The plight of teaching assistants in the Deep South
The killing of Mr Supakrit sae Loong, a teacher of Ban Nibong school in Kabang district of Yala on January 14 – two days ahead of the Teachers’ Day – was barely covered by Bangkok’s mainstream media which were apparently preoccupied with the anti-government protests in the capital.
His untimely death at the hands of suspected separatists has raised scant attention from politicians and authorities in Bangkok alike.
The 38-year old teacher was riding a motorcycle from school back home in Thepa district of Songkhla when an assailant riding on the pillion of a motorcycle shot him several times from point-blank range. He became the 170th teacher killed so far during the past ten years since the start of a new round of insurgency war.
But in the restive Deep South, Mr Supakrit’s death underlines the ubiquitous risks posed against government officials, including teachers. However, the deadly threats from suspected separatists is not the only serious problem besetting teachers in the region.
Mr Boonsom Thongsriploy, president of the Federation of Teachers in Three Southern Provinces, admitted that teachers are very demoralized because of the safety problem as well as low incentives.
He said that the federation had asked for an increase of risk allowance from 2,500 baht to 3,500 baht a month and a compensation of four million baht in case of death of a teacher. But the request was rejected by the government.
There is a shortage of teachers too because many have asked to be transferred elsewhere for safety reason, yet the vacancies are not filled up with replacements with the status as a government official, said Mr Boonsom.
The shortage of teachers has prompted several schools to recruit teaching assistants to teach in such subjects as mathematics, science and English language. However, these teaching assistants are not given the status of a full-time teacher or a government official which means that they do not enjoy the same fringe benefits given to teachers.
"They receive low pay, no security whatsoever in case they are injured or killed by separatists except social security. Also, their contracts have to be renewed every year," said Mr Boonsom.
Most teaching assistants in the Deep South were hired under the SP2 project – a project to accelerate educational investment.
Mr Niwat Mansakul, director of Ban Kok Pho school in Kok Pho district of Pattani talked about another plight of the teaching assistants – career insecurity.
"Every time there is a political problem or political change, the teaching assistants are worried that they may lose their jobs or they have to move to new schools to find jobs in which case the students will be affected because there will be no teachers or not enough teachers."
He suggested that the teaching assistants should be given better job security so they have incentive to teach
Ms Kulwadee Kongsomboon, one of the teaching assistants, she and her colleagues would feel depressed at the end of the budgetary year because they would not know for sure whether they would still get their jobs or their contracts would be terminated or not.
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Caption : Primary school in the Southern of Thailand