'Citizens' progress vital to Kingdom'

The National Economic and Social Development Board has proposed emphasising human development through the enhancement of education nationwide, as the progress of the country’s citizens is the most vital ingredient for the sustainable advancement of its politics, society and economy.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the NESDB, secretary-general Arkhom Termpittayaphaisith said human development had been an important part of the national agenda since the eighth National Economic and Social Development Plan. This had changed previous ways of thinking that saw people merely as drivers of production and economic growth to the current point of view, which sees the advancement of the people as the central theme for the country’s development.

The NESDB released the 11th National Economic and Social Development Plan yesterday.

“The 10th and the 11th National Economic and Social Development plans have focused on the quality of the people as the factor that gives the country the ability to achieve sustainable growth, escape from poverty, increase economic competitiveness, and preserve the country’s resources,” he said.

General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who presided over yesterday’s meeting, said he agreed that human advancement and educational reform should be the main themes for the country’s development but the most crucial part was the implementation process.

“There have been 11 development plans. How many plans do we have to wait for before the country can develop into the way that the society and the children want? I think 11 plans are enough already, since we have not acted upon them and made them tangible. I believe that after the seminar today there should be a clear roadmap on what are we going to do,” he said.

“We need the ‘how to do’ and we need to know how we should lower these inequalities, make it clear, and then send it to all the ministries so that they can incorporate it in the formulation of their policies so that we can all move forward in the same direction,” he added. 

Arkhom said the problems of an ageing society, shortages of skilled and unskilled labour, the deterioration of the ecological system, weaker democratic and political governance, and the lack of reconciliation in society could all be improved by increasing human qualities. This could be done through the advancement of educational quality in every part of the society, from five-year-old children all the way up until to the retirement age of 60 – and this included handicapped and less fortunate people also.

Vicharn Panich, chairman of Mahidol University Council, said the country’s educational structure should be revamped so as not to neglect or discourage anyone from the educational system, such as students who do not excel, the less fortunate, and the elderly, but to involve them in the system. More importance should be given to vocational and specialised schools and the introduction of educational schemes that directly link to needs of the private sector, while encouraging more connection of the academic world to the business world.

He said educational reform should not concentrate on educational quality only but also on the practical ability of the students and their morality, while teachers should act as facilitators or coaches who provide beneficial feedback and guidance and not just knowledge from textbooks.