Student rescued from a call centre kidnap gang

17 Sept 08:50 Key points summarised by AI

A 22-year-old student was rescued by police from a Bangkok hotel after being lured and trapped by a call centre scammer.
The scammer initially accused the student of money laundering, then coerced her into telling her parents she was kidnapped, demanding a 200,000 baht ransom.
Her parents had already wired 350,000 baht for a fake scholarship and reported her missing, prompting the police investigation.
Police located the student at the hotel, finding her on a continuous video call with the scammers, having been coerced for over 17 hours.

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.