Picture courtesy of Khaosod

The Ministry of Education has ordered all schools under its supervision to now admit children and students who are foreign nationals, stateless, or lack household registration, with effect from the 2025/26 academic year. The decision removes barriers to enrolment nationwide and applies to all education levels and school types, immediately expanding access for children previously excluded.

The retrospective policy was announced in the Royal Gazette on 30 January and signed by Education Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat. It revokes a regulation dated 31 October 2019 and updates admissions rules to reflect current conditions and existing cabinet resolutions.

The change aligns with a cabinet resolution from 5 July 2005 that required the expansion of educational opportunities for people without civil registration or Thai nationality. Under the new rules, anyone residing in Thailand is permitted to study at any level and in any type of school, without restrictions based on status, location, or education stage.

The ministry cited Thailand’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a key rationale for the decision. It said access to education would support students’ development of understanding and positive attitudes towards Thailand, contributing to long-term national security.

Schools are required to enrol students regardless of their legal or nationality status. Where applicants have valid civil registration documents or a 13-digit national identification number, schools must follow standard admission procedures.

For students who lack such documentation, schools must register them using the G Code system. This provides a special 13-digit student identification number beginning with the letter “G” for individuals without civil registration, allowing them to be formally recorded and supported within the education system.

Schools are also instructed to work with parents or guardians to gather relevant documents and to coordinate with district or local registration offices. The aim is to apply for official civil registration and a 13-digit national ID number where this is legally possible.

If a student cannot legally be assigned civil status or a national ID number, the school must retain the G Code until the student completes their education. Once official civil registration and an ID number are issued, schools are required to update their records accordingly.

Khoasod reported that the regulation applies to all educational institutions under the Ministry of Education. It takes effect from the 2025 academic year onward, with schools expected to implement the new procedures as part of their admissions and record-keeping processes.

Key Takeaways

• All schools under the Ministry of Education must admit stateless, migrant, and foreign children from the 2025/26 academic year.

• The policy revokes a 2019 regulation and aligns with a 2005 cabinet resolution and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• Students without civil registration must be enrolled using the G Code system, with records updated if legal status changes.

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Khaosod 2026-02-01

 

 

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

Picture courtesy of Khaosod

The Ministry of Education has ordered all schools under its supervision to now admit children and students who are foreign nationals, stateless, or lack household registration, with effect from the 2025/26 academic year. The decision removes barriers to enrolment nationwide and applies to all education levels and school types, immediately expanding access for children previously excluded.

The policy was announced in the Royal Gazette on 30 January and signed by Education Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat. It revokes a regulation dated 31 October 2019 and updates admissions rules to reflect current conditions and existing cabinet resolutions.

The change aligns with a cabinet resolution from 5 July 2005 that required the expansion of educational opportunities for people without civil registration or Thai nationality. Under the new rules, anyone residing in Thailand is permitted to study at any level and in any type of school, without restrictions based on status, location, or education stage.

The ministry cited Thailand’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a key rationale for the decision. It said access to education would support students’ development of understanding and positive attitudes towards Thailand, contributing to long-term national security.

Schools are required to enrol students regardless of their legal or nationality status. Where applicants have valid civil registration documents or a 13-digit national identification number, schools must follow standard admission procedures.

For students who lack such documentation, schools must register them using the G Code system. This provides a special 13-digit student identification number beginning with the letter “G” for individuals without civil registration, allowing them to be formally recorded and supported within the education system.

Schools are also instructed to work with parents or guardians to gather relevant documents and to coordinate with district or local registration offices. The aim is to apply for official civil registration and a 13-digit national ID number where this is legally possible.

If a student cannot legally be assigned civil status or a national ID number, the school must retain the G Code until the student completes their education. Once official civil registration and an ID number are issued, schools are required to update their records accordingly.

Khoasod reported that the regulation applies to all educational institutions under the Ministry of Education. It takes effect from the 2025 academic year onward, with schools expected to implement the new procedures as part of their admissions and record-keeping processes.

Key Takeaways

• All schools under the Ministry of Education must admit stateless, migrant, and foreign children from the 2025/26 academic year.

• The policy revokes a 2019 regulation and aligns with a 2005 cabinet resolution and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• Students without civil registration must be enrolled using the G Code system, with records updated if legal status changes.

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Khaosod 2026-02-01

 

 

An educated population is more productive.

About time.

The extent and level of xenophobia in Thailand is ... is .... Amazing Thailand.

Good move. Now all kids can be equally uneducated, except for private school ones, natch

2 hours ago, Emdog said:

Good move. Now all kids can be equally uneducated, except for private school ones, natch

Spot on.

A public school system that was bad to start with will become even worse with an influx of students who can't speak Thai at grade level, not to mention other elementary subjects.

What they need is remedial education before being integrated into the school system.

Great news. If only Thailand could improve the quality of education too.

While Thailand's education may indeed be far from perfect, this story is about removing documented barriers that kept thousands of children out of school altogether.

The reality is:

• Thailand is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which highlights access to education without discrimination, including nationality or legal status. This policy simply enforces that obligation.

• Stateless and undocumented children have been subjected to administrative exclusion, not academic failure.

• Schools are now instructed to enrol these students using a formal registration code, bringing them into the system rather than leaving them invisible.

• There is no evidence that inclusive enrolment lowers education standards. Quality and access are separate issues, you cannot improve outcomes for children who are excluded entirely!

• Educating migrant and stateless children is cheaper and socially safer than leaving them uneducated.

As Hawaiian said above, an educated population is more productive. This, in turn, leads to lower long-term welfare and crime costs, and better integration with the rest of the Thai community.

As critics above have already identified, this policy won’t magically fix classrooms or teaching quality on its own, but it will remove an institutional failure in Thailand that excluded children for reasons unrelated to learning.

Simply calling that pointless is bias, not analysis!

19 hours ago, VillageIdiot said:

Spot on.

A public school system that was bad to start with will become even worse with an influx of students who can't speak Thai at grade level, not to mention other elementary subjects.

What they need is remedial education before being integrated into the school system.

<flame removed by mod> A lot of these kids have lived in Thailand their whole lives, so they probably speak Thai. Also, the parents of these kids are going to be highly appreciative and will look at it as a way for their kids to get out of the slums and construction camps and make something for their families.'

Let's hope the government changes the rules for employment so that some of these kids can go to university and get good jobs here.

On 2/1/2026 at 8:43 AM, JimHuaHin said:

About time.

The extent and level of xenophobia in Thailand is ... is .... Amazing Thailand.

Not as bad as the USA or most of Europe

30 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

<flame removed by mod> A lot of these kids have lived in Thailand their whole lives, so they probably speak Thai. Also, the parents of these kids are going to be highly appreciative and will look at it as a way for their kids to get out of the slums and construction camps and make something for their families.'

Let's hope the government changes the rules for employment so that some of these kids can go to university and get good jobs here.

@kingstonkid I'd rather not remove otherwise good opinions because members can't help but flame other members.
Everyone - please restrain yourselves and be civil to other members. Thank you!

18 minutes ago, Base32 said:

@kingstonkid I'd rather not remove otherwise good opinions because members can't help but flame other members.
Everyone - please restrain yourselves and be civil to other members. Thank you!

my apologies

As another member stated every once in awhile we need to have our fingers slapped

5 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

my apologies

As another member stated every once in awhile we need to have our fingers slapped

Not really - on occasion ya'll just need a gentle reminder that everyone's opinions are relevant. That's when you agree to disagree in a civil and courteous manner.