A school in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district will reopen tomorrow after security forces pledged to boost safety measures following a suspected terror attack on Friday in which a teacher and an eight-year-old girl sustained multiple gunshot wounds. "Kok Kradookmu School had suspended its classes from Monday to Wednesday and will reopen when safety measures are improved," said Narathiwat education office director Pairat Saengthong. Teachers and students are demoralised by the spiral of violence, Pairat said. Security forces are to be deployed at every school in the entire province, he said. Soldiers and policemen are to be on duty at all school functions, including extra-curricular activities, he added.
Education Minister Adisai Bodharamik said he was coordinating with the military and Interior Ministry to boost safety at schools in the South. "It is a worrying trend that |militants have targeted teachers and students for terror attacks. I am working with relevant security agencies in order to solve the problem," he said. Adisai said monthly allowances for teachers in the three southernmost provinces would increase from Bt1,000 to Bt2,500 in view of the violence. The Basic Education Commission has, meanwhile, instructed schools in the South to evaluate safety threats. The school safety reports will be used to map out anti-terrorism measures. |