Office of Basic Education Commission sets up Rescue Teams to handle disasters at schools

BANGKOK, 31 May 2016 (NNT) - Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) advisor Sanit Yaemkesorn said the OBEC has formed Rescue Teams to handle disasters at schools nationwide.

The OBEC Rescue Teams have a target number of 40 members including heads of education management officials and educational service area officials as advisers. The teams will implement all safety measures for students.

OBEC has launched a television program entitled “PhraKhun Theesam” between May and August 2016, from 11.30 – 11.50 a.m., on NBT channel. The program is a documentary which tells stories about children and teachers to encourage effective safety systems.

-- NNT 2016-05-31

A little bit to late for the children and their families in Chiang Rai!

A little bit to late for the children and their families in Chiang Rai!

Its called closing the gate after the Horse has bolted.

Which seems to be a favorite pass time in Thailand.

"The teams will implement all safety measures for students."

Are they finally admitting that there have been no effective safety measures in the past and present?

Let's see who forms these OBEC teams, if they are qualified, and not just there for show strutting around and showing off their new positions. This looks like another PR opportunity to cover up the total ineptness of those in charge of implementing and enforcing health and safety regulations. They will probably take credit for the time that no 'disasters' occur at the schools, and when one happens, they will pass the blame on to some lowly employee and skirt any responsibility. In other words, business as usual.

Look at the proposed membership, will it be more chiefs than Indians ?

Plenty of lovely talk though which is the LoS solution to everything.

Opportunities for titles, uniforms (rescue teams, disaster, got to have jumpsuits with badges and big flag patches),

there may be medals in it and of course a budget to be "managed". There will need to be a couple of seminars at the usual "resorts", and so the bandwagon begins to roll.

If these self important clowns did their jobs in the first place then the "disasters" would not have happened, and just maybe 17 children need not have died.

And breathe...

In let's say 6 months how many of these teams will be staffed, trained and ready or will they to bust bickering over who gets the top job, budget allocation, equipment purchases and so on ?

Will anyone be overseeing the whole issue to ensure that the various areas get on with it and don't faff around ? Somehow i feel i can answer all these questions already.

are they hiring retired farang firefighters and OHS professionals or a locally assembled gang of *ools?

usual media release rubbish.

How about mandating every school appoint from their staff a paid Health and Safety officer who is legally responsible for the proper operation of safety equipment and procedures in schools. If no-one is appointed from the staff, the Principal of the school is automatically designated.

Then centralised training plus a legal framework which supports that officer in his/her work, allows them to insist on purchasing mandated safety equipment, improvement of procedures etc. If there is a disaster and the safety officer is found not to have followed the national guidelines then they are held responsible together with the owner and school manager.

This is surely better than a small team of so called experts parachuting in to look at schools without having a detailed knowledge of the workings of such schools.

Thai schools are disasters; from teachers to transport.

Opportunities for titles, uniforms (rescue teams, disaster, got to have jumpsuits with badges and big flag patches),

there may be medals in it and of course a budget to be "managed". There will need to be a couple of seminars at the usual "resorts", and so the bandwagon begins to roll.

If these self important clowns did their jobs in the first place then the "disasters" would not have happened, and just maybe 17 children need not have died.

And breathe...

I suppose Parachute Wings will be mandatory for someone checking fire safety in schools.