Bangkok: The government has empowered school principals across the nation to immediately close schools in the event of flooding, with a primary focus on ensuring the safety of children.
According to Thai News Agency, Captain Patthadarasmi Thongsalooykorn, Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, announced significant progress in flood preparedness for educational institutions. An assessment conducted in collaboration with the Meteorological Department and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) highlighted an increasing trend of floods, landslides, and flash floods. Data from the past three years, notably in 2025, indicated that nearly 2,000 educational institutions and over 160,000 students were affected, with numerous schools experiencing multiple natural disasters.
Recently, the government, through the Ministry of Education, instructed relevant agencies to adopt proactive approaches and implemented short-term measures to monitor educational institutions nationwide. These measures include closely monitoring weather forecasts, coordinating with local authorities, empowering school administrators to assess risks and temporarily close schools, and adapting teaching methods to online or on-demand learning. Teachers have been advised to be flexible with homework submissions and exam schedules to support students' and parents' mental well-being during crises. Additionally, schools are required to prepare safe areas as temporary evacuation centers and report real-time situations via the Line application to ensure timely approval of relief packages.
The Deputy Spokesperson further outlined long-term measures, which will focus on structural restoration and fostering local community cooperation to achieve permanent solutions. Once normalcy is restored, plans for compensatory exams and replacement of damaged learning equipment will be expedited. Educational institutions will report building damage to request repair funds from the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC). Furthermore, collaboration with local administrative organizations will be established to improve drainage systems of schools and communities in the long term.