Prachuap Khiri Khan is stepping up its efforts to reintegrate children and young people who have dropped out of the education system, as part of the province’s “Zero Dropout” initiative.
On 3 July, Deputy Governor Prateep Boriboonrat chaired the third meeting of the year of the Provincial Committee and District Task Forces responsible for the project. The meeting was held at the Singkhon Room, Prachuap Grand Hotel in Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Key officials in attendance included Mrs Angkana Numwat, Provincial Education Officer; Mr Apichart Chotisaengthong, Director of the Provincial Learning Promotion Office; and Mrs Nattachalakna Sukphakakul, Deputy President of the Provincial Red Cross. Representatives from local government agencies, civil society groups, and the private sector also took part.
The “Zero Dropout” initiative aligns with the national “Thailand Zero Dropout” policy, which seeks to ensure that all children and young people aged 3 to 18 have access to formal, non-formal, or informal education.
According to data presented by the Provincial Education Office, a total of 9,601 individuals aged 3 to 18 were identified across the province. Of those, 3,193 are currently in education, 1,410 are out of the system, 423 are not considered in need of assistance, 370 have already completed their education, and 4,205 are untraceable.
Among the 1,410 out-of-school individuals, district-level working groups were assigned to provide support. So far, 236 have returned to education, 198 remain out of education, 308 declined assistance, and 668 could not be traced.
During the meeting, participants raised concerns about data discrepancies, citing the use of different datasets by various agencies and the lack of a centralised database. These issues have led to overlapping efforts and challenges in monitoring the actual scale of the problem.
Other obstacles include differences in how agencies interpret data collection criteria and the tendency to focus on numerical targets, which can obscure the underlying causes of dropout rates.
To address these challenges, several recommendations were put forward, including the creation of a unified, real-time database accessible to all relevant agencies; the provision of continuous and flexible funding to support reintegration efforts; and stricter enforcement of compulsory education laws to protect every child’s right to an education.
The Provincial Education Office reiterated its commitment to working with all stakeholders to reduce dropout rates and ensure that more young people can access education, with the long-term goal of enabling them to play a meaningful role in the development of their communities and the country.