“Many teachers have even been issued guns to protect themselves,” read the BBC news on Nov. 4. “Schools and teachers are a frequent target as symbols of the distant Bangkok-based government.” According to BBC news, more than 1,500 have been murdered by rebels in southern Thailand since Jan. 2004, many of which have been teachers.

Educational institutions and teachers are frequent targets because they are symbols of the distant Bangkok-based government, which Thailand rebels wish to get rid of.

“Teachers are government workers and an easy target because they stay in local communities close to the villages,” said Pairach Sangthong, an education official from Narathiwat province, to the BBC.

Gunmen have been disguising themselves as students in uniforms to gun down teachers while they are teaching or kill teachers by commiting hit and runs on motorbikes.

“I’d be pretty freaked out,” said first-year Philip Kennedy, a possible peace and conflict studies major. Kennedy is also enrolled in the Educating for Equality class.

On Nov. 4, there was another attack in the Muslim-dominated province of Yala. Three schools were completely destroyed and one was severely damaged by fires. Soon after, the government declared that guns were to be issued to every teacher so that they may protect themselves and the students of Thailand.

“There’s a conflict in my mind,” said Tanakorn Saengtarung, a school principle in Narathiwat, Thailand, to the BBC News. “I’m a teacher and I’m carrying a gun? It saddens me just to think about it.”

“I don’t think it’s portraying a good message for students. We tell them not to bring guns to schools when they are being threatened and we should do the same thing,” said sophomore Rosalind Fleming, an elementary education studies major.

“I would say that I am pacifist so I oppose issuing guns to anyone,” said Kennedy. “I think that beyond my beliefs it really would drive a schism into the situation because it would highlight the problem and it makes it seem that the people issuing [the guns] don’t have much hope for a peaceful resolution.”

“I would leave,” said Fleming. ” I guess the Guilford way would be to implement a plan to change their attitude, but I would just leave.”

“It seems like if they can give guns to teachers, wouldn’t it make more sense to give guns to security guards?” said Kennedy. ” Because then teachers wouldn’t have to be teaching class with an AK47.