school in the town of Swabi, 75 km northwest of Islamabad.
(Read: Militancy-affected students go back to school)
The bombs set off in the red and white brick school complex on Sunday were so powerful they stopped wall clocks at the time of impact, nineteen minutes past midnight.
Instead of listening to lectures at their old wooden desks, the girls will be forced to sit on the grass in a courtyard until workers clean the rubble and shattered glass from classrooms pulverized by the bombs.
Still, they are determined to stay in school, hoping to become doctors or lawyers and leave sleepy Swabi for big Pakistani metropolises, or work abroad, dreams that enrage Taliban zealots.
(Read: Terror attack: Miscreants blow up school in Peshawar)
"We are braver than the Taliban," said Hasina Quraish, 10, who wants to be a college lecturer. "They are brutal people, not good Muslims.”
In their ideal world, women are covered from head to toe, only learn how to cook and clean to take care of their husbands, and rarely venture outside the home.
Pakistani men would all grow beards, and the government would cut off all ties with the West and impose an austere system of Islamic law at home where those deemed immoral would be executed or whipped in public.
The campaign to bomb girls schools gathered pace several years ago in the former tourist destination of Swat Valley, about a three hour drive from Swabi.
The regional faction of the Taliban, led by Maulvi Fazlullah - dubbed FM Mullah for his fiery radio broadcasts – was fighting to impose its version of Islam.
It was able to do so after reaching a widely criticised peace deal with the government in 2009 which US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called an abdication to the Taliban.
An army offensive in Swat forced Fazlullah to rebase across the border in Afghanistan. Yet he and his fighters have regrouped, started launching cross-border attacks on Pakistani troops, and have vowed to rule Swat again.
Sympathisers with Fazlullah and other Taliban leaders, meanwhile, frequently attack girls schools.
"I want to be a fighter pilot.”
That doesn't keep students like Sana Khan, 8, from walking several kilometres to School No. 3.
She is well aware of how ruthless the Taliban can be, often overhearing her parents speak of how the Taliban kidnap and behead people.
"I want to be a doctor and help people. I want to go outside and see the world," said Sana.
Pakistan needs as many qualified students to enter the work force as possible to help its struggling economy, which is heavily dependent on foreign aid.
"Women have to be educated because they have to be part of the economy too," said teacher Mohammad Arif. "Pakistan can't develop if its women do not learn."
But good learning is hard to come by in Pakistan, which spends less than two percent of its budget on education, while pouring huge sums into the military.
Even hiring more guards for schools seems to be a challenge.
Israr Khan works a 24-hour shift at the school complex. His repeated calls to local authorities for reinforcements have been ignored.
"The Taliban are powerful and they will keep doing this unless the government does something about it," he said.
The Taliban campaign stretches far beyond the classroom.
Suicide bombings meant to destabilise the government disrupt the rhythm of life in big cities, as well as dusty places like Swabi, where vegetable sellers on donkey carts compete for road space with motorcycles, and women in veils bargain for better prices in the bazaar.
In the centre of town, posters of 25 policemen killed by Taliban bombs and shootouts remind residents of their vulnerability.
Yet, the importance of education seems to override fear.
"These people want to destroy society and the best way of doing that is by destroying education," said Nur Waheed, holding the hand of his four-year-old granddaughter outside a butcher's shop.
"She said 'I don't want to go to school because I heard a bomb exploded there'. But we will send her to school," he said.
Sara Ahmed, 9, doesn't need encouragement. The bubbly girl with a white scarf has high ambitions in a conservative male-dominated society.
"I want to be a fighter pilot," she said with a wide smile.
COMMENTS (6)
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My dear friends- Try to understand them. They are of two classes. Their leaders are playing in the hands of CIA, Mosad, RAW and their allies. while their so-called fighters are playing in the hands of their leaders. How and where from do they get funds, ammunition, latest technology equipments, training etc?
Questian to Taliban, Where does islam said about women not to get eductated you idiots?????? Home made brain washed stupits.
The sad truth is that we can reference numerous accounts of Taliban from both sides of the border that would depict their true mentality, and leave no doubt regarding their motives. Afghanistan in particular became the hunting ground for these Taliban, and people were stripped of every opportunity to succeed on their land. The history will not let us forget the kind of brutality the people of Afghanistan faced, before the US and coalition forces toppled their regime. The schools were burned, women were not allowed to leave homes, and people were left with no choice but to beg on streets. And those who dared to take a stand were stoned to death in front of everyone. Their counterparts across the border are still reflecting their past, and unfortunately children seem to have become prime targets of their terrorist activities. Over 400 schools in the swat region alone have been destroyed. To label them as the enemies of our future generation would not be an overstatement.
The history serves as a proof and allows us to make a fair judgment regarding the fate of people of AF/PAK region. That judgment prohibits Taliban from gaining any control in the region. The hard work of our forces has made it possible for the people of Afghanistan to look forward to a brighter future. The goal is to leave them with the proper infrastructure to build upon and have a fair shot at excelling in the field of their choice. ANSF is in the process of taking over the security responsibilities, and the days when the Afghans will be more than capable of independently protecting their nation and thriving like any other prosperous nation are not far.
@ SalSal. Really? Do you think we dont remember when they ruled afghanistan?
One must admire the spirit. It is heart-warming to hear children so young suffused with an ideal that can radically change the world around them. The Taliban are ruthless criminals and ought to be put to the test of law. Pakistan needs to invest more in quality education if it wants to have a chance against terrorism and of the new world. If the planners had long terms goals in focus, they would have had turned to establishing places of learning and technical education to support the military and economy.
Afghan taleban are not against girls getting education. Pak taleban is