Field trips don’t hurt students, poorly-maintained transport does : PM

[snoop1130]

 

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has expressed disagreement with suspending educational field trips for students, saying that the measure does not solve the basic problem.

 

She said that such trips are not harmful to children and blamed poorly-maintained public transport for road accidents, adding that all transport used for educational field trips should be properly checked, especially for long journeys.

 

The prime minister made the comments after the Education Ministry ordered the immediate suspension of all educational field trips by schools under its supervision, except for trips which are deemed necessary, and that the trips should be confined within the schools’ province.

 

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit announced today that all the 13,000 plus public buses which use compressed natural gas (CNG) as fuel must be subjected to thorough checks within 60 days.

 

Photo: Thai PBS World

 

Full story: Thai PBS World

-- 2024-10-02

 

 

[Watawattana]

6 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has expressed disagreement with suspending educational field trips for students, saying that the measure does not solve the basic problem.

 

She said that such trips are not harmful to children and blamed poorly-maintained public transport for road accidents, adding that all transport used for educational field trips should be properly checked, especially for long journeys.

Well said.  The culture of a country comes from its leadership.  I hope she is able to get this implemented and hold to account those who stop or delay this happening.

 

But, of course, TIT, but maybe this time some change might actually happen?

[KannikaP]

28 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

and that the trips should be confined within the schools’ province.

Some provinces are 100s of kilometres wide.

[MikeandDow]

It is apathy towards the lack of safety that's is the problem with this country, nobody cares !! lives are cheap ! 

[dinsdale]

Nothing will be done. People here ride motorcycles without helmets. They do this whilst speeding past the BIB. As for the headline well that's just ridiculous. Field trips are of course an important part of education but the truth is what actually hurts the students is the educational system (public) itself. What's happened is an absolute tragedy no doubt about it, and you'd have to be one cold hearted MF not to be touched by it, but in a country where corruption is endemic it doesn't come as a surprise. 

[NE1]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

She said that such trips are not harmful to children and blamed poorly-maintained public transport for road accidents, adding that all transport used for educational field trips should be properly checked, especially for long journeys.

Shouldn't that be " all transport ".

[NanLaew]

She's correct in saying that the measure does not solve the basic problem, but it may save a few lives. Therein lies the problem. Can you imagine a parent saying their kid learned a lot from the school's EGAT visit, and their recovery from third-degree burns is coming along nicely?

 

Anyway, the transport ministry has ordered the inspection of over 13,000 CNG-powered buses nationwide to be completed within 60-days. Until that has been completed, I wouldn't be letting any of my kids go on bus trips, no matter how cute Moo Deng is and regardless of what the PM thinks.

[dinsdale]

38 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Can you imagine a parent saying their kid learned a lot from the school's EGAT visit, and their recovery from third-degree burns is coming along nicely?

I'm sorry but this is a ridiculous and tasteless comment. School excursions are a legitimate part of education. This one ended in tragedy.

[Gottfrid]

2 hours ago, NE1 said:

Shouldn't that be " all transport ".

Yes, it definitely should be that, but to say such smart things she must get the thumb out of her a**.

[lordgrinz]

3 hours ago, Watawattana said:

Well said.  The culture of a country comes from its leadership.  I hope she is able to get this implemented and hold to account those who stop or delay this happening.

 

But, of course, TIT, but maybe this time some change might actually happen?

 

These weren't children from Elite families, expect nothing to change.

[gk10012001]

The school busses I rode on here in the USA as a kid were right in the middle of the baby boom in the 1960s and early 1970s.  Big old yellow school busses.  No seat belts.  No padding on the back of the set in front of you.  Made us sit three in each of the seats meaning our little arses were half on the seat half off the seat if you were the last one in that seat.  I don't recall the side windows being emergency push out like newer busses have.  I am pretty sure there was no roof egress hatch either.  Not that any of us could have reached that roof hatch anyway just like the children on that Thailand bus probably were too young and short to reach either.

[NE1]

I would be surprised if any of the safety aspects worked on the bus , wasn't it a diesel powered bus over 50 years old and somebody changed it to gas powered .

Probably done in a back yard garage with no certification.

Apparently there were Eleven gas tanks attached to the bus.

Poor little sods didn't stand much of a chance...😢😢

[lordgrinz]

Poor training and acceptance of safety measures/laws/rules by parents, relatives, teachers, RTP officers, government officials, can and do hurt students.

[Kiwiken]

As others say poor enforcement of regulations and laws is an issue. As One who used to be involved building buses I am surprised legally that they are not required emergency exit doors at the back and small hammers to break windows in the event of emergency. I am sure Europe has similar requirements

[Bohemianfish]

6 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

The school busses I rode on here in the USA as a kid were right in the middle of the baby boom in the 1960s and early 1970s.  Big old yellow school busses.  No seat belts.  No padding on the back of the set in front of you.  Made us sit three in each of the seats meaning our little arses were half on the seat half off the seat if you were the last one in that seat.  I don't recall the side windows being emergency push out like newer busses have.  I am pretty sure there was no roof egress hatch either.  Not that any of us could have reached that roof hatch anyway just like the children on that Thailand bus probably were too young and short to reach either.

It's still like that mostly. Formatting via copy paste from website:

 

— exit, a roof exit is required in the rear half of the bus to provide a means of egress when the bus is overturned on either side. (US gov site.

 

Google AI:

School buses don't have seat beltbecause they are designed with a passive restraint system called compartmentalization, which protects students in the event of an accident. This system includes: 

 

• Closely spaced seats: Seats are packed tightly together to create cushioned compartments for students. 
   
