Staff shortage hits schools for disabled

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Staff shortage hits schools for disabled
By Sompoch Sombat,
Prasit Tangprasert
The Nation
2011-03-08

Parents have been told to keep their physically-impaired children at home as the government's five disabled children centres - four in Nonthaburi and one in Ratchaburi - suffer from a severe staff shortage.

"Parents should send their kids to the centres as a last resort," Prapon Phanthu, director-general of the Social Development and Welfare Department, said yesterday.

The Social Development and Human Security Ministry has budgeted Bt55 million per year - or Bt27,6000 per head - to take care of 2,500 orphans with disabilities at its five homes, he said.

The international standard is one caretaker for five disabled children who cannot take care of themselves at all, for 10 children who can partially take care of themselves, and for 15 children who can take care of themselves well, he said.

However, the ministry's homes have only one caretaker looking after 15-20 kids during the day and 20-30 at night. They should have 200 workers overseeing the 2,500 kids but there are only 100. As some 20 new students are brought into these five homes a day, the ministry faces the problem of a funding shortfall, he said.

The government tries to help, he said. The lunch allowance was hiked last year from Bt40 to Bt60 per day. The homes also receive some cash donations from kind-hearted people via Prachabodi Centre's 1300 hotline, as well as help from volunteers and CSR projects, so they can operate despite the lack of personnel.

The ministry has joined forces with local administration organisations to launch projects to help the families such as 15 centres for the rehabilitation of children with disabilities in Bangkok and upcountry.

Khon Kaen's Srisangwal School also desperately needs teachers specialised in educating students with disabilities, as its current teacher-student ratio is 1:10. Students might loose the chance to learn things especially skills to live with full-bodied people in society.

The school has 178 children, but only three administrators, 14 fulltime civil service teachers, six administrative officials, three temporary contract teachers, four dorm supervisors and two teacher assistants.

That's one teacher in charge of 8-10 children with disabilities around the clock, school director Jarungwet Chusakul said.