Bangkok: The Minister of Education convened a meeting with Ministry of Education executives to establish guidelines for mourning the passing of Her Majesty the Queen Mother. He stated that while children's activities, religious, and traditional events can continue, festivities should be adjusted to reflect the current situation.
According to Thai News Agency, Professor Dr. Narumon Pinyosinwat, Minister of Education, led the meeting to discuss how to express condolences for Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother. She indicated that the meeting concluded in favor of maintaining the Ministry of Education's existing guidelines, which support activities that concern the public and benefit students. The ministry has not issued any directives to cancel or prohibit educational activities, including those related to child development and beneficial extracurricular activities.
Activities that align with national or religious traditions will proceed as usual. Moving forward, top executives of each affiliated government agency will work to ensure a mutual understanding with subsequent levels of leadership. For activities of a more entertaining nature outside the curriculum, cooperation is requested to either cancel or modify these activities to align with the current situation.
A public debate emerged on Saturday, October 25th, following a special cabinet meeting and a royal ceremony on Sunday, leading to no internal meetings within the ministry. A meeting was held today to unify understanding among all stakeholders. The Ministry of Education plans to issue a detailed announcement of guidelines to all government agencies and organizations under its jurisdiction, adhering to three main guidelines:
1. Curricular and extracurricular activities that positively impact children's development can proceed without prohibition or restrictions.
2. Activities consistent with national or religious traditions can continue normally.
3. For entertaining activities outside of curricular and traditional scopes, each Ministry of Education agency should consider modifying the format to be in line with the current situation.