Displaced people returning home in Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces
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Displaced people returning home in Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces
12 Sept 00:47Key points summarised by AI
Many displaced people are returning to their homes in Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces after border tensions eased and their communities were cleared of unexploded ordnance from recent fighting.
In Surin, roughly 80% of evacuees have returned, with the remainder awaiting transport. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams are actively clearing over 180 shells and rockets, carefully avoiding actions that could provoke Cambodian forces.
Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa visited evacuees in Surin, anticipating most will return home soon and promising aid for those with damaged houses, while also denying accusations of Thai soldiers provoking Cambodian troops.
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.