Health
Thai Government to Extend Helping Hand for Pregnant Students
Under the draft regulation, schools will also be required to provide sex education
–
BANGKOK – Assistant government spokesman Colonel Atisit Chaiyanuwat said yesterday The Thai government is planning to require educational institutions to be flexible with female students who become pregnant while in school.
Colonel Atisit told The Nation, that the Cabinet had already approved in principle a draft ministerial regulation that recommended schools do not punish or reprimand students who wished to suspend their studies during or after their pregnancies.
“This draft regulation also requires that schools or universities allow students to resume their studies,” he said.
He added that the draft regulation was also intended to encourage educational institutions to provide measures to prevent unwanted pregnancies and extend help to affected girls and women.
Under the draft regulation, schools will also be required to provide sex education.
Wassana Im-Em, assistant representative to the United Nations population fund Thailand, said there had been a 74% increase from 31 to 54 births per 1,000 15- to 19-year-olds during 2000-2012 in Thailand, which reduced to 44 per 1,000 in 2015.
“Meanwhile, the number of births among girls under 15 years of age has doubled during the same period, from about 1,700 to 3,700 births per year during 2003-2012 and declined to 2,900 cases in 2015,” she said. “Overall, each year 0.15% of women aged 10-14 years or about 3,000 of them have had a live birth before age 15.”
