Rehabilitation relief for schools

Hundreds of schools in the Central Region have been hit hard by the recent floods. They need huge budgets and help to repair the damaged schools, replace swept-away educational tools and restore a suitable environment for learning.
As the Education Ministry alone cannot reach out to all the flood-affected schools located in many provinces, a group of private companies are lending a helping hand so that students will be able to start classes soon.
Twelve big companies have joined hands to run a rehabilitation project called “CEO Troops for Thai Power”. This project will help hard-hit schools in the Central region rehabilitate their inundated assets.
“We decided to assist people in the education sector because it is an important part of the country. We cannot wait for the Education Ministry to help all of them recover because it will be too late for the students to begin the new term. They need to start their classes as soon as possible in suitable classrooms,” Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, president and CEO of Thai Beverage, said on behalf of the 12 partner companies.
The other sponsors include Bangkok Bank, GMM Grammy, Central Group, True Group, Thai Union Frozen Products, BTS Group Holdings, Mitr Phol Group, Major Cineplex Group, Muang Thai Insurance, Advanced Info Service and ICC International.
The project started with Wat Thammikaram School in Lop Buri’s Ban Mi district early this month where more than 100 volunteers lent a hand to repaint flooded parts of the school’s buildings. Students were also given school uniforms, stationery and sports equipment.
The school had been under water for over a month. Flood water at one point was 170 centimetres deep.
The school’s director, Wichien Sukkhasem, estimated losses of Bt800,000 to Bt1 million. He said the project could ease some of its burden on work like repainting the buildings and buying some educational needs, which would have cost hundreds of thousands of baht.
Thapana, True President and CEO Supachai Chearavanont and GMM Grammy chairman Paiboon Damrongchaitham visited Ban Bang Lee, Singharerkprasit and Wat Pho Kao Ton schools in the same province to witness and survey losses and damage and gather information about what the schools need before considering what and how the project could help them. Volunteers and staff from the companies will return to help later.
“We will go back to these schools again after we make a decision on how we should help them. We will do it as soon as we can. After knowing their problems, we will provide them more effective rehabilitation methods,” Thapana said.
Thapana said he wanted to help them rehabilitate and also open more educational opportunities for the students so that they would have a bright future. He would give Prathom 6 (Grade 6) students scholarships so they would be able to continue higher education in Matthayom 1 (Grade 7).
The project aims to help the recovery of 84 schools under the Office of Basic Education Commission to mark His Majesty the King’s 84th birthday this year. Its staff have surveyed the needs of flood-hit schools in hard-it provinces, including Lop Buri, Sing Buri, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi and Bangkok before sending more staff and volunteers to help.
A mini concert “Power of Thai Power in your Hands” by famous singers and celebrities will be held on Saturday and Sunday at CentralWorld shopping complex in Bangkok and Bt100 wristbands and special goods will be sold to raise funds for the project.