Army Public School attack: Benish Umer (Teacher) – Age 30
W/O Umer Zeb Butt
Childrens: Hibbah Umer (5), Annaya Umer (3), Affaf Umer (1)
Qualification: M.Sc. Computer Science (Greenwich University), M.A. English (University of Peshawar)
Occupation: Computer Science teacher
A loving wife and a caring mother, teaching was Benish’s aim and mission in life. She began working at the Army Public School in October 2013. Her husband Umer recalls how Benish would manage everything so deftly and in time and would also look after the family as well as her husband’s parents.
Umer recalls that it was Benish’s tenacity that helped the family maintain discipline in its routine. He remembers Benish preparing breakfast, helping him out with work clothes and then leaving for school on the day of the APS massacre.
Benish enjoyed good food with her favourites ranging from fast food items to vegetables. She also enjoyed cooking and preparing dishes for the family and liked to bake cakes. In her spare time, she liked to read books and watched television.
A kind woman, after her family, Benish gave the most amount of time to her students and treated them like her own children. She also felt strongly about girls’ education and used to say that educating women was critical for the country’s prosperity.
Her colleagues remember her as an able woman for whom teaching was a passion, whereas her students recall her as a teacher who would extend all help to them.
Her in-laws regard her as a respectful woman who cared for them as best she could.
Her husband recalls that Benish had the chance to get out safely during the APS attack but chose to stay back so she could administer first aid to the injured students. He says that this is when she was shot.