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        UN: Pakistani Schools Need Protection From Terrorism, Disasters

   by VOA News

   United Nations officials say they are devising an "action plan" to help
   protect schools in Pakistan's northwest from militant attacks and
   natural disasters.
   UNESCO's program officer in Pakistan, Arsalan Zaid, tells VOA Urdu
   Service the U.N. agency is working to train teachers and students in
   Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on responding to emergencies.
   The provincial education ministry says terrorism-related incidents have
   affected nearly 800 schools across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, with nearly a
   quarter of schools completely destroyed in militant attacks. Many are
   in the process of being rebuilt.
   Officials say the majority of the affected schools are in the Malakand
   division of Khyber, which is also home to Swat Valley. Earlier this
   month, the Pakistani Taliban shot and wounded Malala Yousafzai as she
   left school in Swat.  The militant group said it targeted the
   15-year-old because she spoke out against the Taliban.
   Yousafzai has been internationally recognized for promoting girls'
   education and documenting Taliban atrocities in Swat.
   UNESCO official Zaidi says in order to protect schools and allow
   children to continue their education, more attention must be paid to
   where school buildings are built to ensure they are not prone to
   militant attacks and natural disasters, such as flooding.
   He told VOA, "unfortunately the sites allocated for schools are
   extremely unsafe.  In area, they are located on river banks and at
   places where landslides are possible."
   Zaidi adds that preparing school staff and students to deal with an
   emergency situation is far cheaper than having to rebuild a school.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/un-pakistani-schools-need-protection-
   from-terrorism-disasters/1536061.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/un-pakistani-schools-need-protection-from-terrorism-disasters/1536061.html