Home alone: The elderly citizens being abandoned as population change grips Thailand

13 Sept 11:08 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand faces a growing crisis of elderly isolation, driven by falling birth rates and shrinking family units, leaving many seniors, like Buakaew, living and often dying alone.
Isolated elderly individuals experience profound emotional distress, financial hardship, and vulnerability, with some, like Nan, battling severe depression and even abuse from relatives.
Community initiatives, such as the Mirror Foundation's "Volunteer to Visit Project," provide crucial companionship, practical aid, and home repairs, addressing the critical needs of hundreds of vulnerable seniors.
The increasing frequency of elderly individuals found dead alone underscores the urgent need for Thailand to develop comprehensive national strategies for elderly care, health support, and community integration to cope with its rapidly aging population.

Examining Thailand’s four-part education revolution

Today 14:22 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's Education Ministry is implementing a four-pronged strategy to address its students' below-average performance in PISA 2025 and tackle significant educational inequality.
The plan prioritizes closing performance gaps by increasing funding for small and low-income schools, overhauling the curriculum to foster critical thinking, and adopting a data-driven management system to reduce teacher workload.
Key initiatives include enhancing school safety, combating cyberbullying, and expanding mental health support through peer-to-peer networks, recognizing the severe impact of distress on academic performance.
An education expert advises verifying if PISA improvements stem from structural changes, advocating for a revived STEM curriculum with practical 'learn by doing' methods, and urging bureaucratic reform to link teacher evaluations to student development.