More active ASEAN role, balanced ties with superpowers expected under Pita

2 Oct 10:52 Key points summarised by AI

Pita Limjaroenrat's new government plans a more active and vocal foreign policy for Thailand within ASEAN and on the international stage.
Thailand will abandon its current 'quiet diplomacy' to assertively address regional issues, notably the Myanmar crisis, by speaking out and engaging with opposition groups.
The new foreign policy, guided by 'revive, rebalance, and recalibrate,' aims to rebalance ties between China and Western nations, moving towards a more central and independent diplomatic stance.
Thailand intends to enhance its international presence, potentially in areas like environment and climate change, by leveraging its democratic values and a broader range of diplomatic tools.

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.