BANGKOK, Thailand – The government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that every student has access to education. According to the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), there are still over 300,000 available seats for students entering Mathayom 1, which is equivalent to Grade 7 and Mathayom 4 or Grade 10 for the upcoming school year.
After the entrance exams held on April 5th–6th, and the completion of enrollment on April 10th, OBEC reported about 1.097 million students already placed in schools under its jurisdiction. This includes 218,400 in kindergarten, 266,800 in Prathom 1 or Grade 1, 372,200 in Grade 7, and 240,324 in Grade 10.
OBEC confirmed that 217,200 Grande 7 and 97,511 Grade 10 seats remain available nationwide. As of April 21st, 18,700 students had submitted requests for school placements—14,800 for Grade 7 and nearly 3,900 for Grade 10. Placement results for schools in Bangkok will be announced this week, while national placement and final enrollment must be completed by this Sunday.
Following the final round of placements, Bangkok schools are expected to still have around 6,500 vacant seats. Students without school placements can apply at their respective OBEC area offices. Even after the first semester begins, students aged 3–18 who are out of the school system can still enroll in OBEC schools if seats remain.
The government emphasizes its policy to reintegrate out-of-school children and prevent future dropouts through the “OBEC Zero Dropout” initiative, which includes both bringing students back and reaching out with flexible education options. These efforts aim to ensure quality, inclusive, and equitable education under the Ministry of Education’s “Happy Learning” policy. (NNT)
