Border Clashes Force Widespread School Closures in Thailand and Cambodia
Escalating hostilities along the Thailand-Cambodia frontier disrupt education as hundreds of thousands are displaced and dozens killed
Heavy fighting along the disputed Cambodia–Thailand border has forced the closure of hundreds of schools on both sides of the frontier as violence persists into mid-December.
As clashes involving artillery fire, airstrikes and ground combat continue to threaten civilian safety, authorities in Phnom Penh and Bangkok have ordered extensive school shutdowns to protect students, teachers and school staff from the mounting conflict.
Cambodia’s Education Ministry reported that at least five hundred and fourteen schools in border provinces such as Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Banteay Meanchey have been closed, affecting roughly one hundred thirty thousand students and over four thousand teachers.
The closures followed renewed hostilities that reignited on December seventh after a brief lull in fighting this year.
In Thailand, officials have also suspended classes at more than six hundred schools across border provinces, including Surin, Si Sa Ket, Ubon Ratchathani, Buri Ram and Sa Kaeo, amid ongoing exchanges of fire and aerial bombardments.
The Thai Education Ministry has emphasised that school closures will remain in place until conditions improve, with contingency plans being considered to shift learning online or provide alternative arrangements for displaced pupils.
The disruptions to education come as the humanitarian toll of the conflict deepens.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians on both sides have fled their homes to escape frontline fighting, seeking refuge in evacuation centres, community buildings and safe zones distant from active combat.
The border crisis, which has claimed dozens of lives including civilians and combatants, continues to strain local services and upend daily life in affected areas.
National and regional leaders have called for de-escalation and renewed dialogue, even as military operations persist and diplomatic efforts struggle to produce a lasting ceasefire.
With no clear end to the hostilities in sight, the prolonged closure of schools highlights the broader societal impact of the conflict and underscores the urgent need for concerted peace-building measures to safeguard vulnerable communities and restore stability along the contested frontier.
As clashes involving artillery fire, airstrikes and ground combat continue to threaten civilian safety, authorities in Phnom Penh and Bangkok have ordered extensive school shutdowns to protect students, teachers and school staff from the mounting conflict.
Cambodia’s Education Ministry reported that at least five hundred and fourteen schools in border provinces such as Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Banteay Meanchey have been closed, affecting roughly one hundred thirty thousand students and over four thousand teachers.
The closures followed renewed hostilities that reignited on December seventh after a brief lull in fighting this year.
In Thailand, officials have also suspended classes at more than six hundred schools across border provinces, including Surin, Si Sa Ket, Ubon Ratchathani, Buri Ram and Sa Kaeo, amid ongoing exchanges of fire and aerial bombardments.
The Thai Education Ministry has emphasised that school closures will remain in place until conditions improve, with contingency plans being considered to shift learning online or provide alternative arrangements for displaced pupils.
The disruptions to education come as the humanitarian toll of the conflict deepens.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians on both sides have fled their homes to escape frontline fighting, seeking refuge in evacuation centres, community buildings and safe zones distant from active combat.
The border crisis, which has claimed dozens of lives including civilians and combatants, continues to strain local services and upend daily life in affected areas.
National and regional leaders have called for de-escalation and renewed dialogue, even as military operations persist and diplomatic efforts struggle to produce a lasting ceasefire.
With no clear end to the hostilities in sight, the prolonged closure of schools highlights the broader societal impact of the conflict and underscores the urgent need for concerted peace-building measures to safeguard vulnerable communities and restore stability along the contested frontier.
