The Thai Ministry of Education has ordered the suspension of all unnecessary school field trips following an incident on Tuesday (1 October), in which a bus transporting students from a school in Uthai Thani caught fire, killing 20 children and three teachers.
Pol Gen Permpoon Chidchob, Minister of Education, said in a press conference on Wednesday (2 October) that he has ordered all public schools to suspend field trips. If there is a valid reason for the trip, the school director and the local education authority must ensure that the trip follows clear safety measures, including case-by-case vehicle inspections by transportation authorities. He also ordered that students on field trips be separated by age groups, and parents may be required to accompany younger students since teachers might not be able to oversee the whole group.
Acknowledging that field trips are an important part of education, he said that he did not want to prohibit them completely but stressed that they should only be organised when absolutely necessary.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said that she asked the Ministry of Transport about the possibility of acquiring the same model of school bus used in Europe for Thai schools. She noted that school trips are good learning opportunities for students but stressed that uninspected or poorly maintained vehicles could be dangerous. To address the problem, she asked the Ministry of Transport to issue regulations for the inspection of public vehicles and the certification of their drivers.
Meanwhile, People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said during Wednesday’s parliamentary session that measures need to be put in place to hold officials who issue vehicle permits, bus operators, schools, and other relevant parties accountable so that a similar tragedy does not happen again.
He called on the government to implement measures ensuring that school buses are inspected and up to standard to ensure public safety. He further asked that the Ministry of Education adopt measures to ensure student safety and learning on school trips. Among other things , he proposed putting CCTV cameras and GPS trackers in the buses, as well as training teachers and school personnel to perform basic vehicle inspections before trips.
On Tuesday (1 October), a bus transporting students and teachers on a field trip from Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School in Uthai Thani province caught fire while passing through Pathumthani province on Vibhavadi Road. 20 students and three teachers were later confirmed dead.
Pol Lt Gen Trairong Piwpan, chief of the police forensic division, said yesterday (3 October) that the police found evidence of a gas leak inside the vehicle, but had not yet determined the cause of the fire. He also said that the bus had a permit to run on 6 cylinders of natural gas (NGV) but was carrying 11.
The driver turned himself into the police. According to Pol Maj Gen Chayanon Meesati, deputy commissioner of the Region 1 Provincial Police Bureau, he said during interrogation that the bus hit a pothole and swerved slightly, colliding with another car. When he tried to regain control of the bus, it reportedly hit a guardrail and caught fire.
The driver reportedly went to get a fire extinguisher from another bus taking part in the trip, but ultimately fled to a relative’s house in Ang Thong because he was in shock.
He is facing four charges, including reckless driving and fleeing the scene of an accident without helping the victims or reporting to the police. Police may also charge the owner of the bus, depending on the results of the forensic investigation.