School break extended; exams may be delayed
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Primary and secondary schools will remain closed due to flooding, likely until December 1, the Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) said yesterday.
The flood-imposed break in classes was originally scheduled to end November 1. This was extended to November 14 and again to November 21. Obec will meet tomorrow(Nov 16) to decide whether the break will be extended further, and until what date, said secretary-general Chinnaphat Phoomirattana.
Many schools in Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok are located in flooded areas, and a survey is being conducted to determine which should remain closed, either because they are themselves flooded or would require students to travel through flooded areas.
The extended break will shorten the preparation period for students in upper primary and lower secondary planning to sit the O-NET (Ordinary National Educational Test). This group comprises 6th graders advancing to 7th grade, and 9th graders advancing to 10th grade next year.
Twelfth graders will have a similar problem as they prepare for university entrance examinations.
Tomorrow’s meeting will decide whether to postpone various exam schedules due to the lack of preparation time available, Chinnaphat said. It will be attended by officials from relevant agencies including the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS), the Office of the Higher Education Commission and the Council of University Presidents of Thailand.
Aside from the curtailed preparation time, NIETS director Samphan Phranphruek said, logistical problems would hamper the administration of such tests at flooded schools.
