The news came through a missive sent to the Phuket Governor’s office late last month direct from the Department of Local Administration headquarters in Bangkok.
Under the order, every government kindergarten (or “anubaan”) operated under Child Development Centres through local municipalities and tambon administration organisations (OrBorTor) in the country must now remain open every day, except Saturdays and Sundays, and public holidays.
According to the notice, the new policy has four distinct aims, first of which is for kindergartens operated by child development centres to be more flexible in the education they provide “so the policy can be practical for those child development centres.”
The policy shift is also “to help the children in early childhood to continue to develop their learning without disruption in order to have complete development in five aspects: physical, emotional, social and intellectual to accordance with society, culture and local wisdom.”
Further, the notice adds that policy shift is “to help local parents looking after children in early childhood while they are off working by providing child development centres with good quality care and standards. and to reduce the problem of children not being raised appropriately according to their ages.”
Budget concerns have already been addressed, the notice added. “The Department of Local Administration has provided budgets to all local administration child development centres so they can provide children in early childhood lunches and supplementary food (milk) every day.
“We want these budgets to be spent most effectively,” the notice read.
The notice, addressed to “all governors in all provinces in Thailand”, on Jan 18 was issued “to inform and ask all local administrations which have child development centres to understand and follow this policy.”
– Pakin Intajak