Covid infection should not keep students from Mattayom entrance exams: Prayut
Students who test positive for Covid-19 but have mild or no symptoms can take their Mattayom 1 and 4 exams on March 5-7 and March 26-27, the authorities announced on Saturday.
The Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) has scheduled two rounds of exams for students moving up to Mattayom 1 and 4 levels nationwide.
The first round (from Saturday to Monday) will be for prestigious schools and those for gifted students, while the second round (March 26-27) will be for general schools.
“Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is worried about the safety of students taking the entrance exams, but wants every child to have the opportunity to take the exam even if they test positive for Covid-19,” government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said. “Hence, the government has tasked Obec and the Public Health Ministry to prepare a separate room for infected students, so they can take their exam isolated from others.”
Thanakorn added that the ministry will also provide free ATK tests for all exam takers, and those testing positive will be taken to a separate room. All rooms will be properly ventilated and each student will be seated at least 2 metres apart.
Schools are required to provide a proper management system for infectious waste and ensure all contact surfaces are disinfected regularly.
Other mandatory measures such as face masks and washing hands regularly with sanitising gel must be observed by both staffers and students throughout the campus.
