Bangkok: Minister Narumon announced the closure of 641 schools in five provinces along the Thai-Cambodian border, emphasizing that the safety of children and teachers must come first, and that the situation will be monitored before reopening. On December 8th at 10:00 a.m., Prof. Dr. Narumon Pinyosinwat, Minister of Education, disclosed the clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border, which have occurred in several areas since December 7th, 2015. This has led security agencies to order the evacuation of residents from at-risk areas for their safety, including educational institutions in the affected areas of Surin, Sisaket, Ubon Ratchathani, Buriram, and Sa Kaeo.
According to Thai News Agency, Prof. Dr. Narumon added that she has ordered the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) to coordinate with the Educational Service Area Offices in all five provinces to temporarily close classes until the situation returns to normal. Currently, a total of 641 educational institutions are required to temporarily close classes for the safety of teachers, students, and educational personnel.
“The Ministry of Education is closely monitoring the situation and preparing contingency plans if school closures need to be extended or online learning shifted in some areas. However, we must emphasize that the safety of students and school personnel is our top priority. We urge all educational institutions to implement strict safety measures, prioritizing the safety of children, teachers, and the public. Once the situation improves, we will expedite the return to teaching and learning,” said Prof. Dr. Narumon.
The schools that are closed in each province are as follows: Surin Province closed a total of 145 places, divided into Surin Primary Educational Service Area Office 3 with 123 places and Surin Primary Educational Service Area Office 2 with 22 places. Sisaket Province closed a total of 170 places, Sisaket Primary Educational Service Area Office 4 closed 159 places, and Sisaket Primary Educational Service Area Office 5 closed 11 places. Ubon Ratchathani Province closed a total of 54 locations, out of 50 locations in Ubon Ratchathani Primary Educational Service Area Office 5 and 4 locations in adjacent districts. Buriram Province closed a total of 127 schools, including 65 schools in Buriram Primary Educational Service Area Office 2, 53 schools in Buriram Primary Educational Service Area Office 3, and 9 schools in Buriram Secondary Educational Service Area Office. Sa Kaeo Province closed a total of 147 locations, divided into 23 locations in Sa Kaeo Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, 117 locations in Dis
trict 2, and 7 locations in Sa Kaeo Secondary Educational Service Area Office.