Classes at Assumption College will resume Monday as the Education Ministry attempts to defuse a spat between the school director and disgruntled teachers and alumni.

Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana said on Saturday the school had informed him it would open Monday instead of Feb 1 as previously planned.

Director Anan Preechawutthi decided on Friday to close the school until Feb 1 to avoid a protest by a group of teachers and alumni who were demanding his resignation.

Critics claim Mr Anan's mismanagement had damaged the school's reputation, and a salary increase pledged to teachers had not materialised.

Following a protest by teachers outside the ministry on Friday, officials ordered the Catholic school in Bangkok's Bang Rak district to reopen immediately to avoid disrupting students, some of whom were due to take an exam on Monday.

Chanwit Tubsuphan, secretary-general of the Private Education Commission, will hold talks at the school tomorrow with the director, teachers and parents to find a quick solution to the problem.

The school's decision to merge its primary section in a nearby area with the main campus also factored into the protest as teachers feared some of them might be laid off. Their fears set off a chain reaction leading to the rally in a bid to force the director to step down.

The St Gabriel Foundation, which operates Assumption College, tried to calm their concerns by saying no teachers would be affected by the relocation, which the school has been considering for 20 years.