Bangkok: The Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) has ordered the transfer of a teacher following an incident where students were punished with 200 sit-ups for submitting homework late. A disciplinary committee has been established to investigate the situation further.
According to Thai News Agency, the issue came to light after a Facebook post by Drama-addict highlighted a case reported by a doctor in Bangkok. The doctor shared that a secondary school student developed severe leg pain and black urine after being subjected to the sit-up punishment. The student was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, a condition involving muscle breakdown that can lead to serious complications like kidney failure. Fortunately, the student's kidneys were not severely affected, but there remains a possibility of requiring dialysis.
Lt. Col. Thanu Wongchinda, Secretary-General of OBEC, stated that the teacher, affiliated with a school under OBEC, is currently being investigated by a disciplinary committee set up by the Secondary Education Service Area (SESA) of Bangkok Area 1. The teacher has been temporarily transferred to work at the SESA office while the investigation is ongoing.
The Secretary-General assured that discussions with the student's parents have been positive, and there is no animosity. The student has recovered and returned to school. OBEC emphasized the importance of appropriate disciplinary measures, highlighting regulations that include reprimands, probation, conduct point deductions, and behavior-changing activities.
Further inquiries revealed that the incident occurred around June 5 and involved an art teacher. The punishment was reportedly for not submitting homework and failing to bring necessary materials to class. It is suspected that this was not an isolated incident, and the investigation will explore whether other students faced similar punishment.