Over 4,000 stranded Malaysian tourists return home

14 Sept 12:29 Key points summarised by AI

Over 4,000 Malaysian tourists, stranded by severe floods in Thailand's Hat Yai since Sunday, have safely returned home through joint Malaysian and Thai efforts.
Evacuation operations, including nine Malaysian rescue teams, successfully moved 4,016 Malaysians, though concern remains for 382 unlocated individuals.
Malaysian officials highlighted the need for more efficient contingency plans between Thailand and Malaysia to handle future large-scale flooding events.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim publicly thanked the Thai government and volunteer organizations for their significant assistance in the evacuation.

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.