INBrief

Class sizes to increase

EDUCATION :The Basic Education Commission has ordered public secondary schools in Bangkok and its suburbs to increase the size of classes so that no students are left without a school.

Commission deputy secretary-general Manthana Sangkhakrit said yesterday that more than 2,000 students had still to find seats in public schools after the second round of admissions.

Most of the leftover students live in suburban city areas like Lat Phrao, Chatuchak, Don Muang, Bung Kum, Min Buri, Nong Chok and Suan Luang districts.

Earlier, 7,071 students had failed to gain admission to these schools. The office then ordered the schools to increase the number of seats per classroom from 45 to 50, but that was not enough, and only 4,370 of them could be accommodated.

Apart from increasing the seating capacity, the office has also ordered some public secondary schools to build more classrooms. It even ordered Triam Udom Suksa Suwinthawong School to construct a new building so that it could increase its student intake from next year.

Mrs Manthana gave assurances that all secondary school students will have a place to study but they must wait for a decision by the commission.

School building razed

UDON THANI :Fire destroyed a wooden school building in Chaiwan district of Udon Thani late on Sunday night. Damage was estimated at 1.5 million baht.

The eight-room Ban Wang Chompu school building was found ablaze about 11pm.

The fire burned down the whole building. The teaching materials consumed by the fire included eight computers and two television sets.

Somsak Kidchote, a teacher, said the flames were too fierce for him to put out with the school's small fire extinguisher. Only one computer could be saved from the burning building.

Chalermchai Wuthipan, the school principal, said the 31-year-old two-storey building had actually been decommissioned. However, the school continued using it because the building was not replaced as promised.

Ministry to lend textbooks

NEW PROJECT :The Education Ministry will launch a textbooks lending programme for students in the next schooling year.

Textbooks will be made available to over six million Prathom 1 to 6 (grades 1 to 6) students under the programme starting in March next year, according to Education Minister Wijit Srisa-arn.

The ministry has received a 2.7 billion baht budget from the Budget Bureau to fund the textbooks loan programme in five core subjects _ Thai studies, English language, mathematics, social science and science. The lending project is in response to a call by parents to introduce such a scheme to ease their financial burden and save the students from having to carry schoolbags stuffed with thick textbooks to school.

Theera upset over report

LAND LEASE :Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen has vowed to resign from his post if it is proven that his wife had a hand in the controversial land lease at the Central Lat Phrao shopping mall.

The minister has been upset by a report that his wife had secretly promised the Central Group that she would help them renew the contract, which would allow Central to make use of the 47.22-rai plot on Phahon Yothin road for 30 more years, and carry a rent of only three million baht a year. He denied his wife's involvement and said the accusation was ''very dirty''.

The Central Group's lease will expire in December next year. The State Railway of Thailand, which owns the land, is required to evaluate the total assets on the land plot, where the shopping mall and hotel were built, before holding talks on the lease renewal.

Bangkok Post

Last Updated : Tuesday April 10, 2007