Unlocking hidden school expenses to ease parents’ financial burden ahead of the new term, the Education Minister has ordered immediate measures to prevent children from dropping out due to unnecessary school fees. Students are allowed to wear old uniforms even if they transfer schools. The proportion of days for wearing sports uniforms can be increased, with only school initials embroidered instead of full names. Meanwhile, full dress scout and Girl Guide uniforms are no longer mandatory.
Today (11 Apr 2026), Prasert Chantraruangthong, the Minister of Education, issued an urgent order to advance the "most urgent agenda" to address the energy crisis and living costs directly affecting parents as the new school term approaches. He announced three key measures to reduce financial burdens and remove barriers, aiming to ensure that all Thai children can continuously access education without financial obstacles.
Dress code regulations and hidden expenses must not cause children to drop out of the education system. Therefore, the first directive focuses on concretely reducing parents’ burdens with immediate, practical actions, divided into three main approaches as follows.
1. Unlock unnecessary school regulations to immediately cut expenses.
All schools nationwide are urged to consider reducing education fees and unnecessary costs, allowing flexible payment arrangements. Additionally, dress code rules will be relaxed to minimize the need to purchase new items, including:
● Uniforms: Students are permitted to wear their existing uniforms even when promoted or transferring schools. Schools are encouraged to increase the number of days students may wear sports uniforms or neat casual clothes.
● Scout and Girl Guide uniforms: Purchasing full dress uniforms is not compulsory. Students may wear just the "neck scarf and hat" together with their regular or sports uniforms.
● Bags and shoes: No restrictions on style or requirement for school logos. Items should be neat and may be reused or chosen freely based on practical daily use.
● Uniform embroidery: Schools are asked to replace full name embroidery with only the "school initials" to reduce embroidery costs, extend clothing lifespan, and comply with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
● Empowering school principals: Principals may design activities and additional assistance measures suitable to their local context, always prioritizing students’ welfare.
2. Provide and control prices of essential learning materials.
The Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Educational Personnel (OTEP) is assigned to manage the procurement of books, textbooks, stationery, and school supplies. These will be sold at "controlled prices," especially essential learning items, to directly reduce parents’ expenses.
3. Cross-ministerial integration to tackle the macro-level cost of living crisis.
The Ministry of Education is accelerating coordination with other ministries and government agencies, such as the Department of Internal Trade and the Ministry of Commerce, to jointly design measures that reduce expenses for consumer goods through various forthcoming channels. This will be combined with additional relief measures to ensure assistance reaches every family effectively.
“For me and the Ministry of Education, the clear stance is that ‘access to education for Thai children must come before anything else.’ Regulations must not become barriers to attending school. These directives are just the first step. Please be assured that we understand the situation you face and will do everything possible to support and help every family overcome this crisis together,” the minister said.
The Minister of Education is preparing a full policy announcement to officially declare the direction and strategies for advancing Thai education on 20 April 2026.