Jalaluddin Khan, a science teacher, said the children did not have lessons but their attendance had been an important part of the healing process. The children had been asked to come with their parents to take part in prayers for the dead, sing the national anthem and prepare to move on. “We want to embolden the students so they can forget the gory scenes they have witnessed,” he said. The presence of General Raheel Sharif was to “give the children courage”, he added.