With schools across Thailand opening on 1st July, the Ministry of Education has a lot to prepare and put in place before the end of this month.
The Chiang Mai Department of Education say that they have been inspecting schools across the province to make sure they are prepared and ready to implement the new measures required as a result of the pandemic.
Kittinet Srisawas of the Chiang Mai Provincial Education Office said that every aspect of schooling, from management to teachers, personnel to parents and students, have been working together in order to implement this change. Schools are vulnerable to the spread of the virus and authorities say that they are going to err on the side of caution.
Regular handwashing, mask wearing at all times and social distancing will be observed. All visitors to schools will have to check in, register and follow procedures.
There are 118 private schools in Chiang Mai with each school being left to implement change and evaluate themselves according to set guidelines. Inspectors have also, and will continue to do, spot checks and so far have approved of 106 schools to reopen. There are twelve schools which have yet to reach acceptable standards. Officials will be working to help these schools reach acceptable levels of precaution so that they too can open.
Thitinat Sakthananont, Director of Yupparaj School said that the school has worked solidly for four months to prepare for the opening. The school being set in the heart of the city, near the Three Kings Monument, there were more challenges to overcome than normal, he explained. He also went on to say that there were 3,737 students in his school and he is committed to ensuring health and safety for all.
Thitinat went on to say that there were some students who struggled to learn online so over the past months Yupparaj has delivered lessons to some students’ homes. He went on to say that the school will reevaluate its entire measures after a fortnight of being open and readjust as necessary.
Dr. Sirinant Srivirasukul, Director of Prince Royal College also told CityNews that his school has been in front of this pandemic from the start, with their immediate offering of online learning. Prince Royal has also created a two year plan to cover all situations and emergencies. This plan began at the inception of online learning and covers all aspects of the school, not just academia, but also sports, activities and others.
Photograph from Yupparaj School