Teacher associations across the country yesterday protested against a draft law on national education, saying it will limit their academic freedom and hinder students' self-learning abilities.
They urged the parliament president to put the new bill, proposed by the Ministry of Education, and which is now scheduled to be deliberated by the House in its second and third readings, on hold.
The bill should be shelved until after the general election, expected on May 7, the teacher associations said in a joint statement yesterday, which was also Teachers' Day.
Opinions offered by teachers nationwide against the bill were summarised and forwarded to the House committee vetting it, but they appeared to have fallen on deaf ears, said the statement.
The teacher associations also accused the House committee of rushing their review of the bill, which is now being pushed for passage in the two remaining readings.
"You are rushing to pass this bill despite strong opposition by teachers all over the country," said the statement.
Since there isn't much time left before the current parliamentary session ends on Feb 23, the statement said that the parliament president should put the deliberation of the bill on hold and wait until the new session begins after the upcoming general election.
In response to the protest, Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong stood by the bill, saying she was looking forward to seeing it passed into law very soon.
The bill has been approved by her ministry and the cabinet, and it is now up for deliberation by the House of Representatives and the Senate, she said.
The minister insisted that while the bill was being drafted, all parties concerned were asked for their opinions which were incorporated into the draft, she said.
She strongly believes the bill will benefit the country's education reform.
Among the four key elements proposed in the bill is to improve homeschooling standards by requiring it to be regulated by the national education policy commission.
The ministry has also proposed in the bill to require executives of every educational institution to have a sufficient background in both teaching and school management, which is believed will ensure their proficiency in managing an educational institution, she said.