BANGKOK – The Ministry of Education is planning to reduce class time for students in the basic education system in a bid to allow them more time to be with family or to take up extracurricular activities.
In compliance with the policy given by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Education Minister Gen Dapong Ratanasuwan stated that he has instructed the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) to consider lessening the hours spent in some classes. Through such a measure, he said students would be able to loosen up after school and spend more time with their families. More importantly, the extra free time could be invested in extracurricular activities, encouraging the students to learn by doing rather than by rote.
Initially, OBEC might allow schools to finish earlier at 2 pm. The measure could be piloted in the next school term, which will begin in November, and would apply to 10 percent of the 38,000 schools under the supervision of OBEC.
Should the change be made, Gen Dapong suggested OBEC to adjust its curricula and make necessary preparations ahead of time while also creating an understanding of the measure with the affected schools, teachers, students and parents.
