Aircraft shatter nerves, studies at Bang Phli school
When we entered the school on Bang Na-Trat Road, Km 16, we noticed nothing different from other medium-sized schools, but after five or six steps, suddenly there was the thunderous roar of a twin-engine aircraft passing overhead.
We arrived at Poolchalearn Witthayakhom Secondary School in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district during the morning assembly. However, the national anthem sung by the 2,142 students and the daily announcements reported over a loudspeaker were drowned out by another sound: the shriek from passing planes. It added 10 or 20 minutes to the usual 30-minute ceremony. Whenever a plane soared directly above the school, the sound waves shook us slightly. The planes flew so low that we felt we could reach up and snatch them out of the air with our hands. From 8-9am, 36 aeroplanes took off from Suvarnabhumi Airport. With no air-conditioning or soundproofing, the school has had to endure hell since the airport started commercial services on September 28. Most activities must pause and teachers stop talking when the overwhelming din occurs. "The school provides some amplifiers, but there aren't enough to go around, so teachers who don't use them speak louder and end up getting a sore throat," said science teacher Lamai Songsiri. She said students had invented a new fad, guessing which airline a passing aircraft belongs to from the insignia painted on it. But stress has built up among students and teachers alike, even good-humoured social studies teacher Umakorn Poolsana. "It makes me feel like I'm on a battlefield," she said. Boonma Lekroengsin, an assistant to the school principal, said Airports of Thailand (AOT) officials went to the school to measure the noise of jets flying overhead, which was more than 70 decibels. AOT might install air-conditioners in every classroom and employ soundproofing materials like double-layer glass windows. Student-union president Yaimai Pongjeen, 17, said the noise had ruined their peaceful existence at school and at home. "My mother is suffering from insomnia, stress and lack of rest, which is disrupting her work and her life. She must take sedatives every night to sleep," said Yaimai. She was growing impatient with the authorities' lack of action. "Don't waste time discussing how to solve this problem. Spend more time coping with it."
Wannapa Phetdee, Ninnete Surarat The Nation
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