According to the Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec), schools with fewer than 120 students are not cost-effective and that means closure or merger is inevitable. It says that of the 30,816 schools nationwide, there are more than 15,000 that fall into the "small schools" category, with fewer 120 students enrolled. The change will exclude about 2,700 small schools which are hamstrung due to their location, such as on islands or in mountainous areas, where it's too difficult for the student to travel to other schools. A survey by the ministry indicated the number of students in Thailand dropped from 9.5 million in 1997 to 7.4 million last year. According to its plan, Obec will focus on merging those with less than 60 pupils.

Source: Bangkok Post June 01, 2019 23:15 UTC