High-stakes election for Thailand and its crisis-hit education system

10 Sept 23:01 Key points summarised by AI

Thai education experts are urging political parties to make comprehensive reform of the nation's "crisis-hit" education system a central focus of the upcoming general election, linking its poor quality to national inequality and declining competitiveness.
The crisis is evidenced by low human potential (61% of potential), a significant drop in global competitiveness rankings, and consistently poor student performance on international (PISA) and national (O-Net) assessments.
Decades of underperformance are attributed to political maneuvering, a lack of dedicated leadership, and an outdated 1999 National Education Act, which has yet to be replaced despite constitutional mandates.
While several parties have unveiled more detailed education reform policies, experts caution against populist distractions and stress the critical need for strong political will to enact a new education law and shift from rote learning to critical thinking.

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.