PATTANI, Oct 13 — Primary education officials in this insurgency-impacted southern province met urgently early today with directors of six schools burned by insurgents on the weekend in the hope of finding temporary classrooms for the affected students.
Adinan Pakbara, inspector-general of the Education Ministry responsible for education in southern border provinces, said participants discussed finding temporary classrooms for the students from six schools which were destroyed by the insurgents.
It was agreed that the affected students would be asked to temporarily attend classes at a Muslim religious school in a Pattani village as the second semester starts November 3, said Mr Adinan.
Five schools in Pattani’s Thung Yang Daeng district and one school in Mayo district were set on fire at about 2.30am Sunday.
The army believes that the torching was believed to be insurgents revenge in retaliation for recent military operations in which several key activists the troubled areas were captured.
Sunday’s torching of six schools was the second incident of its kind since the beginning of this year.
The first incident occurred on May 11 when two schools in Narathiwat’s Su-ngai Padi district were burned.
According to official statistics, insurgents burned 199 schools in the deep South since the renewed violence began in the region in 2004.
A total of 178 teachers and school staff and 53 students died, while 372 persons, including 208 students, were wounded or otherwise injured.
