Bangkok: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has urgently stepped up measures to provide psychological support and ensure school safety following the violent incident in Nonthaburi province. This involves proactive collaboration with the Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health, and the Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, to provide systematic psychological support to teachers, students, and parents.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Prasert, Minister of Education, revealed that the Ministry of Education expresses its deepest condolences to all those affected. He affirmed that the physical and mental safety of students and personnel is our top priority. No one will be left behind, and continuous support and assistance will be provided in both the short and long term.
Alongside providing psychological support, the Ministry of Education recognizes the difficulties faced by the families of those who lost loved ones and were injured. Therefore, it is urgently considering providing full financial and welfare compensation to alleviate the burden of medical expenses. This will be done in collaboration with all relevant agencies with sensitivity and speed, so that all families can be relieved of financial concerns and have ample time for psychological recovery.
Regarding emergency psychological first aid, the Ministry of Education immediately dispatched teams of psychologists to the affected areas, adhering to the principle of "Teachers must care for the children's mental health first." This provided psychological support to teachers directly impacted before they were assigned back to care for children in the classroom. Furthermore, the Ministry utilized the "Four-Egg" model developed by the Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, to allocate support in a targeted manner.
Egg Yolk (Those who lost loved ones/were present at the scene) receive individual psychological support from the MCATT team of the Department of Mental Health. Egg white (student/teacher in school) participated in a psychological support group to communicate feelings of loss, organized by the Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University. The Whole Egg (School Environment) organizes a Psychoeducation Workshop to provide knowledge and guidance on self-care. Peripheral environment (society/media/parents) sees the Ministry of Education as the core organization for appropriate public communication.
Regarding guidelines for teachers and educational personnel in caring for students upon returning to school, emphasis is placed on teachers communicating to students that everyone is now in a safe situation, acknowledging students' feelings without denying or suppressing them, allowing students to speak freely without unnecessarily questioning them about the details of the incident, and letting students know that they can seek help from teachers, parents, or professionals.
To strengthen long-term resilience, the Ministry of Education is preparing to push forward policy measures such as making psychological first aid mandatory for all teachers and educational personnel, establishing School Mental Health Crisis Response Teams in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, the Department of Mental Health, and various psychology faculties, and creating a trauma screening system at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the incident to screen for PTSD in children and refer them for timely treatment.
Finally, the Ministry of Education requests the cooperation of all media outlets and the public in communicating responsibly. We ask that you refrain from publishing the names, images, or identifying information of the perpetrators, in accordance with the principle of No Notoriety. This is to avoid revealing the names or images of the deceased and injured, and to refrain from publishing details of the method used to commit the crime, in order to prevent further negative impacts. Instead, please focus on providing information that is useful for healing and preventing future incidents.