The president of the Khaniyom Sang Chat (promoting nation-building values) Club, Amnuay Sunthornchot, said the quota had ruined the education system and led to overcrowding and an inefficient learning environment

Amnuay agreed with the latest policy issued by Education Minister Wijit Srisa-an, which let 430 of the most popular secondary schools hold entrance exams while other schools were being made to admit all applicants next year.

The 430 would use the 50:40:10 student intake ratio, comprising 50 per cent for children in the school's catchment area, 40 per cent for those who pass an entrance exam and 10 per cent for children with special talents.

Amnuay urged the ministry to force prestigious schools to cancel their 5 per cent quota for children of school patrons, which is often embedded into the 10 per cent quota for children with special talents, because it was against human-rights principles and morals.

Amnuay said some parents begged school directors - who can take in students arbitrarily under this quota - to enrol their children, and this had led to some schools exceeding the 55 student-per-class limit set by the Basic Education Commission (BEC).

Some schools had 66 pupils in particular classes but told the BEC they had 33 students. He said this had lowered learning standards and was damaging the education system. He urged the ministry to investigate these schools.

Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) School director Amornrat Pinngern said she would use the 50:40:10 ratio, as many students were competing to get into the school.

If the Mathayom 1 entrance exams were cancelled in the future, the school would intensify primary level teaching so that it could consider the existing students' study results in order to take them into its Mathayom 1 classes, she said.

Horwang School director Sukanya Santipattanachai said the 50:40:10 ratio would be used, as there were more applicants than available seats. It was possible for the ministry to scrap the entrance exam if it could ensure an adequate number of quality schools, she said.

Kamolphan Cheewapanthusri, president of the Parent-Youth Network for Education Reform, agreed with the new policy and urged the government to open more quality schools in country areas and aid parents with textbook-lending services and other schemes.