HEALTH
School lauded for installing condom dispenser
Chuleeporn Aramnet
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Ban Wang Daeng School in Sa Kaew's Wan Nam Yen district was recently hailed for cutting down on young pregnancies by installing a condom dispensing machine.

Sompong Jitradap, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's faculty of education, pointed out that installing the condom dispenser would help counter the problem of teenage pregnancies, which is on the rise among Thai students.

Efforts made by the Education Ministry and related agencies to solve this problem have not been successful because there have been no moves other than campaigns and meetings, Sompong said.

He noted that people should understand that installing a condom dispenser did not promote sex, because "this boat has already sailed". Sompong said many lower secondary students now talked about boyfriends and girlfriends, while upper secondary girls were keen on beauty products and boys keen on sports and fist fighting.

He urged the Education Ministry to seriously address the problem of teenage pregnancy, and promote children's interest in Thai culture and religion. Citing his discovery of the condom dispenser installed at Ban Wang Daeng School and its success in reducing teenage pregnancies, he said he had now changed from a naysayer to a believer.

He made the discovery while visiting 12 schools in the provinces to address education management issues.

He said the installation of the condom machine in the school had stemmed from a proposal from students, which proved that youngsters were already becoming responsible and knew that they should protect themselves.

Sompong said during the trip he learned that a girl as young as eight could get pregnant, while some 15-year-olds already had three children.


-- The Nation 2014-04-15

Are they going to teach them how to use them too, or just put a machine in the crapper and hope they can figure it out?

And therin lies a part of the problem; It's not just about teenage pregnancy. If the powers that be also drummed home the importance of not spreading disease, the whole safe sex issue gather momentum because more girls and the boys too would insist on condoms.

A bit odd that the school was not lauded until this chap "discovered" the dispenser.

These kids need to understand why the condoms are needed. Without sex education, those machines will be water balloons and phone protectors during Songkran.

A proper education would go a long way to solving many of the problems here in Thailand. I expect to see an improvement sometime around five generations from now.

With the proliferation of 7/11's pretty much on every street corner, having "more" dispensers is not the way forward, education is, unless that is that they are buying and using them at the school so having one there is much more convenient.

Should be read :School lauded for installing condom dispenser in a primary school. Thai education....

Lets not forget this is Thailand.

Someone would be getting a commission on this.

Are they going to teach them how to use them too, or just put a machine in the crapper and hope they can figure it out?

What's to figure?

So, 7-11 is not handing out polybags anymore?

Are they going to teach them how to use them too, or just put a machine in the crapper and hope they can figure it out?

I know of one foreign high school where they ran a training video demonstrating how to use a condom. The device was carefully placed on a carrot, and rolled down.

I'm not sure that would have prevented many pregnancies!

Seriously though, I worked in a university in Papua New Guinea some years ago, where the clinic was run by a group whose religion was against using any family planning methods. The clinic had a large supply of condoms in store, and that's where they stayed.

As the students all lived on campus, you can imagine the problems. 33% of all the female students couldn't complete their studies and returned to their villages to have the baby.

http://www.ted.com/talks/mechai_viravaidya_how_mr_condom_made_thailand_a_better_place

I remember when Thailand was the hub of condoms.....

8 year olds and 15 year olds with kids? Where the 'f' are the parents? If they are in need of these condom dispensers then the teachers themselves are just as useless.

The students might as well get their education from a dispenser too, like from tablets.

Are they going to teach them how to use them too, or just put a machine in the crapper and hope they can figure it out?

I know of one foreign high school where they ran a training video demonstrating how to use a condom. The device was carefully placed on a carrot, and rolled down.

I'm not sure that would have prevented many pregnancies!

Seriously though, I worked in a university in Papua New Guinea some years ago, where the clinic was run by a group whose religion was against using any family planning methods. The clinic had a large supply of condoms in store, and that's where they stayed.

As the students all lived on campus, you can imagine the problems. 33% of all the female students couldn't complete their studies and returned to their villages to have the baby.

Yup. Thailand is the Asian Papua New Guinea.

With the proliferation of 7/11's pretty much on every street corner, having "more" dispensers is not the way forward, education is, unless that is that they are buying and using them at the school so having one there is much more convenient.

Brainless post! 7/11 on every street corner? Never heard that Thailand has thousands of villages that never had and will have a 7/11? I live in rural Isan and the nearest 7/11 is 25 km away! So forget that city-slang and city-thinking.

The person who traveled and inspected schools, traveled in the provinces, not in Bangkok, Pattaya or the like. It's about provinces, the country consists of provinces with many amphoe, many tambon and many mooban. That is the real world here.

One poster mentioned primary schools. No sir, it was said secondary students, so mathayom 1, 2 and 3, age 13 - 15.

Now as far as I know most mathayom schools are part of a larger school, including primary. So condom vending machines in such schools would serve both groups of students and indeed, some primary students have sex already.

The whole thing is a good start and does more good than meetings and campaigns of the Ministry. Get those machines in each school, also colleges and universitites, and a part of teenage pregnancies will be prevented, so will a part of STDs.

