Teachers no longer required to stay on campus out of school hours
Teachers nationwide will no longer be required to take turns staying on campus after school hours, also known as being “teacher on duty”, Education Minister Pol Gen Permpoon Chidchob said on Thursday.
He added that effective immediately, staying on duty on campus will be purely voluntary.
During the press event on Thursday, Permpoon thanked the cabinet for approving the proposal to scrap the mandate for teachers under the Education and Interior ministries to stay on campus after school hours.
Permpoon said the scrapping of the teacher-on-duty system also revokes all punishment under the ministry’s regulation no.8, which stipulates that teachers who fail to complete this duty will face disciplinary action.
The ministry’s proposal came after a 41-year-old female teacher was attacked by a former school employee while she was on duty at a school in Chiang Rai province. The victim suffered a knife wound to her mouth and three broken ribs as she fought off the attacker before being rescued by passersby who chased the man away.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of Saturday January 20. After reviewing CCTV footage, the police arrested a 38-year-old gardener formerly employed by the school. The suspect reportedly has a history of drug abuse and has served jail time for sexual assault on an underage person.
After the incident, teacher associations sent a petition to the Education Ministry asking that the mandatory teacher-on-duty rule be revoked, especially for female teachers staying on campus after office hours or on holidays.
Permpoon said on Thursday that the ministry will also employ additional measures to ensure the safety of school personnel and students on campus, including installing more CCTV cameras and coordinating with police to increase patrols in school areas.
He also urged teachers who volunteer to stay on duty or work overtime on campus to take precautions against threats and other dangers.
