The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Education have joined forces to resolve teacher debt by establishing a joint working group to find solutions within 30 days.
On 2 September 2026, Mr. Prasert Chantraruangthong, Minister of Education, along with Ms. Piyaratch Tiyapairat, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, led executives from both ministries in a meeting at the Department of Cooperative Promotion. They discussed strategies to resolve debt issues among teachers and educational personnel who are members of 116 teachers’ savings cooperatives, covering over 860,000 members with operational capital totaling 1.23 trillion baht.
Ms. Piyaratch revealed that the Ministry of Education prioritizes resolving teacher debt as a top policy. The meeting agreed on easing debt burdens to enable teachers to maintain their livelihoods. Three main strategies were set: establishing a central organization to oversee a central cooperative and updating regulations, ensuring members retain at least 30% of their salary after debt payments, and implementing a Credit Lock system to prevent repeated borrowing. Additionally, they plan to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to source low-interest funds to enhance liquidity.
Furthermore, the two ministries have formed a joint working group chaired by Mr. Jadet Chantra, Assistant Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, to comprehensively consider short- and long-term solutions. The group is tasked with delivering clear and concrete conclusions within 30 days.