Thailand reels over corporal punishment of kindergarten pupils

The Thai education minister talks to demonstrating students

Credit: Sakchai Lalit/AP

Thailand has been gripped by a scandal over the corporal punishment of kindergarten pupils that has seen the mass indictment of teaching staff at a private school after the parents of 30 children filed complaints about physical abuse. 

Six more teachers and caregivers at the Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek school near the capital Bangkok turned themselves in on Tuesday to face criminal charges, bringing the total of accused employees to 13. 

The controversy comes in the middle of nationwide pro-democracy protests where school students have rallied against draconian classroom laws and the promotion of military-style discipline that dictates even the length of their hair. 

High school pupils demanding educational reforms, who have organised themselves under the tongue-in-cheek name of “Bad Students”, have staged several protests against schools and the education ministry, demanding more rights in the classroom and greater accountability for teachers. 

Corporal punishment is not unusual in Thai schools, despite a recent order by the education ministry banning the use of physical discipline, but the details and scale of the alleged abuse at the Sarasas institution, alongside televised emotional confrontations between teachers and parents have shocked the public. 

A student in Bangkok has his body temperature checked to stop the spread of Covid-19

Credit: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Ronnarong Kawpech, a lawyer representing 30 families, said his clients filed charges of physical abuse, illegal detention and child abuse against the staff members, and separate complaints against both the school and the involved employees seeking $160,200 in compensation for each abused child. 

Disturbing videos of the reported abuse have emerged on social media, escalating the scandal. 

The problem first came to light when a parent raised concerns with a staff member about a son who was behaving strangely and refused to go to school. 

The staff member revealed a video from a closed-circuit TV camera inside the classroom that showed a female caregiver physically abusing the child while other staff turned a blind eye.

The incident prompted other parents to review footage, where repeated physical violence was reportedly uncovered.

In one of the most shocking examples, a student is thrown to the floor and then a female caregiver covers his head with a black garbage bag as he tries to run away, AP reported.  Another clip shows a caregiver repeatedly push a pupil against a wall while he is trying to leave the classroom.

Last week, Piboon Yongkamol, the president of the privately run chain of 49 Sarasas schools, accused the parents of just wanting money and appeared to show little remorse, reported Khaosod news.

“They just want to win,” he told Thairath TV. “Please give the school an opportunity to address it. We come in peace and I would like to apologise to the parents.”