Call for teacher's protection centre as schools reopen in deep south
Play
A southern teachers' federation called on Monday for the setting up of a teacher's protection centre to provide fulltime protection for teachers while Human Rights Watch called for the insurgents to stop killing teachers.
Most schools in the deep southern provinces reopened today after suspending classes last week in a show of no confidence for their safety following a series of brutal killings of teachers in the past weeks. There were no reports of violence.
Sanguan Intarak, chairman of Narathiwat Teachers’ Federation said the schools in the deep south were now under tightened security, which had restored confidence among teachers at a certain level but the teachers would wait and see whether the measures would provide safety for them.
“Teachers’ federations in three southernmost provinces have proposed the establishment of a southern teachers’ protection centre that will have security officials assigned specifically to protect the teachers. The proposal arises from the lack of security officials providing fulltime protection for the teachers,” he said.
The centre would provide security for teachers working in the Songkhla districts of Chana, Thepa, Natawee and Sabayoi, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
Sanguan added that at least 14 Buddhist teachers working in Narathiwat’s have applied for transfer out of the area following the killings of Buddhist teachers in the past weeks.
However the requested transfer could not be granted because of possible effects on students and teaching schedules. To compromise and to alleviate teachers’ concerns, the teachers were moved to work at the provincial office on a temporary basis. When they felt confident about going back or the situation improves, they could return to their own schools.
