Vital Role of TVET College Students

BBC NEWS WORLD EDITION - Your experience of the Asian disaster

“I arrived two hours after the tidal wave struck. Our resort was on Kho Hae, and they immediately relocated us for our safety. The friendliness and help of the Thai has been phenomenal. The Phuket Polytechnic from which I write was the scene of immense personal sacrifice. All the students came back to school, and the boys started making coffins, the girls prepared food packs and care packs. All of this was done entirely with donations from the students, parents and teachers. For a people with little, their generosity has greatly touched me.”

When the tsunami hit in December 2004, the loss of human lives was staggering. But the tsunami did not only kill many people; it also destroyed livelihoods, traumatised whole populations and severely damaged habitats. According to the UNESCO website:

Preliminary assessments of the scale of the disaster and the rebuilding task ahead confirm it as one of the biggest natural catastrophes in recent human history.

The reconstruction tasks in the affected areas are daunting. But students from TVET institutions all over Thailand have courageously contributed their time and skills to assist in immediate disaster relief efforts as well as in the rebuilding activities.

Students from TVET colleges throughout the country have

• Collected and disseminated information on those who lost their lives, were injured and/or homeless
• Cleaned, cooked, established shelters and provided other services
• Repaired and constructed houses, boats, occupational tools, cars, ships and ship engines and
• Conducted skills training for income generation

In August 2005, eight months after the tsunami hit, TVET students in Thailand had

• Constructed 563 permanent houses
• Built and repaired 160 fishery tools
• Repaired 369 fishery and tourist boats and
• Built 174 fishery boats

Presently, groups of Thai TVET students continue to rotate in and out of the afflicted areas to build houses and boats. Their tremendous efforts are greatly appreciated.

Contact

Dr Siripan Choomnoom, Office of Vocational Education Commission, Ministry of Education, Thailand, mailto:siripanch@hotmail.com