Hatyaiwittayalai School in Songkhla suspended classroom teaching for two days after a former South African teacher allegedly posted a firearm image, messages and an audio clip in a public LINE group. School director Thiwichaya Meechooworapong said miscommunication over Thai bureaucratic procedures may have contributed to the dispute with Pieter Johannes Dreyer, who was dismissed on July 24. The secondary school in Hat Yai, which has around 3,600 students, ordered pupils to study from home on Monday and Tuesday after considering the online material threatening. Patrol police visited the campus to provide additional security. Wednesday is Mother's Day, a national holiday, and normal on-site classes are due to resume on Thursday. School cites communication problems Ms Thiwichaya said the school had tried to resolve problems with Mr Dreyer through meetings and discussions involving Thai staff and other foreign teachers. She said the case had highlighted a need to review how the school recruits teachers. It could stop accepting walk-in applications from foreign teachers and instead use recruitment agencies in future. For foreign teachers in Thailand, the case underlines the importance of having employment terms, salary arrangements and workplace concerns clearly documented. Public schools operate under formal approval systems, which can make changes to pay and other contractual matters slower than at private employers. Salary and contract dispute Mr Dreyer, formerly an English-language teacher at the school, had alleged fraud by the school. In a statement released by Ms Thiwichaya she denied those allegations. She said his salary payment was delayed from November 26 to December 2, 2025, because severe flooding affected the school's database and payment system. The director said the school could not immediately increase his monthly pay from 33,000 baht to 35,000 baht, as he had demanded. As a public school, it needed permission to approve a pay rise and the director did not have sole authority to make the change, she said. According to the statement, Mr Dreyer had signed a contract accepting the 33,000-baht monthly rate. Ms Thiwichaya also denied that management had refused to reduce his social security contribution or overstated flood damage. The school said it terminated his contract because he had allegedly breached it by posting false information online and being absent for more than two working days without informing a supervisor. The absence affected administration, teaching quality and the school's credibility, the director said. Case now before Administrative Court Ms Thiwichaya said Mr Dreyer filed a complaint with the Labour Court. Relevant authorities agreed with the school's request to move the case to the Administrative Court, which is considering it. Immigration police said Mr Dreyer left Thailand through the Padang Besar border checkpoint in Sadao district, Songkhla, at 2.39pm on July 19 and had not returned. He has also been on the immigration watchlist to prevent him returning. The school has filed a police complaint in response to the perceived threat and is seeking legal action. Ms Thiwichaya said management wanted to resolve the matter peacefully and limit its effect on all parties. Related story School-shifts-online-after-threat-from-former-South-African-teacher Join the discussion? 11 August 2026
View full article
Create an account or sign in to comment