Can Thailand detonate the baby boom it needs as retirement time bomb looms?

13 Sept 12:48 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand confronts a severe demographic crisis as its birthrate plummets and the elderly population rapidly expands, with retirees now outnumbering new workforce entrants for the first time.
This demographic shift threatens significant economic and social breakdown, including labor shortages, increased dependency ratios, and insufficient tax revenue to fund national development.
The government plans to address the crisis by introducing policies like family-friendly workplaces, expanded and subsidized childcare, extended maternity leave, and improved access to fertility services to encourage more births.
Experts and civil society advocate for additional measures, including improving general education quality to alleviate parental concerns and implementing a universal basic income for the elderly, potentially funded by a VAT increase, to ensure a better quality of life for all Thais.

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.