The Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) has been urged to abruptly transfer 40 education district directors before the regular transfer season, causing alarm among employees and raising fears of serious political interference undermining teachers' career advancement.
Thairath Online's special task force received complaints from civil servant teachers about OBEC issuing transfer and appointment orders for 40 education district directors. The documents state the transfers take effect from 27 July 2026, requiring these education officials to relocate to new district offices.
The complaining teachers said the transfers were sudden and unexpected, occurring before the annual transfer season in October. There was no consultation regarding willingness to move, leaving those ordered with no time to manage personal affairs locally and raising concerns that political interference may be behind the transfers.
A source said they had served in their position for about two years before the transfer order. On 27 July 2026, the Teachers and Educational Personnel Commission met, and shortly after, information spread in groups about the decision to transfer 40 education district directors, despite only 3 vacancies existing. Names were not initially disclosed, leaving directors across 245 districts guessing. Then late that night, the central personnel administration office contacted all 40 transferred directors about their new assignments, followed by official orders on 28 July 2026.
Typically, transfers occur only when vacancies arise, beginning with announcements of open positions. OBEC then sends letters nationwide inviting officials to express preferences via forms, including performance reports, to consider transfers. This process happens annually. However, this sudden transfer bypassed all such procedures.
Those suddenly transferred noted that the regular transfer season in October would soon identify retirees and replacements, but questioned why transfers occurred months earlier without any prior application from them. They expect another transfer round in October, suspecting the current transfers may be redundant.
The source added that the sudden transfers caused many teachers personal difficulties, such as being assigned far from their families—for example, someone based in Surin was ordered to move to Ratchaburi; another from Khon Kaen had to relocate to Pathum Thani; and one from Phetchabun was suddenly moved to Lampang. These orders forced teachers into widely scattered new workplaces.
Within the education community, concerns arose after these high-level appointments and internal reorganizations at the ministry, with some behaviors causing suspicion. There is a call for the ministry to implement measures ensuring transparency in appointments, genuine support for teachers' work, and prevention of corruption in the system.
When asked if anything suspicious surrounded the abrupt transfer of all 40 district directors, the same source analyzed that most transferred districts are political strongholds, such as Khon Kaen, where all districts were cleared.
On a personal level, the sudden transfers affect children's schooling as new workplaces are far from their current schools. Some transferred officials who have spent most of their careers far from home had hoped to move closer to care for elderly parents before retirement, but this order forced them even farther from family.
Regarding career advancement, officials must serve at least two years in one location to qualify for promotion. Some transferred had served only one year, effectively halting their career progress. Others, moved every year despite holding positions for five years, feel discouraged and consider leaving the profession.
Moving forward, the affected group is gathering evidence with legal support from the Education District Directors Association to draft an appeal to submit to the Minister of Education.
They urge reconsideration of appropriate transfers, warning that ignoring employees' voices harms their happiness and morale, which inevitably impacts teaching quality and the education system.
Thairath will follow up on the Ministry of Education’s response to provide balanced coverage ensuring fairness for all parties involved.