More abuse claims at Sarasas school

More abuse claims at Sarasas school

Teacher hit kids with dustpan, say parents

The private school at the centre of abuse allegations was rocked by yet more claims of maltreatment on Thursday.

Parents of 39 Grade 2 students at Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek, a large private school in Pak Kret district, Nonthaburi, filed a further complaint with police, claiming children had been hit by a music teacher with a dustpan.

One father said the school had offered the children free extra tutorial classes for three months -- plus free ice cream -- and allowed them to watch cartoons to try to make up for the scandal and hush it up.

He demanded the resignation of the music teacher, claiming he had no licence to teach, and vowed to take the strongest action he could against him.

The same school hit the headlines after video recordings posted on social media showed an unqualified teacher physically abusing a kindergarten pupil while her assistants watched.

Meanwhile, a group of parents at Sarasas Witaed Bangbuathong, Nonthaburi, gave staff a petition signed by 500 parents urging the principal to improve the school's childcare standards and install CCTV cameras throughout the premises.

No student abuse has been reported at this branch, however.

The parents' ongoing anger came as a seminar on school violence was held yesterday by the Children, Youth and Family Foundation and the Family Network Foundation, at which one Sarasas parent said the schools should be closed down if they failed to properly address the problem of teacher abuse.

The man claimed Sarasas was still refusing to take any blame for what had happened and was handling the issue without any sincerity.

The school's executive had angered parents of the abused students even more with his immature interview and lack of remorse, he said.

He said parents were not demanding money, as claimed by the school's executive; all they wanted was for the school to improve its standards and ensure the children's safety.

The manager of the Family Network Foundation, Thannitcha Limpanich, said student abuse required a systemic solution, not just case-by-case answers, and she urged all involved to take child protection seriously.

Personnel working with children needed to pass both psychological and behavioural tests, said Ms Thannitcha.

The Teachers' Council of Thailand is preparing to file complaints against four kindergarten teachers who abused students at Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School.

They are Khru Jum, who was seen abusing students in a viral video clip, a Filipino teacher and two other teachers working in the same class, said secretary-general of the council Disakul Kasemsawas.

He has ordered the school's executives to hand over the licences of 400 teachers for inspection.

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