Free-education coupons part of new agenda for the young

Officials said the per-head subsidy meant the budget was being distributed unfairly and inadequately to schools that had fewer students than others.

 

Under the new plans, students and general members of the public would be entitled to education, both inside school or through off-campus training, using education coupons to be provided free or at low cost at later stages.

 

The government’s new policy will include providing alternative or vocational training along with mainstream education. It is aimed at enabling more people to develop themselves to full potential in various aspects of education, apart from classroom lectures. This would mean the country’s entire workforce would be capable of greater ranges of skills to work in the agriculture, industrial and service sectors.

 

The government will also promote decentralisation of education management to local administrative bodies – to communities, private operators or members of the general public – while giving them greater independence by granting them authority as legal entities. 

 

Officials said development of teacher quality and changes to curriculum on a student-centred basis would be further encouraged and promoted, while evaluation criteria would give more weight to conditions of improvement in schools’ performance and qualities of learners.

 

Elderly people will also get support through the building of more facilities and homes to deal with Thailand’s ageing society by making activities available to them, along with improving government funding for aged-care projects.

 

On other social issues, intensive suppression will be carried out to combat human trafficking, child or forced prostitution, forced street begging and illegal entry of foreigners.