Thai Teachers Threaten Mass Rally

[george]

Teachers threaten mass rally to protest against local transfer

BANGKOK: -- Growing numbers of teachers are threatening to express their displeasure with the government's latest move in education reform.

Hundreds of thousands of teachers from over Thailand will show their force in a mass rally in the capital if the government fails to heed their call to abandon its plan to transfer government schools to local administrative authorities.

Speaking after Monday's three-hour meeting between 50 core leaders of the Network Against Education Transfer and the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party representatives, Kampan Pongphan, chairman of the Network said the teachers at the meeting resolved to continue their protest unless the government agrees to revoke its decision.

""There will be no protest as we will wait for the Cabinet decision tomorrow," he said. "If Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawat agrees to amend the relevant laws, there will be no transfer. Otherwise hundreds of thousands of teachers will make their voices heard in front of the Prime Minister's house this Saturday and in every region of the country."

Last week, tens of thousands of teachers and educators from across the nation gathered at the Royal Plaza in the capital wearing yellow shirts as a sign of solidarity to show their opposition to the government decision.

There have been more protests in many provinces throughout the country. The Cabinet agreed last week to transfer government schools from the Education Ministry to local administrative authority supervision "on a voluntary basis".

Prime Minister Thaksin promised Sunday to amend relevant laws to ensure that teachers are not coerced to accept the transfer against their will. He emphasised that teachers could vote on whether they want their schools transferred from the Ministry of Education or not.

"Voluntary choice is the matter of principle of this issue," the prime minister explained. "Perhaps the teachers misunderstood the message. The Education Ministry must assess whether the local administrative bodies are ready to administer the schools."

He said the government will respect whatever the outcome of the voting, whether the schools want to stay with the Education Ministry or opt to operate under local administrative bodies.

--TNA 2005-11-14