Thailand, China to jointly open vocational college

BANGKOK, November 11 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Education, plans to open a vocational college based on the Chinese curricula, the first of its kind, in Thailand in the near future. Thailand's Education Minister General Dapong Ratanasuwan and Vocational Education Commission (VEC) Secretary-General Chaiyapruk Serirak raised the issue during their meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Ning Fukui in Bangkok on November 10 to discuss the development of curricula for Thai vocational students, focused on knowledge and skills concerning mass rail transit systems, covering dual-tracks. The move is aimed at producing Thai human resources specializing in areas needed for national development in the future, with such the first curricula expected to be tentatively concluded by the end of this year. According to the VEC chief, the Chinese top envoy expressed full support for the initiative and officials of the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok and VEC will jointly develop the curricula to be forwarded to Beijing for further consideration. The VEC chief told journalists that the initiative is a long term cooperation plan between Bangkok and Beijing, after the Thai Ministry of Transport has already worked together with China in a non-business binding short-term aspect to train over 180 Thai vocational students on modern transport systems. (TNA)