On a sunny weekday, a group of students were enjoying PE class when suddenly a loud explosion occurred. Smoke began to spread, and everybody dropped to the ground.
Throughout the school, an alarm sounded. Teachers quickly led students outside, some of whom ran out without shoes.
Within three minutes, almost all 511 students were brought to the nearest safety points. Teams then began searching for missing students and emergency services arrived onsite. Though the children were slightly frightened and unprepared, everyone was safe and accounted for.
It was then revealed that this was a drill. While the teachers were informed, only a handful of children were notified so that everyone could assess how students would react during an emergency.
This safety drill recently took place at Ban Seeyoh School in Yala province as part of the ECHO HIP II project, which aims to help schools and local communities in the province prepare for natural and manmade disasters. Similar drills were also conducted at other schools and communities. Funded by the European Union's humanitarian arm, the project has been implemented by Save the Children Thailand and its local partners, the Association of Children and Youth for Peace in the Southernmost Provinces of Thailand (also known as Luukrieng group) and the Nusantara Foundation for Human Rights and Development.
Teachers provide psychological first aid and stress-reducing activities to create a safe atmosphere at the evacuation point.
In 2022, ECHO HIP II marked the second phase of the disaster preparedness project by bringing together local authorities, religious leaders, communities and schools to develop plans that integrate child participation and protection. It also advocated for disaster risk prevention. Activities were conducted with seven schools and three communities in Yala, benefiting over 2,440 people, including 1,587 children.
THE SCHOOL ATTACK
In 2018, an explosion went off right outside Ban Seeyoh School's compound. The incident took place just before 8am when parents usually drop their children off. Several parents and community volunteers were injured. Two students reportedly passed out from fright and had to be taken to hospital.
Some teachers who participated in the drill witnessed the explosion back then. They still remember vividly the screams, cries and fearful atmosphere that befell the school and its surrounding community in the aftermath.
"Nobody wants that kind of incident to happen again," said Ashi Penrada, the school's director. "Although it's best if nothing happens to the school, having the drill allows us to prepare and think what we should do if we find ourselves in that situation again. The students also gain survival skills."
Schools should be among the safest places for children. However, according to the Center for Conflict Studies and Cultural Diversity, Institute for Peace Studies at Prince of Songkla University, there have been over 400 incidents of violence near academic institutions in the Deep South since 2004. It's been two decades since conflict has plagued the three southernmost provinces, resulting in violence -- deemed man-made disasters -- that has threatened local communities and properties, as well as the economy and society. Having necessary policies and measures in place are crucial in protecting both schools and students.
As part of the drill, emergency services take the wounded to hospital.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
As part of the ECHO HIP II project, teachers from Ban Seeyoh and other schools attended workshops to learn about disasters and design preparedness plans. Once a plan is formed, participants conduct a tabletop simulation before proceeding onto the drill.
At the sound of the alarm, homeroom teachers comfort the students and lead them to the nearest safety point. The psychologist observing the drill also helped comfort the children and suggested the school continue to observe their mental health. After missing students were located and wounded persons taken to the hospital, the security team cleared the area. Parents were then asked to pick up their kids when the situation was declared safe.
This drill marked the first time most students got to learn about disaster and emergency preparation. Despite facing certain hiccups, such as children fleeing in panic and not waiting for the group, teachers and the emergency responders reflected that they were satisfied with the overall outcome.
"What the children learnt from the drill will be applicable in an actual situation. Any mistakes made and gaps encountered have shown the school ways they will need to adjust the preparedness plan and make it better," said Supavit Raksilp, a scientist at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Yala province.
Safety and security team scour the building to look for missing students.
INTEGRATING CHILD PROTECTION
In formulating an emergency preparedness plan, it is crucial to ensure child protection considerations are integrated.
"Children already require adult protection during normal circumstances. However, during disasters, adults are usually preoccupied with different priorities, resulting in children becoming more vulnerable," said Panfun Pramojanee, ECHO HIP II project coordinator. Child protection can be integrated into emergency preparedness plans before, during and after the disaster. This may include anything from conducting risk assessment and surveying the population to identify and prioritise vulnerable groups, to educating adults on how to evacuate children safely and more.
While some tambons already have an emergency preparedness plan developed by the Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, these plans can be very general and are not specific to each community's context, capacity and budget. To make them effective, plans need to be adapted by each community to suit their own needs, added Panfun.
Having a disaster preparedness plan is in line with the school safety policy designated by the Ministry of Education. Alisa Samoh, from Luukrieng group, reflected that the teachers were determined to establish a plan for their school. Several local schools have also shown interest in developing their own plan and conducting drills to help keep both the schools and children safe.
"The drill has strengthened the child protection mechanism. Schools and communities have discovered a new channel to communicate child-related problems to other specialised agencies.
This newfound channel therefore bridges the gap between government services and local people," said Alisa.
In addition to schools, emergency drills were also conducted in local communities affected by a different kind of disaster -- floods that hit the Deep South annually.
Students lie on the ground at the sound of an alarm.
"Having a plan allows community members to handle the situation systematically," said Fadhilah Nisoh from Nusantara. "In the past, there were no flood warnings issued to the community. But with a plan and alerts in place, people are informed so they can move to higher ground. They know what to prepare if they need to evacuate and reduce the loss of property and lives of children. Vulnerable groups also receive more comprehensive care."
For any school or community looking to develop an emergency preparedness plan, Panfun suggested that the most important thing is to involve everyone in the process, especially children.
"Children have their own views about what is unsafe. They can suggest how they want adults to treat them during an emergency -- what their safe space is, or even what they feel is dangerous so adults can know what to deal with before disaster strikes."
