Prachachart Party promotes a policy to wipe out student loan debt and immediately reform the system. “Tawee Sodsoong” leads the party to relieve the younger generation's burden and turn them into a driving force for national development.
On 9 January 2026 GMT+7, Police Colonel Tawee Sodsoong, leader of the Prachachart Party and the party's prime ministerial candidate, revealed a key policy: the party advocates clearing student loan debts for fairness and the nation's future. He emphasized that education is a fundamental human right and a crucial tool for improving people's quality of life. The student loan fund (Student Loan Fund - SLF) serves as a government mechanism to provide educational opportunities, not as a tool to impose long-term debt burdens that undermine the dignity and prospects of Thai youth and workers.
Police Colonel Tawee stated that the current SLF debt problem has become a structural issue. Empirical data clearly shows about 3.49 million SLF debtors qualify for debt restructuring, but only 23.57% have applied for restructuring, while 76.43%, more than three-quarters, have yet to enter into any agreements.
This clearly reflects that even with debt relief measures, the debt burden still exceeds the actual capacity of many people. As a result, millions of debtors remain burdened by debts from accessing education, even though the constitution mandates state responsibility for education. Wiping out SLF debt to close the accumulated debt problems from the old system and restoring opportunities for people to regain real economic potential is thus crucial. This is not about absolving responsibility but correcting structural flaws in the previous system and laying the foundation for a fair and sustainable new system.
Police Colonel Tawee explained that the concrete, immediately actionable plan relies on authority under the amended Student Loan Fund Act (B.E. 2566 / 2023 CE). The key points include broadly reducing or suspending debt repayments, allowing debtors to repay only 10% of the principal while canceling the remaining principal, interest, and penalties. Additionally, civil lawsuits must be withdrawn, prosecutions stopped, enforcement ceased, and negative credit records related to SLF debts erased.
Fairness must be ensured for debtors who have diligently paid on time; they should receive tax credit refunds equivalent to the amount paid, usable as future tax deductions within a set period. Furthermore, tax credits can be transferred to employers as incentives for employment.
Police Colonel Tawee added that as mentioned, this solution addresses the entire system, not just a temporary fix. The SLF system must be immediately reformed under the principle that loans must be repaid according to actual capacity by using an income-based repayment system. Those earning below the threshold do not need to pay. Payments should be linked automatically through the tax system, with no excessive punitive penalties, all operating within the framework of fiscal discipline and the state budget.
"Why let SLF debt crush the dreams of our children? Can we help clear the debt? I want to discuss the future of many families in our area who struggle. Parents work hard, and youth, students must borrow to pursue educational opportunities. But upon graduation, instead of starting fresh, they carry large SLF debts. The Prachachart Party therefore promotes the 'Zero Dropout' policy with three main ideas: 1. Children must not drop out; we will expand truly quality free education up to grade 12 or vocational level, 2. Debt clearance through work: those with SLF debt can work in local development to offset debt instead of cash payments, and 3. Fair interest: we will push to reduce interest and penalties to only 0.5%. I have helped people settle debts from 290,000 baht down to 50,000 baht because we believe education is a right, not a burden. If our youth gain knowledge, our country will prosper."