School for the disabled for the deep South OKed
The Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) recently asked for 155 million baht to fund the construction of an educational institute for the disabled in the strife-torn deep South.
According to the SBPAC, there are altogether 5,406 disabled youths in the three southernmost provinces. Of these, only three percent of them are able to get into the schools for the disabled which are located in other provinces, namely Chumporn Panyanukul which is meant for students with mental problem, Phuket Panyanukul, Nakhon Si Thammarat Pnayanukul and Songkhla Pattana Panya which are for students with mental problem, Surat Thani’s school for the blind and Songkhla school for students with hearing problem.
Many parents of disabled children have wanted a similar school to be opened in one of the three southernmost provinces so that their children will be able to get education without the need to travel out of the region.
Besides the 5,406 disabled, SBPAC reported that there are an addition of 350 victims from violence who are also disabled.
The Office of Special Education Administration and the Office of the Committee for Basic Education have chosen a 30-rai plot in Tambon Boodee in Muang district of Yala as the site of a new school for the disabled. Construction of the school and purchase of necessary equipments are estimated to cost about 155.6 million baht.
The proposed school project was approved in principle by the strategic committee for development of the deep South and the Education Ministry has been assigned to seek the necessary budget from the Budget Bureau.
According to the National Education Act B.E. 2542, the state is duty-bound to provide basic education of not less than 12 years to all people including the disabled.
Meanwhile, the SBPAC has decided to pay compensation of up to seven million baht each to families of four Thai-Malay Muslims mistakenly killed by paramilitary rangers on January 29 in Tambon Pulo Puyo, Nong Chik district of Pattani.
SBPAC secretary-general Pol Col Thawee Sodsong said that the fact-finding committee which investigated the murder case admitted that the incident was mistakenly perpetrated by state authorities while they were performing their duty.
Since the families of the four dead victims have already received 500,000 baht each in initial compensation, they will be paid three million baht each and the rest will be paid in the form of government bonds or bank’s promissory notes spanning across four years.