   
• Padded seats: Seats are wider, thicker, and have high backs to protect students. 
   
   
• Energy-absorbing seat backs: Seats are designed to absorb the force of a crash. 
   

School buses are also designed to withstand a lot of impact and are less likely to roll over than other vehicles. However, some say that compartmentalization doesn't fully protect students in all types of crashes. For example, if a child is only partially seated in their seat, they might fly down the aisle instead of hitting the seat in front of them. 

 

Some states and school districts have passed laws requiring seat belts on school buses. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also pushed for lap and shoulder seat belts on school buses. 

 

 

 

[Bohemianfish]

5 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

Poor training and acceptance of safety measures/laws/rules by parents, relatives, teachers, RTP officers, government officials, can and do hurt students.

It's essentially up to government to enact and enforce laws. Everyone else can give their two cents to what laws enacted. That's where I find government essential and what makes it different from private businesses that will often do anything to profit - at the risk of life and limb. Morals and ethics be damned.

[cnx101]

11 hours ago, Watawattana said:

Well said.  The culture of a country comes from its leadership.  I hope she is able to get this implemented and hold to account those who stop or delay this happening.

 

But, of course, TIT, but maybe this time some change might actually happen?

But too late as usual 

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has expressed disagreement with suspending educational field trips for students, saying that the measure does not solve the basic problem.

 

She said that such trips are not harmful to children and blamed poorly-maintained public transport for road accidents, adding that all transport used for educational field trips should be properly checked, especially for long journeys.

You're the PM.... make it happen.

[animalmagic]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has expressed disagreement with suspending educational field trips for students, saying that the measure does not solve the basic problem.

But suspending them until the government ensures the problem is fixed does solve the problem. 

[jippytum]

The bus in the tragedy was 54 years old. 

You can see these aged buses and the unsafe two tier buses belching smoke in many locations including Pattaya. 

[smedly]

always after the fact

 

this bus was a death trap, what a shame standards were not met, who is responsible for 23 kids burning to death - well the bus company for a start, too late now isn't it

 

<deleted> prosecute these imbeciles for gross stupidity, this should be a lesson for everyone - beware of public transport in this country - there are no standards here - well there might be but who is checking, <deleted> disgrace

 

Rip to the kids that were burned alive, my heart bleeds for the families - tragic

 

I shed a tear, so sad and so easily avoidable 😞

[smedly]

12 hours ago, Watawattana said:

Well said.  The culture of a country comes from its leadership.  I hope she is able to get this implemented and hold to account those who stop or delay this happening.

 

But, of course, TIT, but maybe this time some change might actually happen?

a bit late isn't it. grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[sikishrory]

On the surface it appears as commonsense. Great. 

The reality is kind of like the UN. They say bla bla bla, need to do this, should do that. However once it's said there is no enforcement or action. 

Kids died. It's sad. However checking kids buses is a fraction of a much larger issue of no safety standards or enforcement of safety in all modes of transport throughout Thailand. Perhaps with the exception of air.

Maybe people would care more if they earned more than their 500 bucks a month. Ohhh but maybe that might affect the value of the baht or the desire to be cheap as hell. 

[MikeandDow]

Safety is everyone's responsibility, but this country's Attitude towards safety is the problem, not only the individuals understanding of safety protocols but the government does not enforce any thing in this regard, Thais are good at forming a committee but that's as far as it goes no commitment. There is  no public safety in Thailand lives are cheap here, those kids have lost there lives for nothing as this dies down it will be back to normal      

[Asquith Production]

It makes my blood boil when governments do not see the wider picture. Moving people about in large vehicles need to be regulated. Maintenance is one area then driver training and requirements on drivers hours and rest time. But if you have all this in place then it needs to be regularly checked otherwise it's worthless. Unfortunately they believe safety does not generate money but if done properly it could.

[JonnyF]

Banning trips is just a cop out.

 

Just say a few words, restrict travel, and pretend it is fixed instead of doing the hard work of ensuring road and vehicle safety. 

[mfd101]

13 hours ago, dinsdale said:

in a country where corruption is endemic

And of course what accompanies corruption everywhere in the world, including at high levels of government: Incompetence.

[Presnock]

13 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Nothing will be done. People here ride motorcycles without helmets. They do this whilst speeding past the BIB. As for the headline well that's just ridiculous. Field trips are of course an important part of education but the truth is what actually hurts the students is the educational system (public) itself. What's happened is an absolute tragedy no doubt about it, and you'd have to be one cold hearted MF not to be touched by it, but in a country where corruption is endemic it doesn't come as a surprise. 

Yeah, looking at local news this morning, I see that the bus was just a big bomb!  Almost half the make shift installations are illegal according to the news.  Even those that were legal seemed to me to be time bombs.  Also in many of the rural villages, do their fire departments have foam to fight this kind of fire?  AND, how come the emergency exits are too difficult for riders to open in such cases of emergency?  I would have thought that the driver could have opend some emergency doors instead of running to another of the buses to get a tiny water extinguisher!!!  Both he and the owners of the bus transport  company need to spend a long time in prison.  My opinion anyway.

[baipaibkk]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

adding that all transport used for educational field trips should be properly checked, especially for long journeys.

what is different from long journey to short journey (short is same "safety")

[damian]

Meanwhile out the front of most schools around 3pm everyday the wildest collection of jaloppies patiently wait for kids to take them home. With rusted bodies, bald tyre's and no windows off they depart belching smoke crabbing down the highway with kids hanging off the back and driven by unskilled retired farmers. 

 

When you point out the defects it's met with a smile and 'maimee tang'. 

 

<sigh>