Community Abandoned for Seven Years: Nursery in Trang Built But Never Used

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

A government-funded nursery school building in Trang Province has stood unused for over seven years, despite nearly three million baht being spent on its construction. The building remains locked and deserted due to safety concerns and the discovery that it was mistakenly built on state agricultural land (Sor Por Kor), rather than on approved school property.

 

Officials from the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in Trang, led by Yutthana Wimolmuang, were dispatched to investigate the building, located in the Na Tao subdistrict of Huai Yot district, after public outcry and pressure from social media campaigns. The pages ‘Kid Tum Ting’ and ‘Trang Anti-Corruption Club’ had earlier exposed the issue, prompting widespread criticism and calls for accountability.

 

Despite being completed in 2018 under contract number 05/2561, with the construction project officially awarded through electronic bidding, the centre has never been used by teachers or children. The site, adjacent to Na Tao Pittayakom School, remains without a perimeter fence and lacks fundamental safety infrastructure. One side of the property borders a field, while the other sides drop off steeply into a stream, posing a significant hazard.

 

Although the structure remains in good condition, the facility cannot be opened for use due to the absence of safety fencing, a legal requirement for nurseries. Compounding the issue, it was later discovered that the land used for construction belongs not to the school, as originally believed, but to the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO), making the project technically unauthorised from the outset.

 

Sornchai Cheechang, Acting Director of the Engineering Division at Na Tao Subdistrict Administrative Organisation (SAO), said the misunderstanding originated from an assumption that the land belonged to the neighbouring school. Initial approval was based on the school’s agreement, but no thorough land verification was carried out. As a result, the request for construction funding was granted by the Department of Local Administration (DLA) without any objections.

 

In 2020, the SAO attempted to allocate budget for constructing a safety fence, but key officials had recently retired and the project stalled due to a lack of qualified personnel. A further attempt in 2021 failed when no contractors bid on the project. Only in 2024 was legal permission finally obtained from ALRO to use the land.

 

Currently, the SAO has allocated an additional 1.5 million baht for the construction of the fence, with hopes that the nursery will be operational by mid-2026, eight years after its completion.

 

NACC officials acknowledged systemic failings in the planning and oversight process. Mr Yutthana said: “There should have been due diligence from the beginning, from the SAO mayor to provincial and departmental levels. We will coordinate with the Office of the Auditor General to investigate if this constituted misuse of public funds.”

 

The building continues to be maintained by staff from the existing Na Tao nursery, located nearby in the SAO compound. While efforts have been made to preserve the structure, officials admit that over 50 children have missed out on a modern, purpose-built facility due to bureaucratic oversight.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-05-16.

 

 

 

[Peabody]

12 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Currently, the SAO has allocated an additional 1.5 million baht for the construction of the fence,

School is 3 million, fence is 1.5 million?? 

Gotta get the cash for graft from somewhere.