15 June 2015
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has stated that the Government
attaches great importance to education reform, with an emphasis on basic
education, as its effects would shape the future of the country.
In his televised national address on 12 June 2015 in the program "Return
Happiness to the People,” the Prime Minister touched on the issue of strategies
for basic education reform.
The issue was discussed recently by the Basic Education Commission, which
set three major strategies to be implemented from 2015 to 2020. The strategies
include teaching and learning reform, vocational development reform, and
education management reform.
In the initial stage, six guidelines for basic education reform must be
carried out urgently from now until March 2016. In the first guideline, an
effective form of teaching should be developed to ease learners’ difficulties
with learning to read and write. The second guideline seeks to manage basic
education in accordance with vocational skills. Emphasis is placed on schools in
special economic zones in border provinces, namely Tak, Mukdahan, Sa Kaeo,
Songkhla, Trat, and Nong Khai.
In the third guideline, the teaching of English at the basic education
level must be developed. For instance, the Ministry of Education should seek
cooperation with the British Council in improving skills in English
communication for Thai students, in preparation for the ASEAN Community.
The fourth guideline seeks to produce, develop, and train teachers,
education administrators, and education supervisors. The fifth guideline
involves the upgrading of distance learning, while the sixth one involves the
qualification development of learners.
The Prime Minister said that he wanted to see the country’s education focus
not only on an intelligence quotient, but also emotional quotient. He believed
that parents also wanted to see their children be able to live happily with
other people, without the use of violence.
Speaking at a recent seminar on curriculum and teaching reforms, Education
Minister Admiral Narong Pipatanasai stressed the need for Thailand’s education
to adjust in order to produce and develop human resource, in response to the
changing situation. Education reform is not the matter of the Ministry of
Education alone; all sectors of Thai society should also give a helping hand.
He pointed out that education reform must help the country cope with future
challenges and prepare Thai workforce for multicultural society and the
increased application of new technology. Moreover, because of the shifting
demographic structure of Thailand’s population, the number of older persons will
increase significantly. The Thai education needs to be ready to meet this trend,
as well.