MOE Ready to Mobilize Education towards ASEAN Community

(19/03/2013)

On 14 March 2013, the Minister of Education, Mr. Phongthep Thepkanjana, and the Assistant to the Minister, Mrs. Phuangphet Chunlaiad, attended a board meeting at the Ministry of Education to mobilize Thai education in preparation for the opening of the ASEAN Economic Community.  The Minister of Education said that the board to mobilize was divided into two working groups: an administrative committee chaired by the Minister of Education and an operational committee chaired by the Deputy Minister.

The Ministry of Education's strategy towards the ASEAN Community is composed of 5 major areas emphasizing and focusing on education, an investment in human resource development, the promotion of proper work ethics, information technology and improved access to the applied sciences and technology. All of these will be carried out through two major projects: educational development towards the ASEAN Economic Community and the development of an international education hub.

The Assistant to the Education Minister added that the ASEAN Community was part of the national agenda and the five major organizations under the Ministry of Education had to work together to successfully achieve this. Moreover, they should encourage the other ministries to cooperate with them in formulating national frameworks for this project, such as creating the learning curriculum required by ASEAN countries, developing human resources especially in English and ASEAN language skills as well as teacher training in the languages of our neighboring countries so that in the future the teachers can disseminate this knowledge to their students and their local communities.