Top secondary schools to recruit students via entrance exams

Children who don't live in the schools' neighbourhoods will have to compete against children from all other areas.

"These schools want to attract the brightest students," Basic Education Commission deputy secretary general Somkiat Chobphol said Thursday.

Of these schools, 47 are located in Bangkok.

According to Somkiat, these schools are on the list of the country's most popular secondary schools and the list covers 364 schools.

While most schools on this list are still required to allocate 50 per cent of their seats to children in their neighbourhoods, they can select successful applicants based on scores from entrance exams instead of lucky draws.

Until last year, when the number of neighbouring applicants exceeded the available seats, the schools held a lucky draw to identify those who would be accepted.

But this year, the Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) is going to allow the schools to hold entrance exams to select children in their own neighbourhoods.

These exams, however, will be separate from seats allocated to children from other areas. The popular schools reserve 50 per cent of their seats for the academicallybrightest applicants, who must outperform others in the entrance exams.

Normally, the entrance exams open to all children - not just those from the neighbourhoods - will be much more competitive.

Somkiat said three schools on the list of the most popular institute had to allocate up to 70 per cent of their seats to their neighbouring children, because there were few schools in nearby areas to accommodate local children.