Education Ministry tells schools, colleges to ease student uniform rules
The Education Ministry has told schools and colleges under its supervision to ease their dress code rules to spare students and their parents expenditure on those items.
The directive, issued by Education Minister Permpoon Chidchob on Thursday, instructed the educational establishments to consider allowing students to wear uniforms and shoes that may not fully comply with the dress code but could be considered appropriate.
The executives of those schools and colleges were also instructed to report the results of their implementation along with information on students who are exempted or granted waivers from the dress code to the minister's office.
The directive also said that the relaxation in the dress code was in line with the minister’s policy of “good and happy learning” issued in September last year, which aimed to ease the burden on teachers and educational personnel, as well as students and parents, in the pursuit of excellence in education.
Permpoon said on Friday that the directive was aimed at alleviating the financial strain on parents and guardians of students because of the expenses they have to incur buying new student uniforms and shoes at the start of a new school semester.
“The current economic situation has severely reduced the spending power of many families,” he said.
Most schools in Thailand started their new semester on Thursday (May 16).
Permpoon said that the educational institutions under his ministry had the power to relax the dress code, but his directive was simply aimed at assuring school administrators they have his backing to do so.
