Millions of university students in Thailand are having to get prepared for the change. Check the schedule well and stay updated, because things can be a bit confusing.

The new academic year for students at all Rajamangala universities of technology will begin in June – two months ahead of the schedule of the past few years.

The change, according to these universities, is being made to reflect the actual needs of Thai students.

Students here complete their secondary and vocational studies by March. They have no reason to wait for many months to start their higher education.

Before this, Rajamangala universities agreed to postpone the start of their academic year only because the Council of University Presidents suggested the schedule change would suit Thailand’s status as a member of the Asean community.

But as things turned out, Thai students have found it inconvenient and frustrating to begin their academic year in August.

When their semester starts late, they have a higher risk of facing floods. Although the rainy season arrives around May, serious inundation usually strikes in October.

If the semester starts in June, October is the school break.

Taking such factors into account, many Rajabhat universities have announced that their upcoming academic year will start in June.

Other higher-educational institutions plan to stick by the August starting time.

This means there is no consensus on when the school year should start for students at universities, so confusion may prevail for a while.

For younger students, many will have to bear with the grim fact that their schools will shut down permanently next year.

The Education Ministry has already made it clear that it is going to close small schools or those with fewer than 120 students.

On the bright side, the government has promised to boost English teaching and learning at all schools.

Its goal is to ensure that all Prathom 6 graduates can speak the language well enough in the near future to express themselves in everyday situations.

The Education Ministry has also embraced the Thailand 4.0 vision in ensuring Thai children have all the skills needed for the new era.