PM urges teachers to catch up with modern technology

BANGKOK, May (TNA) -- Thailand spends about 20 per cent of the government’s current annual total budget whose amount is almost equivalent to Japan and the United States, but the two countries’ educational quality systems are much different to this country, said Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha. Chairing a meeting with more than 20,000 teachers from Bangkok and its neighbouring provinces, Gen Prayut told them on Friday that the government spent more than 200 billion baht during the 2016 fiscal year, started last October 1, on education nationwide. But the quality of education in Japan and the US is better than Thailand, said Gen Prayut during the meeting which was telecast live through video conference for teachers nationwide. The meeting was aimed at enabling teachers to better understand the government’s policy to reform education in Thailand. Urging teachers to teach pupils how to analyse and learn things by themselves, Gen Prayut asked teachers to adopt new technology and social media for use in the teaching while they must adapt themselves and also learn new happenings in the world. In short, teachers must be persons who “teach and also learn simultaneously” while students must “learn how to exercise rights under the law”, said Gen Prayut. Teachers have to help improved educational system for an advancement of the country in both economic and social fields, he said, adding that the country has plenty of opportunities to progress with the help of teachers and everybody. (TNA)