Merger list to be known by May 31

Merger list to be known by May 31

The Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) will finalise by May 31 the number of small primary schools that will be shut down and merged with larger ones.

Obec secretary-general Chinnapat Bhumirat yesterday said the 162 educational zones are surveying the number of small schools that have fewer than 60 students and will submit the results on May 24.

The results would be handed to Obec's Policy and Planning Bureau for analysis. The number of small schools that would be closed down and merged with larger ones would be concluded by May 31, Mr Chinnapat said.

He defended the school merger policy, saying Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana wanted students to obtain a quality education. Some schools had only two or three teachers who have to teach all subjects and this made it difficult to maintain quality, he said.

The Education Ministry would follow three principles before closing small schools, the Obec chief said. First, all students must have schools where they can study. Second, a school closure must not create a burden on students and parents, and third, a closure must not go against the will of local communities.

Most Thais object to the ministry's plan to close small schools and merge them into larger schools, according to a Suan Dusit Poll released yesterday.

The poll was conducted among 1,292 parents and children's guardians nationwide between May 8-11. Asked whether they agreed with the plan, 60% of respondents disagreed with it, as it would be disruptive.

They said the plan would also affect relations between schools and their communities. However, 22.7% of respondents were uncertain, while 17.2% agreed with the plan, saying school management would be more systematic and children would be taken care of more thoroughly.

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