A school sparked outrage after introducing an open-plan mixed-sex bathroom for nursery pupils in Thailand.

Bungling staff at the Banpongsanook School in Lampang province rolled out the bizarre toilet arrangement earlier this month, triggering anger from concerned parents.

Footage shows the toilets lined up against the wall divided by colourful partitions that offered little privacy. On the opposite side was a row of urinals for the male pupils.

The strange room design sparked criticism and claims that school officials may have pocketed funds that were allocated for construction - instead hiring a shoddy builder for a fraction of the cost.

Shocked mother Anothai Phanawat said: 'Why did they put barriers at the sides of the toilets but not in front, facing the male urinals? It looks like they asked children to design the room and not a professional builder.

'I do not feel safe sending my daughter to the school when she has to use bathrooms like this. I have told the teachers she will not be going until they change it.'

School director Somphot Champathip said the facilities were intended for the kindergarteners, who would be monitored by their homeroom teachers when they needed to use the toilets.

He said: 'The parents know about this room plan because we had consulted with them beforehand. The design is like that for the children's safety.

'Previously, there were also cubicles the kids can use. But we found they usually had a hard time opening the doors. Sometimes they would call to their nannies to help them, and other times they would force the door open and injure themselves. This is the reason for the open floor plan. We didn't think it would cause so much controversy.

'The older elementary school kids have their own toilets which have the typical stalls.'

He also denied claims the school had embezzled funds.

Sayamrat Kulpradit, director of the district education office, inspected the scene following the outrage.

He said: 'After listening to the school director, I understand that they were only thinking of the children's safety. But outsiders may not know the complete details and would form their opinions based on the pictures alone. If the school insists that the existing bathrooms are good, it is up to them to ease the public's concerns and make them understand.'

Thanu Wongjinda, secretary-general of the Basic Education Commission, has ordered the school to make immediate improvements 'to meet standard requirements and hygiene protocols'.

He added: 'Even though it is a toilet for nursery pupils, the children can also feel embarrassed. I would like the school to improve the toilet with completely closed stalls for the pupils' privacy.'