Small School Races to Finish Term Before Floodwaters Rise
Wat Takoo School in Ayutthaya is racing to complete end-of-term exams within a week as floodwaters from the Chao Phraya Dam releases rapidly submerge the Bang Bal District community and school grounds.
Teachers at Wat Takoo School are pushing to finish end-of-term exams within one week as floodwaters close in on classroom doors. Despite having only 14 students and four staff members, the school prioritizes education and has already moved furniture and equipment to high ground in preparation.
On September 23, flooding spread across Ayutthaya province after the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat province increased water releases. The Noi River and its tributary, Bang Luang Canal, rose rapidly by more than one meter, submerging the surrounding community of Wat Takoo in Bang Bal District. The schoolyard has already begun flooding, forcing staff to hastily relocate desks, teaching materials, and supplies onto elevated shelves and platforms inside classrooms to prevent damage.
The school, which faces annual flooding, received advance warning from irrigation authorities about the increased water releases and prepared accordingly. This year was initially more hopeful, as flooding typically begins in mid-August, but the school received notice roughly one day before water levels began rising dramatically. Military personnel assisted in moving equipment and securing items on raised platforms.
With only one week remaining until the end of the academic term at month's end, the school is accelerating lessons, grade collection, and exams to complete before water levels rise further and impact students' homes and the school building itself.
