Some of the ITA and EYA team plant trees in memory of the victims

Education Youth Ambassadors in Pakistan have visited Peshawar to pay tribute to students and teachers who died in the school massacre.

The young activists planted trees in their memory and said prayers in the grounds of the Army Public School, which is lined with thousands of messages, flowers and wreaths.

The Education Youth Ambassadors (EYAs) were formed through a partnership between A World at School and Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi(ITA), which promotes education in Pakistan. During their visit to Peshawar, they decided to try to put together profiles of as many students and teachers, Baela Raza Jamil, Trustee/Advisor at ITA, said the ambassadors wanted to ensure that the 132 children and 13 adults killed by Taliban terrorists on December 16 “remain living symbols of courage and action for education and learning in Pakistan”.

Baela Raza Jamil looks at messages at the Peshawar school

In a blog for Right to Education Pakistan, she wrote: “They asked parents and siblings present for permission for interviews and conversations about their loved ones; the families responded readily, assenting with warm welcomes giving them addresses/telephone numbers. It was as if they wanted to speak to many and heal through the collective spirit.” They also visited the family of the school’s principal, Tahira Qazi, who gave her life to try to save her pupils.

Baela wrote that – after planting the trees – and standing with other people paying tribute “it felt as if we were a growing tribe who wanted change, who wanted to search for and to speak the truth; who wanted to break the culture of silence against violence and tyranny of a mangled religion in our homes, neighbourhoods, schools and classrooms”.

You can read Baela’s full blog here.

Governor Sarwar at the briefing in Punjab with Baela Raza Jamil of ITA

The governor of Pakistan’s most populated state has called on business leaders, education stakeholders, civil society and the public to back the#UpForSchool Petition.

Punjab Governor Mohammed Sarwar urged everyone to collect signatures for the petition – which calls on world leaders to keep their promise to get all children into school by the end of 2015. #UpForSchool has been launched by A World at School, which is partnering with the Pakistani education organisation Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA).

Governor Sarwar and ITA held a press briefing which he said was “a call to action” to endorse the campaign and stand up to ensure the right to education to all children without any discrimination.

He said Pakistan had about 5.4 million of the 58 million children out of school around the world – the second highest total after Nigeria. He said all stakeholders and citizens in Punjab needed to be mobilised to end the country’s education crisis and urged all universities, colleges, schools, businesses, parents and civil society to participate in the campaign by collecting petition signatures by February 28.

Punjab Governor Sarwar signs #UpForSchool watched by Baela

Governor Sarwar paid tribute to the talent and bravery of young people in Pakistan and said they could take on any challenge. He also acknowledged the courage of Aitzaz Hassan, who gave his life to stop a sucicide bomber at his school last year.

ITA Trustee/Advisor Baela Raza Jamil said the aim was for three million people in Pakistan to sign the #UpForSchool Petition. Governor Sarwar signed the petition, together with 23 university vice chancellors, educationalists and parents.

Punjab is home to more than half of Pakistan’s 180 million people.