Heatwave hammers Thailand's stinky but lucrative durian farms

23 Sept 05:52 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's multi-billion dollar durian industry is in crisis due to a severe heatwave and drought, leading to significantly smaller yields and increased operational costs for farmers.
Soaring temperatures cause durians to ripen prematurely, preventing them from reaching their full, most valuable size and compromising fruit quality.
Farmers face escalating expenses, including purchasing thousands of liters of water by truck to keep their trees alive amidst widespread drought and lack of rain.
The reduced supply and quality threaten Thailand's dominance in the global durian market, particularly its lucrative exports to China, with competitors like Vietnam gaining market share.

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.