Thailand's ambitious Landbridge project, intended to connect the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea for economic benefits, faces significant opposition due to its potential ecological devastation.
The proposed route cuts through the Isthmus of Kra, a globally significant ecotone vital for endemic species and a critical stopover for millions of migratory birds on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, threatening irreversible biodiversity loss.
Local communities and researchers are utilizing citizen science to document the region's rich biodiversity, challenging the government's outdated environmental assessments and demanding transparency and comprehensive long-term ecological studies.
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.