A prayer for protection as schools reopen in Swat

MINGORA, Pakistan — The Taliban invaded their school, an explosion damaged it and a Pakistani army offensive forced them to leave it behind.

As classes in the Swat Valley resumed Saturday for the first time in months, this group of schoolboys began the day with a prayer for protection from the Quran.

"Say, 'I seek refuge in the lord of men, the king of men, the God of men, from the evil of the whisperer, who slinks off, who whispers into the hearts of men, from jinns and men!" one student read to his teenage classmates at the school in Mingora, Swat's main city.

The resumption of school may be the most symbolic and psychologically critical step yet for authorities trying to revive Swat. After all, destroying schools — girls' schools especially — was a favorite Taliban activity.

Still, attendance Saturday was sparse — less than 10 percent at some schools — though most schools opened, officials said. Some children studied in tents atop the rubble of their schools. Others braved classrooms where dust swirled in the air and coated workbooks.

"I like school. I love reading stories too much!" said 10-year-old Nazish Habib, one of around 30 girls who showed up at a girls' school that normally has around 700 students.

There are about 1,600 government-run schools in Swat. Over the past two years, Taliban in the region destroyed around 200 schools. Most were girls' institutions, though some prominent boys' schools were struck as well.

At one point, the Taliban said they were halting female education, a move that echoed their militant brethren in neighboring Afghanistan who forbade girls from attending school when they ran the country.

Earlier this year, militants commandeered a few rooms at the boys' school that reopened Saturday with the protection prayer. Not long ago, a store across the street, run by a suspected insurgent, was blown up, causing damage to the school building.

Its pupils were among the 2 million people who fled Swat and surrounding areas following the start of the military offensive against insurgents three months ago, further disrupting the education of many children.

"When we went, we were in a rush, and I couldn't take my books," said Hasan Khan, 14. "I missed school."

Although Swat is slowly coming back to life, it is nowhere near normal and violence persists.