Have you ever noticed student-unfriendly or downright dangerous behaviors and policies? One would think, considering the way children are spoiled or favoured in almost all other social situations, that their safety would be the top concern of Thai schools and teachers, but unfortunately I find that it is not always so, especially as the typical lack of foresight, planning, and consideration of the consequences of actions prevail in this area as well.

This week there's a big royal exhibition out towards the airport in a really, really big convention center. Unfortunately, this convention center also has one of the world's worst road approaches- most vehicles have to exit on the *opposite* side of the highway, circle back, and cross under the highway to get to the convention center.

It seems that without considering the possible consequences, practically every school in Thailand chose *today* to go to this thing.

Nevermind that it's the end of the month *and* a Friday- the sheer numbers alone were a threat. I'm rarely nervous in crowds, but this was a crowd of thousands and thousands- easily one or two hundred thousand, I'd say- that just kept coming and coming and coming. The highway was full on the way to this thing and at a certain point inside the center the bottlenecks just made the crowd pile up and up and up.

Some of these school groups were full of very small children- the kind who could easily be trampled if the crowd panicked, or who might even suffer from oxygen deprivation if smothered between larger students.

Not to mention that even for us larger-sized people it was impossible to keep together in a group with our charges- I have nightmare visions of small kids wandering around lost later tonight, other groups shouting out their names as they wander the huuuuuuuuge, emptying conference center (which I imagine may have to keep emptying until well into the A.M.).

Of course, it's not only the schools' faults for failing to predict this situation, but also the fault of the conference organisers for having no registration, no limit on the number of visitors, virtually no staff or security around most of the building; some blame must also fall on bus drivers willing to park on highway medians, forcing large groups of school kids to jump across dangerous ditches, walk through ravines, etc. on their way to the conference center.

If I were a parent I'd be furious.

"Steven'

Have you ever noticed student-unfriendly or downright dangerous behaviors and policies? One would think, considering the way children are spoiled or favoured in almost all other social situations, that their safety would be the top concern of Thai schools and teachers, but unfortunately I find that it is not always so, especially as the typical lack of foresight, planning, and consideration of the consequences of actions prevail in this area as well.

This week there's a big royal exhibition out towards the airport in a really, really big convention center. Unfortunately, this convention center also has one of the world's worst road approaches- most vehicles have to exit on the *opposite* side of the highway, circle back, and cross under the highway to get to the convention center.

It seems that without considering the possible consequences, practically every school in Thailand chose *today* to go to this thing.

Nevermind that it's the end of the month *and* a Friday- the sheer numbers alone were a threat. I'm rarely nervous in crowds, but this was a crowd of thousands and thousands- easily one or two hundred thousand, I'd say- that just kept coming and coming and coming. The highway was full on the way to this thing and at a certain point inside the center the bottlenecks just made the crowd pile up and up and up.

Some of these school groups were full of very small children- the kind who could easily be trampled if the crowd panicked, or who might even suffer from oxygen deprivation if smothered between larger students.

Not to mention that even for us larger-sized people it was impossible to keep together in a group with our charges- I have nightmare visions of small kids wandering around lost later tonight, other groups shouting out their names as they wander the huuuuuuuuge, emptying conference center (which I imagine may have to keep emptying until well into the A.M.).

Of course, it's not only the schools' faults for failing to predict this situation, but also the fault of the conference organisers for having no registration, no limit on the number of visitors, virtually no staff or security around most of the building; some blame must also fall on bus drivers willing to park on highway medians, forcing large groups of school kids to jump across dangerous ditches, walk through ravines, etc. on their way to the conference center.

If I were a parent I'd be furious.

"Steven'

But it's for the King.

For several years I was a school administrator in my home country, responsible for facilities and student safety. I made monthly walks around campus with our insurance representative, spotting potential hazzards. Now teaching at a university in Thailand, I haven't lost that "hazard-spotting-eyeball" and continue to see situations and physical arrangements which chill me.

One such example is a huge floor-to-ceiling glass-plate room divider which sits inches from the back of high-rise bleachers upon which sit folding chairs. All it takes is one student to scoot backwards in his/her chair, fall off the back of the bleacher, and into the plate-glass partition. I envision decapitation, amputation, or at the very least fatal bleeding until the ambulance shows up (typically 1/2 hour later).

I've warned our department and administration multiple times about this hazard, but all I get is a "mai bpen rai" response. Their patient smiles make me feel like Chicken Little: "The sky is falling." And no, it's not "safety glass"--I checked that out first with the construction crew who installed it last year.

Unfortunately, the injuries and fatalities do happen. We had a dormitory fire last year, during which it was discovered all the fire exits were chained and padlocked. The only available egress was down the main smoke-choked stairway and out the front entrance. Thai response about the injured: "They were just unlucky." Nothing said about preparedness or foresight. The head of security should be hog-tied and whipped.

I really love Thailand, but there are some aspects of the culture I will continue not to accept. I am not a parent, but it still makes me furious. I feel like these are my kids, too; and I hate to see victimization in any form whatsoever.

Edited June 3, 200620 yr by toptuan