Thai Cabinet approves changes in pre-travel visa free policy

10 Sept 12:31 Key points summarised by AI

The Thai Cabinet approved significant revisions to its pre-travel 'visa free' policy, aiming to balance economic benefits, tourism promotion, security, and international relations.
The updated policy grants a 30-day visa-free stay to visitors from 59 countries and territories, adding six new nations including India, Maldives, and Croatia, while standardizing rights for all 27 EU member states.
Specific adjustments include a 15-day visa-free period for Mauritius and Seychelles, and visa-on-arrival eligibility for Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Serbia, with India now moving to the visa-free category.
The amended framework now covers 65 countries, a reduction from the previous 93 countries under a 60-day policy, and includes an upgraded Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) for enhanced security screening.

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.