End of small schools?
The Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) has completed a draft regulation for the merger or closure of small schools.
The draft is expected to affect at least 601 schools, 90 of which have not a single student enrolled. Obec acting secretary-general Khunying Kasama Varawarn said the draft had been presented to the Basic Education Commission's experts yesterday. "The draft details the qualifications of the small schools that will be merged or permanently closed," she said. According to the draft, the merging of some small schools is now possible because of improved transportation. The merging of schools will allow resources, including teaching staff, to be shared. The draft also states that affected parents should have a say on whether schools should be merged and that prior announcements must be made before the merger takes place. Kasama said Obec had previously conducted a survey of small schools and found that 601 of them should be closed down or merged with other schools. "But the number could be higher now," she said. She said the schools to be closed down or merged were those that had very few students but was quick to add that such schools in remote areas would remain in operation because it would be difficult for children there to commute to other schools. "The Basic Education Commission also suggested that small schools with efficient management should be allowed to continue operating to serve as examples to other small schools," Kasama said.
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