The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) is confident there will be enough teachers when the second semester begins on Nov 1 even as 26,000 teachers are due to retire by the end of this month.
Obec secretary-general Suthep Chittayawong said Obec already has thousands of people on its waiting list who can be called in to replace retiring teachers immediately.
Moreover, he said, various initiatives have already been put in place to help fill the vacancies. “The local teacher development project, for instance, is currently grooming thousands of teaching staff,” he said.
Also, the secretary-general said that Obec is planning to recall some retired teachers back into service on a part-time basis over the next year to help alleviate the shortage.
Additionally, Mr Suthep said that Obec has requested a committee on state workforce, the Office of the Teacher Civil Service and the Education Personnel Commission to not recall teachers stationed at rural primary and secondary schools with less than 120 students.
“We have prepared some measures to deal with it,” he said.
Teachers in rural areas are concerned about a looming manpower shortage as many of their senior colleagues are due to retire at the end of the month. Some schools, especially smaller ones, are at risk of seeing only one teacher juggling various classes and administrative duties.
According to Obec, about 26,000 teachers at 30,000 schools across the country will retire at the end of this month. By law, all civil servants in Thailand — including schoolteachers — who turn 60 must retire on Sept 30.