Students to get life skills lessons after brawl murder

 LIFE SKILLS lessons will be taught to vocational school students to solve the problems of public brawling and other issues. The move follows the tragic death of 15-year-old vocational school student Kittiphob Luang-in, who was stabbed to death in Nonthaburi by a rival school student when he was going to school on Thursday.
The Mental Health Department said the incident was due to the lack of emotional restraint and temper management among teenagers – so it has decided to introduce new life skills lessons.
The department’s deputy head Samai Sirithongthaworn said the problem of brawling between students from different vocational schools was mainly due to rivalry between schools and not personal issues.
Samai said that as well as giving mental health assistance to the victim’s family, injured students, and their friends, the department also sent a team of psychiatrists to both vocational schools to set up a monitoring system and emotion management enhancement, to prevent a repeat of the incident.
He said that as well as short term solutions, the department had a policy to solve this particular problem and other serious concerns, such as alcohol and cigarette addiction, underage pregnancy, and illegal motorcycle racing in the long term.
“As we are in the age of technology and information, our youths must have life skills to determine the information they receive and decide to make the right move. Life skills are a vaccine for teenagers against risky behaviour, which will harm their well-being as well as the others in society. 
“The department has been working with the Education Ministry to produce learning materials for life skills, lessons for the vocational school students to provide them with knowledge to deter risky behaviour.”
He said a pilot learning programme had already started at Dusit Technical College and Singburi Technical College from this semester and there would be improvements on the lessons before they are officially launched at the end of the year.
Dr Mathurada Suwannapho, director of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Rajanagarindra Institute, said the lessons focus on skills needed for life in modern Thai society – decision making, emotional expression and self-respect.