‘Self-defence’: Mohmand teachers receive firearms training

Local poet says govt should provide security to schools, not guns to teachers.

SHABQADAR: In order to avoid adverse impact on the minds of students, the government has decided that schools should look like a school and not a military post, said Mohmand Political Agent (PA) Waqar Ali at a firearms training session arranged for teachers in Mohmand Agency.

Ali attended the session held at Governor Model School in Ghallanai on Wednesday as the chief guest as Pakistan Army instructor Lieutenant Jawad Farooq taught male and female teachers of the school how to operate Kalashnikovs and pistols.

While addressing the media, PA Ali said after the horrendous Army Public School (APS) attack, it was decided that teachers in K-P and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas will be given weapons training to enable them to protect themselves and students in the event of a terrorist attack.

“It was also decided that to avoid an  adverse impact on students’ minds; schools should look like a school and not a military post,” said Ali.

According to the PA, the training will improve the ability of teachers to defend themselves and students.

“It is every citizen’s responsibility to avail such trainings as they are the need of the hour,” said Ali. He added although men and women of the tribal areas know how to wield a weapon, the training will improve their ability to operate them.

According to Governor Model School Principal Saeeda Sultana, in the aftermath of the APS tragedy the consensus arose that if teachers and students are trained in handling weapons, casualties can be significantly minimised. “We did not want to perturb the students so we arranged this training in secret,” said Sultana.

Abid Khan, a teacher at the school, said he found the training useful even though he knew the basics of handling a weapon. According to Khan, in the past the National Cadet Corps used to impart training to college students in first aid, basic weapons operation and tackling emergency situations, but the course was discontinued by the government. He said such trainings are important for students and teachers alike and should be restarted.

However, the decision to impart weapons training to teachers has not gone down well with everyone. While talking to The Express Tribune, Hairan Mohmand, a poet, said the government has reversed its policy by giving guns in schools instead of pens. Terming the policy destructive, Mohmand said, “We should protect our schools by providing security to them, not by providing guns to teachers.”

Last month, women teachers of the Frontier College for Women in Peshawar were trained in handling weapons by the police.

To view more pictures of teachers receiving arms training here

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2015.