Small schools to stay open amid mergers

Small schools to stay open amid mergers

Small school with less than 120 students will be kept open for now. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Small school with less than 120 students will be kept open for now. (Bangkok Post file photo)

The Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) says it will keep nearly 2,000 small schools open, but has vowed to continue its merger plan.

Commission secretary-general, Suthep Chittayawong, said on Wednesday school mergers will be decided case-by-case, based on the capabilities of each school.

According to an initial inspection, 1,917 schools with a small number of students are needed to remain open to serve children living in far-flung areas, including remote islands. Seventy of these schools have less than 120 students. Yet they will remain open in spite of Obec's master plan to improve education by merging small schools with larger and better ones.

He said Obec will decide which schools will remain open or be merged after Aug 30, by which time its branch offices nationwide would have provided all the necessary information to make a decision. There are 15,715 small schools under Obec's supervision and so far 5,685 have been merged with 723 schools that are larger and better in terms of educational resources.

In doing so, Obec has to provide 75,000 students with travelling expenses as they need to relocate to study in new areas. As well as merging schools, Obec is also advocating that students in some far-flung areas learn remotely, to save on travel time.

Mr Suthep allayed fears the remote learning plan might affect the careers of some school administrators. They will be moved to work at kindergartens to improve the curriculum and standards at that level, according to Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday asked teachers and education officials to prepare students to undertake coding studies, a skill which is needed to create computer software, websites and digital applications.

He said students must be made ready to learn about coding and computers from kindergarten, as this was the best time to instill a "good way of thinking" in children. He also downplayed the need to purchase new computer in schools. "Many students already use their smartphones," the prime minister said.

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