Thai woman sentenced to 18 months in prison on lèse majesté charge

15 Sept 12:23 Key points summarised by AI

Warunee Weerasak was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of lèse majesté and violating the Computer Crime Act.
The conviction stemmed from her posting a "doctored" image of a royal event on social media, which the court ruled subjected the monarchy to disgrace and insulted the revered Emerald Buddha statue.

Examining Thailand’s four-part education revolution

Yesterday 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.