The Education Ministry will work with the Interior Ministry and Royal Thai Police (RTP) in assigning local law enforcement officers to patrol schools after hours following an assault of a school caretaker in Chiang Rai last week.
The attack carried out by a 38-year-old man on Saturday left a female teacher, who was on caretaker duty at a local primary school in Chiang Rai's Muang district, with serious injuries.
The attack prompted the cabinet, which was holding a mobile meeting in Ranong on Tuesday, to stop teachers across the country from performing caretaking duties.
Teachers took turns as caretakers to safeguard school properties outside of working hours. The duty, which applies to all state agency employees, was introduced under a cabinet resolution on July 6, 1999.
Following the attack, the cabinet agreed to end the practice for teachers due to the availability of security-related technology, such as CCTV, which was not as freely available when the resolution was first issued.
"So, teachers no longer face disciplinary action if they do not conduct caretaking duty outside of school hours," Education Minister Pol Gen Permpoon Chidchob said.
The Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) may need to revise school regulations to accommodate the cancellation of the duty. However, teachers can still volunteer to work at schools after hours but must prioritise their safety.
"Teachers should lock doors or bring friends along for safety," said Pol Gen Permpoon.
The cabinet's attention will now focus on how many CCTV cameras are in schools across the country and how many schools require more cameras.
Despite having CCTV cameras, the technology cannot completely prevent unexpected incidents as some schools are located in remote areas where internet signals are unstable.
To maintain safety in schools, the cabinet has instructed the RTP and Interior Ministry to deploy police or administrative officials to watch over schools after hours. The ministry will coordinate with the RTP and Interior Ministry in devising arrangements.
Pol Gen Permpoon said the patrols would not increase the workload of police and administrative officials as they are duty-bound to ensure public safety. Banks and gold shops are also guarded by police. In the provinces, local education offices will coordinate with provincial police commanders to beef up patrols around schools. Educational committees have also met with police, kamnan and village heads to discuss safety protocols following the latest cabinet resolution.
Pol Gen Permpoon said hiring more janitors and administrative staff, especially in small schools, to assist with security work in schools was also an option. The minister added that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has promised to look into the matter.