Thai government ends after-school caretaking duties for teachers
The Thai government has approved the termination of after-school caretaking duties for teachers, following a recent assault on a primary school teacher in Chiang Rai by a 38 year old man during her shift. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced yesterday, January 24, at the mobile Cabinet meeting held at the Ranong Civic Centre.
The caretaking duties, which were imposed on teachers and other civil agency employees, were first introduced in a resolution on July 6, 1999. The resolution mandated all staff to safeguard their workplaces outside their work hours, including night shifts, weekends, and holidays.
Deputy Education Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul shared that the decision to repeal this ruling came with the advent of security-related technology, specifically CCTV, which was not widely available when the resolution was first put in place. However, the topic of re-employing the 14,000 school janitors across the nation was not addressed. The ministry has been tasked to conduct further studies and present its findings at the subsequent cabinet meeting, reported Bangkok Post.
Caretaking responsibilities outside teaching hours will now fall on the shoulders of local administrative bodies and the police. Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul expressed his belief that suppressing crime and investigating damage resulting from incidents at schools during non-working hours should be the responsibility of security agencies.
“Teachers should not be responsible for safeguarding their school from any criminal conduct. That is a responsibility of police officers and local administrators, not teachers.”
In related news, yesterday, a report emerged on an assault case involving a 38 year old man, Nirund, who had allegedly assaulted a female teacher in a school in Chiang Rai.
The incident occurred on January 22, and two teenage women filed a complaint, detailing Nirund’s previous deceptive actions, including assaulting a 17 year old girl during a liquor party setup. Chiang Rai Provincial Police Commander urged potential victims to come forward, as Nirund was considered a societal threat with a history of offences. Read more about a recent assault on a school teacher in Chiang Rai.
