Myanmar's junta chief arrives for Bangkok summit as quake toll surpasses 3,000
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Myanmar's junta chief arrives for Bangkok summit as quake toll surpasses 3,000
13 Sept 11:11Key points summarised by AI
Myanmar's junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, arrived in Bangkok for a regional summit amidst reports that the earthquake death toll in his country has surpassed 3,000.
The BIMSTEC summit will focus on coordinating the response to the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which caused widespread destruction and left millions potentially affected.
Aid delivery efforts are significantly hampered by damaged infrastructure, poor communications, and Myanmar's ongoing civil war, despite a temporary halt to hostilities called by the junta and its opponents.
Min Aung Hlaing's attendance at the summit marks a diplomatic win for Myanmar's isolated government, as it breaks with a regional policy of not inviting junta leaders to major events.
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.