Thailand’s university admission examination has been postponed in seven border provinces because of the ongoing military conflict with Cambodia, according to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.
The postponement is for safety reasons and affects more than 20,000 students.
The examination, known as TCAS (Thai University Central Admission System), will be held in most parts of the country this coming Saturday and Monday (Dec 13 and 15). It will now be held on Jan 17 and 19 in Surin, Buri Ram, Si Sa Ket, Ubon Ratchathani, Trat, Sa Kaeo and Chanthaburi.
After assessing the situation with security agencies, the ministry and the Council of the University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT) decided to postpone the examination for students living along the border, Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said in a press conference.
In the seven provinces bordering Cambodia, about 26,000 students have registered to take the exam.
Mr Surasak said details of the postponement were announced on the TCAS website on Tuesday.
If the situation remained unstable or risky as the new dates approached, the authorities would reassess to ensure the safety of all examinees, he added.
CUPT chairman Wilert Puriwat, also president of Chulalongkorn University, said that exams outside these provinces would proceed as originally scheduled to avoid discouraging students who have prepared extensively.
