Newly-appointed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont is expected to form his Cabinet within seven days.

Obec deputy secretary-general Chinnapat Bhumirat yesterday suggested it should now be possible to seek a ruling from the Council of State on whether the Decentrali-sation Act, which required the transfer of state schools to local administrative bodies, remains effective with the Constitution annulled.

Following a bloodless coup that overthrew the Thaksin Shinawatra-led government last month, the Constitution was declared invalid.

Currently, 31 state schools have been transferred to local administrative organisations.

Chinnapat yesterday disclosed that the Education Ministry's permanent secretary Khunying Kasama Varavarn, had already assigned officials to follow-up on the quality of the transferred schools.

"We are ready to respond to the government's policies. However, we hope the transfer [if it continues] will not be rushed and will not affect the quality of the schools," Chinnapat said.

Initially, hundreds of thousands of teachers strongly protested against the transfer plan. Their protest stopped only when the previous government agreed to require that the transfer of state schools to local administrative bodies take place on a voluntary basis only.