Expelling pregnant students is a both misguided and cruel    

Harsh punishments have been given to pregnant students ever since our country first had a formal school system. Prevailing attitudes towards student pregnancy have always been unpleasant. Authorities and teachers almost always label pregnant students as bad girls who deserve severe punishment, which usually involves expelling them, even though everyone knows that this is just passing the buck. This way, the school gets to keep its reputation – but the future of pregnant students is very bleak. 
A more merciful approach is ruled out by the fear it will encourage “copycats”. Yet the rising number of teenage pregnancies in Thailand appears to confirm that the aforementioned attitude and approaches are useless.
While unintended pregnancy is hugely stressful for a teenager, school pressure makes things enormously worse. Most pregnant students end up having unsafe abortions. Long-term physical and mental damage to the mother are also common. Without adequate education, those mothers who choose to rear their kids are unlikely to have a good future.
Students who engage in sexual relationships usually protect themselves, while those who infrequently or even accidentally have sex are the ones who tend to get pregnant. Although unintended pregnancy is the student’s fault, it doesn’t mean she deserves such a bleak future.
We have been hearing about more flexible and merciful approaches to this problem for decades. However, plans and discussion will not solve the problem. This week, we came closer to approval for a draft ministerial regulation requiring schools and universities to allow pregnant students to resume their studies. Student pregnancy claims lives every day. Pregnant students need to be given a chance, urgently.
Chanya Srisurapanont
Chiang Mai