Bangkok: The Cabinet has approved elevating "school safety" to a national agenda, effective immediately. This includes stricter controls on weapons screening, the creation of School Safety Zones, and Safe Rooms to protect children's physical and mental well-being.
According to Thai News Agency, the Cabinet approved the Ministry of Education's proposal to elevate school safety to a "national agenda" following a recent school violence incident in Nonthaburi province. Proactive measures will be implemented immediately in all schools, including weapons screening, emergency response drills, and mental health support. Schools will also be upgraded to School Safety Zones, and Safe Rooms will be established to provide holistic care for children.
Lieutenant Colonel Patthadarasmi Thongsalooykorn, Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that the Ministry of Education proposed to the Cabinet that the issue of safety in educational institutions be elevated to a "national agenda," and the Cabinet approved the proposal. This follows the violent incident at a school in Nonthaburi province on August 7, 2026. The aim is to systematically improve prevention and response to incidents in educational institutions, thereby ensuring the safety of children, teachers, and educational personnel nationwide.
For immediate measures, the Ministry of Education issued a safety measure for educational institutions dated August 10, 2026, requiring schools to implement immediate actions, designating areas as 'School Safety Zones,' establishing a center for protecting rights, freedoms, and safety within the school, developing and practicing emergency response plans, and integrating operations with the police and relevant agencies.
The key is to prevent risks before they occur, by rigorously searching and screening for weapons, illegal items, and dangerous objects before entering educational institutions. This should be coupled with establishing a mental health support system to ensure that safety measures cover both the physical and mental well-being of students, teachers, and staff.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education is expediting care and support for those affected, working in collaboration with psychologists from the Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, and the MCATT team from the Department of Mental Health. They are also preparing "Safe Rooms" to provide spaces for mental health recovery and to prepare teachers and parents to appropriately care for students before they return to normal schooling.
For long-term planning, the Ministry of Education is currently drafting a master law on school safety to establish a sustainable system for student care. This includes monitoring and assessing the mental health of those affected, as well as screening for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 1, 3, and 6 months prior to the event, ensuring that healing extends beyond the immediate aftermath and continues until they return to normal.
'The government is not complacent and will not wait for incidents to occur before taking action. Instead, we will expedite prevention, preparedness, and the holistic care of children. The Ministry of Education will coordinate with all ministries that oversee educational institutions to implement safety measures, aiming to elevate the standard of student care nationwide and build confidence among children, teachers, and parents that schools are safe spaces for learning and the lives of all children,' said the Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister.
The Ministry of Education is currently soliciting public opinion on the draft Act on Safety and the Use of Communication Devices or Electronic Devices by Students in Educational Institutions through the central legal system (Law.go.th) from August 10 to September 9, 2026, in order to establish a fundamental law and a support system for ensuring safety in educational institutions in the long term.