The Ministry of Education is accelerating the resolution of systemic problems by allocating Myanmar children from the Mittaye Learning Center, Bang Kung, Surat Thani Province, to schools based on the readiness of the students.
Mr. Siripong Angkasakulkiat, Advisor to the Minister of Education and acting spokesman for the Ministry of Education, revealed the progress of the order to close the Mittaye Learning Center, Bang Kung, Surat Thani Province, which has now allocated almost all the places that can accept foreign students.
Mr. Siripong said that the Ministry of Education (MOE) takes into account the rights to access basic education for all children that should receive it, but the issue of security must be considered together. The practices of all schools must also be in the system. He confirmed that he has never blocked the learning of foreign children. In the past, the MOE has been a social defendant because it has been negligent and lenient, because the issue is sensitive. When opening a learning cente
r in Thailand, it must be based on the Thai core curriculum as the main principle, including the practice that must follow the correct steps. Otherwise, it will not be able to move forward.
Meanwhile, Pol. Gen. Phermpoon Chidchob, Minister of Education, did not remain indifferent and ordered those responsible to take strict care of this issue. The Surat Thani Provincial Education Officer went to the area to investigate the facts and found that the opening of the learning center did not comply with Section 12 of the National Education Act of 1999, which stipulates that the right to manage basic education in Thailand must comply with the criteria and conditions specified in the ministerial regulations in order to meet the educational quality standards. Only then can teaching be opened. Or if a private school is to be established in Thailand, it must comply with the Private Schools Act of 2007, which is the main law that controls the establishment and management of private schools. There are regulations regardi
ng the request for permission to establish a school, school management, qualifications of school managers and teachers, educational standards that must be followed, and approval must be received from the Ministry of Education so that management is up to standards, of quality, and in line with government policy.
In addition, the Minister of Education has urged each educational area office to urgently survey the database and proceed correctly and quickly. From the incident that happened, it is an opportunity for the Ministry of Education to set policies to urgently set guidelines for all agencies that want to open educational centers of this type to proceed in accordance with the law. The provincial educational office will be the main agency to provide advice on requesting to set up educational centers in order to have the same practice throughout the country so that the same problem does not happen again.
The Ministry of Education, through the Surat Thani Provincial Education Office, has coordinated with edu
cational institutions that are interested and ready to accept foreign children to study, following the order to close the Mittaye Learning Center in Bang Kung and foreign children who are not in the education system. Currently, all schools have been urgently allocated to all children, both in schools under the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), the Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC), the Department of Non-Formal Education (DNF), and local administrative organizations (LAOs) to ensure that children have equal access to educational rights.
Mr. Siripong added that for the Mittaye Center, the Ministry of Education and local agencies have jointly allocated almost all children into the education system. Only some children remain who cannot communicate in Thai. They must be sent to improve their language skills first. This group of children will be sent to study Thai at the Provincial Learning Promotion Office, which already has a mission in this area, so that the children can enter the
school system and learn about the subject. From now on, we will provide legal advice to any foundations or agencies that wish to open an education center. We do not object or prevent this, but ask that they do so in accordance with the law, because in the end, the ones who truly benefit are the children, the youth, and the country.
Source: Thai News Agency