School safety alert: Thai education ministry issues warning after floor collapse

The Ministry of Education (MoE) issued a warning to all schools about the safety of their educational buildings. This cautionary message comes in the wake of an incident where the floor of an old school building in Phanat Nikhom, Chon Buri collapsed, injuring nearly 30 students.

The students fell almost 2 metres to the ground, fortunately, the area was flooded, making the fall less severe. The Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) has reported the incident.

The aforementioned school building, under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Secondary Educational Area, Chon Buri, Rayong, was conducting an English language activity that required students to answer questions in front of the classroom.

This led to a large gathering of students at the front of the classroom, causing the floor to collapse, shocking everyone in the classroom and injuring nearly 30 students.

The collapsed floor was located on the first floor of a three-story wooden school building (Model 318), built in 1976. The section of the floor that collapsed was in front of the blackboard in the classroom, causing students to fall to the flooded ground floor, resulting in two students requiring medical attention.

Both students, first-year secondary school students, were taken to Phanat Nikhom Hospital where they were diagnosed with minor injuries to their arms, legs and back. They were allowed to return home after receiving treatment, reported KhaoSod.

The school has since assessed the damage to the student’s property and compensated accordingly. The building in question had previously undergone renovations and repairs. However, the room where the incident occurred showed no signs of possible collapse.

An engineer from OBEC inspected the building on January 18 and the school had been using its budget for continuous renovations and repairs.

Permpoon Chidchob, Minister of Education, who had ordered nationwide schools on October 6 to inspect classrooms, buildings, toilets, supplies, and other equipment daily to ensure safety, said that building safety is of utmost importance.

If any damage is detected, immediate repairs must be carried out or, if not possible, barricades and warning signs must be installed to prevent accidents. In this case, the school administration and teachers responded well and reported the incident promptly.

“However, I would like to reiterate that all schools must be stringent about student safety every day. Do not be negligent.”