On Friday August 28, Thailand’s Education Minister Dapong Rattanasuwan announced that the Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) would pilot a scheme to shorten the academic school day for primary school students, with classes at the 3,500 pilot schools finishing at 2pm, instead of 4pm. Thai students’ overloaded study schedules have long been considered a major flaw in the Thai education system and one that has had a detrimental impact on student achievement. A policy to align class time in Thai schools with international averages is a welcome development, although there are already ominous signs that this initiative may be derailed by an education system uncomfortable with change and innovation.