Saysunee and Athiwat selected as Thai national flag bearers

11 Sept 11:57 Key points summarised by AI

Wheelchair fencer Saysunee Jana and wheelchair racer Athiwat Paengnuea have been chosen to co-bear the Thai national flag at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games opening ceremony on August 28.
Thailand will send 79 athletes to compete in 15 different sports, marking their 11th participation in the Paralympic Games.
Saysunee Jana, 50, is a decorated 'World Fencing Queen' with multiple Paralympic medals, including a gold from Athens 2004, and various other awards.
Athiwat Paengnuea, 22, is an accomplished wheelchair racer, having secured a gold and a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
The opening ceremony will feature a grand parade of 184 delegations and up to 6,000 athletes and officials, commencing on the Champs-Elysées and concluding at Place de la Concorde.

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.