Yotchanan leads four ministries to unveil six plans establishing school safety standards, including mental health checks for children and bullying prevention. Temporary closure of classrooms at incident sites is ordered, and teachers and students psychologically affected are allowed to transfer schools as needed.
At 13:00 on 8 August 2026 GMT+7, the Ministry of Education hosted an integrated cooperation meeting among four key ministries, led by Mr. Yotchanan Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, who oversees the Ministry of Education. Also present were Mr. Prasert Chanruangthong, Minister of Education; Mr. Nikorn Somklang, Minister of Social Development and Human Security; Mr. Julphan Amornwiwat, Minister of Labour; representatives from the Ministry of Public Health including the Department of Mental Health; and related agencies. They jointly formulated emergency measures and sustainable safety frameworks for schools nationwide following the incident at Thepsirin Nonthaburi School, where a student used a firearm to shoot teachers and fellow students, causing multiple deaths and injuries.
After the meeting, Mr. Yotchanan stated that all parties will cooperate fully to restore confidence among parents and the public, affirming that every child must be safe within school grounds. He emphasized that such shocking incidents must never recur. The working framework is divided into two main parts.
The first part is the “School Reopening Plan,” an emergency short-term measure focusing on psychological recovery and initial safety screening, consisting of:
1. Establishing nationwide mental health assistance channels through the Department of Mental Health and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, such as hotlines 1300 and 1323, chat systems, and appointment systems, in collaboration with psychologists assigned to the Ministry of Education, institutions under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
2. Deploying volunteer mental health teams proactively to affected schools to closely support students, teachers, and parents, including organizing mental health healing activities according to international standards on the first day of school reopening.
3. Ordering the temporary closure of classrooms at the incident site.
4. Designating specific areas for parents to observe their children, requiring registration for security purposes.
5. Allowing teachers and students severely affected psychologically to transfer to other schools as appropriate.
6. Implementing temporary measures to immediately screen for illegal items before entering school premises.
Mr. Yotchanan further announced the development of a “National School Safety Standard” to be concretely established within 90 days and submitted to the Cabinet for approval, ensuring all ministries adopt unified operational guidelines. This long-term plan includes:
1. Regular mental health screening for students and teachers; 2. Efficient referral systems for at-risk students to specialists; 3. Training programs for guidance and counseling teachers (Train the Trainer) to equip them with skills for assessment and basic psychological first aid; 4. Creating a reporting channel via the Traffy Fondue platform’s Rights Protection Center as a Safe Zone for children to express or report issues they cannot share elsewhere; 5. Conducting multi-dimensional emergency drills and risk point inspections.
6. Upholding a Zero Tolerance policy against bullying in schools; 7. Promoting strong bonds between teachers and students; 8. Strict screening of individuals and illegal items before entering school premises.
The Deputy Prime Minister also urged parents to monitor their children’s behavior closely and consult psychiatrists promptly if any changes are observed, emphasizing that seeing a psychiatrist is not shameful but a proper way to care for mental health.
Meanwhile, Mr. Prasert Chanruangthong, Minister of Education, expressed deep concern and sorrow over the tragic event, extending condolences to affected families. He stated that after the four-ministry meeting, at 14:30, the Ministry of Education urgently held an online teleconference with schools and agencies nationwide—including the Office of the Basic Education Commission, vocational education, private education, and the Office of the Non-Formal and Informal Education—to communicate the new guidelines and elevate safety measures. The ministry plans to issue an official announcement empowering school administrators and disciplinary teachers to search bags and belongings of students deemed at risk to prevent weapons such as knives and guns. Additionally, Thepsirin Nonthaburi School was ordered closed for the entire following week to assess the situation and improve internal measures. For staff assistance, the ministry has prepared comprehensive support for families of deceased teachers, including funds from the ministry, welfare, government aid, and consideration of special promotions as those who died in the line of duty.
Mr. Nikorn Somklang, Minister of Social Development and Human Security, outlined the ministry’s supporting role in three key areas: First, deploying social workers and psychologists to join teams from the Department of Mental Health and Ministry of Education to comprehensively care for children and families’ mental wellbeing. Second, integrating the emergency reporting system by linking the ministry’s 1300 hotline with the Traffy Fondue platform to ensure rapid and efficient coordination with the Ministry of Education. Third, using this tragedy as a case study to review and enhance security measures in child care facilities and educational institutions under the ministry nationwide, preventing similar vulnerabilities or incidents.
Representatives from the Department of Mental Health added information on approaches to caring for children’s and family institutions’ mental health, emphasizing that raising a child safely requires community cooperation. The Ministry of Education has already implemented the HERO OBEC Care system covering over 85 percent of schools to systematically assess and screen children’s mental health issues across various dimensions. However, they stressed that the most crucial current step is promoting two-way communication to create trusted listeners for children, rather than leaving them exposed to one-sided media pressure that accumulates stress.
In conclusion, the Minister of Education noted that although Thepsirin Nonthaburi School is a large institution with about 3,500 students and existing security measures, the unprecedented severity of this incident requires the government and all agencies to enforce the highest level of preventive measures to ensure no similar losses occur again in Thai society.