Education Minister Orders Probe into School Director's Abuse of 7-Year-Old
Thailand's Assistant Education Minister has ordered an urgent investigation into a Buriram school director accused of hitting a 7-year-old student with a spray can for failing to recite Chinese vocabulary. Multiple students were allegedly punished similarly, prompting the minister to demand a full probe within seven days and coordinate psychological support for the affected children.
On November 13, 2026, Assistant Education Minister Akkanan Kanjanakitinant, in his capacity as chair of the Center for the Protection of Rights, Liberties, and Safety, disclosed a complaint from parents alleging that a school director in Buriram used the base of a spray can to hit a first-grade girl, aged 7, on the head for failing to recite Chinese vocabulary. The child sustained facial swelling and bruising, and other students were reportedly subjected to similar punishment. Akkanan stated he has ordered the Buriram Primary Educational Service Area Office to establish a fact-finding committee immediately, coordinate with relevant agencies to assist affected students, and review the director's disciplinary history for any prior complaints of violence or improper punishment. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has been brought in to provide psychological support, and the education office will organize activities to help the children recover. Akkanan emphasized the case will not be swept under the rug, promising disciplinary and legal action if wrongdoing is confirmed, and demanded the investigation conclude within seven days without delay.
