Bangkok: The Cabinet has approved a policy allowing civil servants and state enterprise employees to take leave for participating in a special ordination project for monks and nuns, known as Brahma Bodhi. This initiative is part of a celebration to honor His Majesty the King on his birthday on July 28, 2025, and to commemorate the birthday anniversary of King Buddha Yodfa Chulalok the Great, the first monarch of the Chakri Dynasty. Importantly, this leave will not be counted against the employees' regular leave entitlements.
According to Thai News Agency, Deputy Government Spokesperson Ms. Sasikarn Wattanachan announced that the Cabinet's approval includes all civil servants, government employees, and personnel from various government and state agencies. The leave is granted from July 17 to July 30, 2025, allowing participants to join the ordination project without it being recorded as part of their regular leave. The initiative was proposed by the Office of the Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister (OPM).
The ordination project, implemented by the SPC in collaboration with Suvarnabhumi Buddhajayanti Temple and Dhamma missionaries from India and Nepal, aims to include 99 participants. Among them, 73 will be ordained as nuns and Brahma Bodhi women, while another 73 will participate as Nekkhamma Brahma Bodhi women. The project will be conducted over 14 days at locations including Suvarnabhumi Buddhajayanti Temple in Samut Prakan Province, Wat Thai Buddhagaya in India, and various Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India and Nepal.
The Cabinet's approval covers all civil servants, government officials, and employees from state agencies, allowing them to take part in this project without affecting their leave records. However, participants are required to obtain prior permission from their supervisors.
Ms. Sasikarn also highlighted that women participating in the Brahma Bodhi nun ordination will be exempted from a 2007 Cabinet resolution that regulates female civil servants' religious practice leave. Furthermore, the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) is encouraged to update its announcements regarding locations for women's religious practice, which should not require future exemptions.