Students in a coastal community in Thailand have fled this lonely elementary school as the sea slowly engulfs their village.

The Ban Khun Samut School in Samut Prakan province some 10km off the outskirts of Bangkok was empty of pupils, most of whom had relocated with their families to escape the rising tides.

Today, only four pupils are left to study in its classrooms, while an estimated 200 people remain in the sinking village.

Among them is Orawan Kaewnoom or Teacher Kung, a teacher at the nearly abandoned school.

She said: 'The school has a director, a regular teacher - me, a contract teacher, a government officer, an administrative staffer, and a janitor. It may seem like a lot for only four students. The kids are all local residents and have been receiving education here since kindergarten.'

The teacher blamed the downturn in school population on declining birth rates in the country, as well as displacement caused by the rapid shoreline retreat.

Researchers found that the Chao Phraya Delta in which the village is located is suffering the worst shoreline recession in the world, with around 1,100 metres of coast disappearing since the 1950s.

The rapid phenomenon is believed to have been worsened by poor local environment management, climate change, and the destruction of protective mangroves to make space for prawn farms.

Teacher Kung added: 'The communities used to reside in the outskirts and relocated accordingly, just as this school has undergone multiple relocations due to environmental circumstances like erosion.

'The school was initially in the outskirts of the village, but it was moved further and further inland along with the residents' houses.

'They relocated to escape from the climate conditions that could be be caused by global warming and the rising water levels. These factors had a significant impact on the school.

'The future of this school depends on the community's decision regarding its necessity, if they need to enrol their children here. It is also up to the guidelines from the executives of the Office of the Basic Education Commission.'


VIDEO TRANSLATION

1.54 - 2.01 Hello, my name is Orawan Kaewnoom, and my nickname is Kru Kung, Teacher Kung. I'm a teacher at Ban Khun Samut School

2.01 - 2.04 The school provides education to students ranging from kindergarten to Grade 6

2.04 - 2.18 The school has a director, one dedicated teacher, Kru Kung, one government officer, one contract teacher, one administrative staff member, and one janitor

2.18 - 2.28 It may seem like a lot for only four students, who are local residents and have been receiving education since their kindergarten years until now

2.28 - 2.36 Students have graduated gradually, but it appears that the number of newborns in the population might be declining

2.36 -2.48 It is probable that the decrease in the newborn population can be attributed to the environmental context, as well as the overall decline in the Thai population resulting from a lower birthrate and a growing number of elderly individuals

2.48 - 3.00 It leads to a decrease in the number of children in the education system, along with economic and other factors, resulting in a reduction in the student population at this school

3.00 - 3.12 Parents have the choice to voluntarily enrol their children in this school or other schools. However, studying at other schools can be more troublesome as their children are unable to travel during rainy weather. Thus, the final decision rests with the parents

3.13 - 3.21 Everything in this school, including documents and student activities such as scouting, is similar to that of other schools

3.21 - 3.32 When I first began working at this school, the communities were friendly, and my colleagues welcomed me greatly, treating me like family. Even the students showed friendliness towards their teachers

3.32 - 3.44 The communities used to reside in the outskirts and relocated accordingly, just as this school has undergone multiple moves due to environmental circumstances, climate conditions, and the inevitable effects of erosion

3.44 - 3.50 The school was initially situated in the outskirts but gradually relocated to the inner area, as well as the community

3.50 - 4.00 They relocated to escape from the climate conditions that could be attributed to global warming and the rising water levels, as these factors had a significant impact on the school

4.00 - 4.23 The future of this school depends on the community's decision regarding its necessity, as they need to enrol their children at this school. It is also up to the guideline from the executives of the Office of the Basic Education Commission