It also serves the development of school girls in that they finally can say: Want sex, boy? Then get a condom! No more excuse that buying condoms is nearly impossible, that time will be over and that's good.

cutting down on young pregnancies by installing a condom dispensing machine.

Health officials recently inquired whether the Pope is catholic...

Are they going to teach them how to use them too, or just put a machine in the crapper and hope they can figure it out?

I know of one foreign high school where they ran a training video demonstrating how to use a condom. The device was carefully placed on a carrot, and rolled down.

I'm not sure that would have prevented many pregnancies!

Seriously though, I worked in a university in Papua New Guinea some years ago, where the clinic was run by a group whose religion was against using any family planning methods. The clinic had a large supply of condoms in store, and that's where they stayed.

As the students all lived on campus, you can imagine the problems. 33% of all the female students couldn't complete their studies and returned to their villages to have the baby.

Yup. Thailand is the Asian Papua New Guinea.

No....Papua New Guinea is the Asian Papua New Guinea...... plonker..

Are they going to teach them how to use them too, or just put a machine in the crapper and hope they can figure it out?

I know of one foreign high school where they ran a training video demonstrating how to use a condom. The device was carefully placed on a carrot, and rolled down.

I'm not sure that would have prevented many pregnancies!

Seriously though, I worked in a university in Papua New Guinea some years ago, where the clinic was run by a group whose religion was against using any family planning methods. The clinic had a large supply of condoms in store, and that's where they stayed.

As the students all lived on campus, you can imagine the problems. 33% of all the female students couldn't complete their studies and returned to their villages to have the baby.

Yup. Thailand is the Asian Papua New Guinea.

No....Papua New Guinea is the Asian Papua New Guinea...... plonker..

Australasia is barely Asia. Like pizza crust barely part of the pizza. The part you throw away.

The new message is ''Buy me and stop one.''

With the proliferation of 7/11's pretty much on every street corner, having "more" dispensers is not the way forward, education is, unless that is that they are buying and using them at the school so having one there is much more convenient.

7/11's aren't everywhere, especially in rural areas.

Noticed that even in cities, teenagers do not always feel up to buying condoms in 7/11, especially if it's anywhere near their home.

Guess it's worse when it cones to local non-franchised shops. What would the neighbors say and all that.

Are they going to teach them how to use them too, or just put a machine in the crapper and hope they can figure it out?

The porn vids the youngsters watch on their mobiles might provide a clue .. or not.

Or you could teach them how to be the "Pullout King" like Jeff Goldblum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oocnZ8lR_jE

Already some vandal has felt-penned on the machine: This is the worst chewing gum I have ever tasted.

where are the parents in all this? they make children and just let them run around ?

ahh... what am i talking about, when you see mom/dad/2 children on a motosay and only maybe dad has a helmet ...

Sompong Jitradap, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's faculty of education said during the trip he learned that a girl as young as eight could get pregnant, while some 15-year-olds already had three children.

Where did he got his degree from?? if he had bought it on Khao San or online, he would have known about this for long.....

This shows us again that universities in Thailand are of the same standards as cheap toilet paper..

where are the parents in all this? they make children and just let them run around ?

ahh... what am i talking about, when you see mom/dad/2 children on a motosay and only maybe dad has a helmet ...

and that helmet you mean that piece of plastic that in the West is not even passing the standards as a drinking-cup, or the helmet in his underpants....

This is a bloody disgrace resulting in abdication rather than delegation from both the parents and the society in general.

Little or no social or moral fiber exits in this country.

What difference do you think that this will make in a country where every 7/11,Tesco Express have them stuck in your face when you enter the door. Perhaps their rationale is that the students can have a quick'y in the toilets between classes.

Condoms dispenser needs to be installed not only in schools, but in hospitals, markets and public areas for everybody to have access at any time, and have to be free. In pharmacies and stores the average package cost is 40THB and many teenagers will prefer to spend that money in anything and not in condoms. Also, no teenagers or women will buy or get condoms around its neighbors. Even the married ones....TIT....

This is a bloody disgrace resulting in abdication rather than delegation from both the parents and the society in general.

Little or no social or moral fiber exits in this country.

What difference do you think that this will make in a country where every 7/11,Tesco Express have them stuck in your face when you enter the door. Perhaps their rationale is that the students can have a quick'y in the toilets between classes.

Again....only in Thailand?.....Years ago a study about sex in USA schols was done. The average student between 14 and 17 years old had some kind of sexual encounter with more than 15 partners during school years, and most schools had counselors on site dealing with teenagers pregnancy and STD cases.....Good parenting is very important...but school sexual education is fundamental. Teenagers spend a lot more time in the school, with computers, and with friends than with its parents, and are very good hiding its feelings and problems to them.....Parents never know what really is happening with its teenagers, or are the last ones in knowing, or only know when a problem already happens....

8 year olds and 15 year olds with kids? Where the 'f' are the parents? If they are in need of these condom dispensers then the teachers themselves are just as useless.

The students might as well get their education from a dispenser too, like from tablets.

Their parents are probably just finishing high school.