University Maternity Leave Allowed, Forced Transfers Prohibited
25 Pregnancies per 1,000 Among 15-19 Year Olds Last Year
Continued Efforts to Reduce Teenage Pregnancy
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Sung-wook] Now, teenage students in Thailand can no longer be 'forcibly transferred' to another school due to pregnancy. The government has prohibited expulsion or transfer of pregnant students.
According to the Bangkok Post and others on the 19th (local time), the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation and the Ministry of Education of Thailand have established a ministerial regulation containing these provisions to protect the right to education of pregnant students, which was published in the Royal Gazette the day before.
Under this policy, all educational institutions in Thailand, including universities, cannot expel pregnant students or transfer them to another school against their will. Additionally, universities and others must allow pregnant students maternity leave and adjust class schedules accordingly.
In sexually open Thailand, teenage pregnancy has long been a social issue. Accordingly, the government has prepared policies to reduce teenage pregnancy and protect those who give birth at an early age, and this measure is understood in the same context.
Since the enactment of the law on adolescent pregnancy in 2016, the dropout rate of pregnant students has reportedly decreased. In 2016, only 13.7% of pregnant students continued attending school, but by 2021, this rate rose to 33.8%.
Last year, the pregnancy rate among 15-19-year-olds in Thailand was 25 per 1,000, down from 31 per 100 in 2019. During the same period, pregnancy among 10-14-year-olds dropped from 1.1 to 0.9 per 1,000. The government aims to reduce the pregnancy rate to 15 per 1,000 for 15-19-year-olds and 0.5 per 1,000 for 10-14-year-olds.
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