SKorea helps Thai students develop science, maths skills

BANGKOK, August 22 (TNA) - South Korea has agreed to help develop science and mathematics education in Thailand to upgrade Thai students' skills to meet world standards. Thailand's Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST) on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the agreed cooperation with Bangkok-based Edupark Company Limited, an affiliate of Woongjin Thinkbig Company Limited, a South Korean firm recognised for its learning systems to help develop students' science and mathematics skills. Under the MOU, inked with the presence of representatives of the South Korean Embassy in Bangkok and the South Korean parent company, the South Korean side will help Thai students develop their science and mathematics skills through a system, called Thailand Education Development and Evaluation Test (TEDET). IPST Director Dr. Pornpan Waithayangkul told reporters that Thai students can develop their science and maths skills through exercises and tests provided by the TEDET, a similar program of which has been proven successful in upgrading South Korean students' secience and maths skills to reach the world's few top ends. Dr. Pornpan said IPST will introduce the TEDET at schools in Thai rural areas to raise skills of rural students to be comparable with those in urban areas and to upgrade overall Thai students' skills to meet the International Student Assessment (PISA) standard. According to the director, IPST will introduce the TEDET program at more than 90 schools under its supervision across the country. Meanwhile, the latest PISA result showed the average score of Thai students standing at 427 points, compared with 554 points on average for South Korean students, the fifth highest among students from 60 contesting countries. (TNA)