Provincial approach to education

By WANNAPA KHAOPA

THE NATION

Thailand's future educational development will be boosted and led at the provincial level by universities.

They will work in collaboration with provincial authorities and vocational institutes to seek each province's identity, using it to encourage the country's economic development and strengthen student competitiveness, Education Minister Woravat Auapinyakul said.

Woravat and two deputy ministers, Bunruen Srithares and Surapong Eungampornvilai, officially began work at the ministry yesterday. They briefed top government officials about their policies to show how they would lead educational development. "Each province has different resources, culture and traditions. The universities will have to analyse those unique [characteristics], which are considered as identity, to see how they can make use of them and how they can utilise knowledge and related vocational training as part of the basic education curriculum," said Worawat.

Woravat added that the universities would have to study what markets in each Asean country needed, and help train people to create products that suited these demands.

"To brace for free trade under the Asean Economic Community, we have to prepare our students' entrepreneurial skills, too," Office of Basic Education Commission secretary-general Chinnapat Bhumirat said. Worawat added that Thailand had debts of Bt4.2 trillion.

Last year, the country could pay off only Bt180 billion of the debt. So, to be able to repay the whole debt, Thailand would have to earn more. Improving citizens' competitiveness to gain benefits from free trade would help the country increase its income.

Under area-based management, each province will have its own educational development plans to foster students occupational skills that reflect its identity, along with having students study core curriculum, according to Woravat.

-- The Nation 2011-08-17

"Under area-based management, each province will have its own educational development plans to foster students occupational skills that reflect its identity, along with having students study core curriculum, according to Woravat".

You have got to be kidding!

So the NE students get to learn how to plant rice better and those down South do errrrrrrr something else?

I'm not a great fan of having Bangkok setting policies for the entire country.

Instead of having the provinces in charge of education policies, maybe

it should be broken down by regions.

Each region should set its own policies

and objectives for its students.