Rice farmers will get Bt20,000 to delay sale of their crops

13 Sept 14:26 Key points summarised by AI

The government is launching a 56 billion baht program to encourage 4.68 million rice farming households to delay selling their 2023-24 harvest.
Farmers will receive up to Bt20,000 per household (Bt1,000 per 0.16 hectares) to hold crops until market prices improve.
Payments will be disbursed in five installments, commencing November 28, targeting specific provinces each day.
Additional incentives include Bt500 per tonne for farmers selling to cooperatives for storage, Bt1,000 per tonne for cooperatives storing rice, and a 1% interest rate reduction for rice millers who store crops.

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.