The new academic year finally begins as schools across the country reopens with strict COVID-19 measures implemented. Students in high-risk provinces will have to resort to online learning for now, as campuses remain off-limit due to the risk of transmission.
Many schools in lower-risk provinces today started the new school term by reintroducing on-campus learning with health and safety measures in place. In Chiang Mai, students at Ban Phra Non School in Mae Rim District are excited to return to school today after a long closure.
Here, the school have introduced a limited on-campus classes with Primary 1-3 levels coming to school on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, while Primary 4-6 levels coming to school on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. On the off days, students will be given exercises to complete and submit to teachers the next day.
Students are temperature screened at the school, with hand sanitizers provided throughout the facility. The number of students in each classroom has been reduced to up to 15 in order to ensure physical distancing.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, the first day of school opening at Anuban Nakhon Ratchasima School today was lively and exciting, with parents dropping off their kids from early in the morning.
At this 4,200-student school, students are now divided into Group A and Group B, for which different class schedules are applied to reduce crowding. Along with strict disease control measures implemented, students are asked to bring their own food container from home for their lunch break.
In Phuket, Ban Bang Neaw Municipality School today welcomed students back to school with a dinosaur mascot waiting for students at the gate. For this school term, parents are only allowed to drop off their kids at the front gate for safety reason.
The school director said some parents are still not onboard with school reopening, this the school is now staggering class schedules with two groups of students visiting the schools on altering dates to prevent crowding. This staggering arrangement will be evaluated after 2 weeks, while the school aims for a full reopening once the situation improves.
At Srisawangvong School in Hat Yai, Songkhla, however, only the teachers came back to school today as all students are required to engage in online learning at home first until 18 June.
Class schedules at this school will be changed, with each period reduced to only 30 minutes. Primary 1-2 students will be divided into Groups A and B, and will only take classes in two periods, each for one hour. Main subjects will be of focus, rotating between Sciences, Mathematics, Thai language, English language, Social Studies, History, and Physical Education.