Thailand to change school opening dates to meet ASEAN calendar

BANGKOK, November 8 (TNA) - Thailand's education authorities have tentatively agreed on changing the country's school opening dates to meet the ASEAN calendar. Newly-appointed Thai Education Minister Pongthep Thepkanjana told journalists on Wednesday, after calling a meeting with other education authorities concerned, that his ministry's Office of the Basic Education Commission OBEC has agreed on setting Thailand's school opening dates faster by no more than 20 days, which should take effect by early June 2014, if finalized. Pongthep explained that the change of Thailand's school opening dates over 20 days might affect college students who are to do their teaching internships. Meanwhile, OBEC Secretary General Shinapat Pumirat recommended that Thailand's school opening dates for primary and secondary-level students should be slated faster by no more than 20 days from the current schedules, noting that his office has gathered information and found that many schools in other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) still have different opening dates, and that it might be difficult to set the opening dates of every school in Thailand to meet those of universities in the region. The OBEC chief said that his office is conducting a study on impacts of the change with its initial results expected by late this month. (TNA)