Authorities Extend Closure of Schools in Bangkok and 3 other Provinces

[Jonathan Fairfield]

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has extended the closure of schools in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan to control COVID-19. The Education Ministry plans to start the new school term on June 14th.

 

CCSA spokesman Dr. Thaveesilp Visanuyothin said schools will not reopen in the four provinces, which were listed as dark red zones. Classes will be held online and on television education channels.

 

According to the CCSA, in 17 provinces, which are defined as red zones, the management of schools must seek approval from their provincial communicable disease committee to reopen. The other 56 provinces are orange zones and their local schools can reopen.

 

Dr. Thaveesilp said however, schools in red and orange zones are prohibited from organizing any activity that would bring together more than 50 people. Schools in these two zones can organize a combination of onsite and online education to suit their needs.

 

Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG210522121242699

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-05-23

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[bluesofa]

44 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has extended the closure of schools in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan to control COVID-19. The Education Ministry plans to start the new school term on June 14th.

When I read that, I thought it meant the schools in the aforementioned provinces were planning to open on June 14th.

 

Further down the article it says

47 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The other 56 provinces are orange zones and their local schools can reopen.

without mentioned a date.

 

I was panicking as I thought my wife's niece (in Udon) should be starting school earlier than the 14th, despite already being told the opening date had been postponed from May 17th, to June 1st, then to June 14th.

 

I have to assume it must mean June 14th is the date for everywhere outside of the four provinces initially mentioned.

It seems the article has not been written clearly.

[ikke1959]

School term starts 14th June, but in green and orange zone schools can open earlier if there is permission of the provincial government and there is a list of 44 requirements.

 

The Education ministry has to get an education first. They don't know what they are doing, wanting and saying. It changes all the time. The claim there are no activities allowed with more than 50 students. If there are half classes 20/25 students a class instead of 40/50. How will they do the morning ceremony??  There are at least P1-P6 so 6x20 students is 140 students = not allowed.

How do you want to do the daybreak at lunch?? The same problem. eat in 3 groups?? keep everybody after lunch locked up in the classroom?? 

 

There has to be a clear policy. The Education minister is in charge and she has to make to clear decisions, not a bit of this and that. or let other people decide instead of her. Of course there arein the 4 provinces big problems and schools can not open.and even in Phetchaburi Kao Yoi district is a big dark red zone although you don't read it. a whole village is locked up in the factories and the tha people in a hospital it are 6000 people. So the schools will open there???

 

 

[bluesofa]

47 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

{snipped}

There has to be a clear policy. The Education minister is in charge and she has to make to clear decisions, not a bit of this and that. or let other people decide instead of her.

'clear policy. The Education minister'   That's obviously today's oxymoron.

[brewsterbudgen]

Could it be any more confusing?

 

My son's Bangkok school term started on 19 April and finishes on 2 July.  Does this mean the whole bloody term will be online?  Online classes for 5-6 year-olds is not an effective replacement.

 

Kids can hang out at shopping malls and in restaurants, but educating them would appear to be a low priority.  

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Could it be any more confusing?

 

My son's Bangkok school term started on 19 April and finishes on 2 July.  Does this mean the whole bloody term will be online?  Online classes for 5-6 year-olds is not an effective replacement.

 

Kids can hang out at shopping malls and in restaurants, but educating them would appear to be a low priority.  

 

Schools will not open until 14th June. 

The end of my Son’s School year is June 25th. 

 

That means he ‘may’ go back to school for 2 weeks.  The same thing happened last year. 

The classes were split into two for social distancing and the kids went to school on alternate days. 

 

It will be nice for the kids to go back, even for a couple of weeks. 

 

Depending on numbers and what happens, I suspect the whole term may be cancelled and the kids are ‘online / home’ learning for the remainder of the Term 3. 

 

 

 

 

Are kids hanging out in shopping malls ??? (I’ve not been to a Shopping Mall for over 2 months). 

 

 

 

[Falcon]

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Kids can hang out at shopping malls and in restaurants, but educating them would appear to be a low priority.  

Children only hang out at shopping malls if you allow them to. It’s nothing to do with the school, teachers or the ministry of education what you choose to allow your child to do when they are not going to school but, as a responsible parent, I would think that you wouldn’t allow your child to hang around a shopping mall for a while but again, as a parent it’s your choice whatever you decide but if anything happens with your child, you can’t go blaming the school or education authority for it.

[OJAS]

4 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

educating them would appear to be a low priority.  

 

But at least the adult population here is not, in effect, being offered up as sacrificial lambs on the high altar of schoolkids' educational well being, unlike in the UK where there has IMHO been an indecent rush by the government for schools to be re-opened come what may, with the inevitable consequence of COVID restrictions affecting the hospitality sector in particular having to be prolonged. 

[brewsterbudgen]

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Schools will not open until 14th June. 

The end of my Son’s School year is June 25th. 

 

That means he ‘may’ go back to school for 2 weeks.  The same thing happened last year. 

The classes were split into two for social distancing and the kids went to school on alternate days. 

 

It will be nice for the kids to go back, even for a couple of weeks. 

 

Depending on numbers and what happens, I suspect the whole term may be cancelled and the kids are ‘online / home’ learning for the remainder of the Term 3. 

 

 

 

 

Are kids hanging out in shopping malls ??? (I’ve not been to a Shopping Mall for over 2 months). 

 

 

 

I can only speak for where I work every day, which is in a major Bangkok shopping mall, but, yes, there are lots of teenagers "hanging out" mainly in bubble tea shops and lots of families with younger kids.

[brewsterbudgen]

4 hours ago, Falcon said:

Children only hang out at shopping malls if you allow them to. It’s nothing to do with the school, teachers or the ministry of education what you choose to allow your child to do when they are not going to school but, as a responsible parent, I would think that you wouldn’t allow your child to hang around a shopping mall for a while but again, as a parent it’s your choice whatever you decide but if anything happens with your child, you can’t go blaming the school or education authority for it.

I'm not blaming anyone - except the CCSA for closing schools!

[bluesofa]

1 minute ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I can only speak for where I work every day, which is in a major Bangkok shopping mall, but, yes, there are lots of teenagers "hanging out" mainly in bubble tea shops and lots of families with younger kids.

I see bubble tea has an enormous amount of added sugar. I wonder if it makes them hyper?

[brewsterbudgen]

Just now, bluesofa said:

I see bubble tea has an enormous amount of added sugar. I wonder if it makes them hyper?

Yes, and diabetic.  Probably a far greater health risk than Covid, but, hey, who cares about that?

[Thorix]

This measure will have a positive impact on road traffic and pollution. Thank you Comrade General for making Bangkok a greener place.

[clivebaxter]

On 5/23/2021 at 2:49 PM, Falcon said:

Children only hang out at shopping malls if you allow them to. It’s nothing to do with the school, teachers or the ministry of education what you choose to allow your child to do when they are not going to school but, as a responsible parent, I would think that you wouldn’t allow your child to hang around a shopping mall for a while but again, as a parent it’s your choice whatever you decide but if anything happens with your child, you can’t go blaming the school or education authority for it.

 

In term time there are always hordes of kids in our mall in uniform in school hours, lots are in the cinemas. The parents probably assume they are at school!