Many schools not able to open on December 6
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About half of the schools in submerged areas of Pathum Thani and neighbouring provinces are unable to reopen on December 6 as scheduled.
“Pathum Thani Primary Educational Service Area Office 1 told me 78 schools are unable to reopen on December 6 and only 25 other schools can do so. Office 2 in the same province reported that 43 per cent of schools under its supervision cannot reopen on schedule. About 50 per cent of schools in Nonthaburi are not ready to reopen on that day,” Chinnapat Bhumirat, secretarygeneral of Office of Basic Education Commission said yesterday.
Meanwhile, four secondary and two primary schools in Bang Khae district of Bangkok would have to postpone reopening as well, he added.
He was speaking to reporters after a teleconference with the directors of educational service area offices from five provinces – Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon.
Chinnapat said he told them to hand in the list of schools still affected by floods to him today. They would also have to tell him when those schools would be able to start the new semester and propose solutions suited to each school.
However, some schools in Pathum Thani planned to relocate their students from their flooded schools to study at other safe places instead of waiting for flood water to recede. It was a good solution as the students could start classes sooner, he added.
On Monday, Education Minister Woravat Auapinyakul said the ministry would allow only schools still under water to postpone the reopening to December 13.
Therefore, the Ordinary National Educational Test (ONet) for the sixth and ninth grades would also likely be delayed for two more weeks so that the students whose schools open on December 13 will have enough time to finish the required curriculum, Woravat said.
“The schools may have to make up classes but only after school or on Saturdays if necessary. We won’t let them make up classes on Sundays because students and parents will be too tired and stressed out,” he said.
The National Institute of Educational Testing Service has already pushed back ONet for both levels once. ONet for Prathom 6 was postponed from February 1 to February 15, and for Matthayom 3 from February 23 to February 1617.
However, ONet for Matthayom 6 (Grade 12) students would be held on February 1819.
