#parent | #kids | Sarasas school offers compensation for child abuse | #childabuse | #children | #kids

The private school at the centre of a child abuse scandal agrees to make compensation, including refunding fees and paying medical costs, and tighter screening of teaching staff.

Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Vilawan said representatives of the school reached the agreement in talks at the ministry on Wednesday.

She said  the school management will pay compensation to both abused students, who will continue to study at the school, and others who leave for other schools.

For students who stay, the school will refund all fees for the 2020 academic year for abused students and pay for their treatment and mental counselling. The school will also install surveillance cameras at all corners and displays, so parents will be able to monitor their children in its canteen, and show all teachers’ certificates of qualification.

For the students who decide to leave, the school will issue certificates for them within a day, refund this year’s fees, and pay for the physical and mental treatment of abused children.

The deputy education minister said she formed a committee to follow up the compensation and solution process. It included the permanent secretary for education and representatives of the Mental Health Department, parents and provincial education authorities.

Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek, a large private school in Pak Kret district, Nonthaburi, hit the  headlines after video recordings posted on social media of showed an unqualified teacher   physically abusing a kindergarten pupil while her assistants watched.

Shocked parents clamoured for action, threatening to withdraw their children from the expensive school.

Pisut Yongkamol, representative of the school, said the management had no excuses and apologised for the incidents.

It would quickly solve the problem and improve its screening of teachers and assistants, he said.

A teacher sacked over the incident reported to police on Tuesday to acknowledge charges of physically abusing a child and breaching the Teachers Act.