Respected economist Ammar Siamwalla passes away at 86

14 Sept 00:06 Key points summarised by AI

Ammar Siamwalla, a prominent economist specializing in agricultural and development, passed away at 86, leaving a significant legacy in Thai economic policy.
He was a founding member and former president of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) and profoundly influenced national debates on rice and development policies.

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.