FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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OECD and Unesco formulate education-policy advice for Thailand

OECD and Unesco formulate education-policy advice for Thailand

FOR THE first time, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Unesco have joined forces to provide education-policy advice to a country - and Thailand is the beneficiary.

 The two international organisations spent several months researching and conducting field visits and interviews with stakeholders before concluding a review of Thailand’s educational sector and making recommendations. 
The review recommended establishing effective, efficient and transparent curriculum review and revision processes, led by experts and informed by research and data. 
Also, it suggested that Thailand establish minimum criteria for teacher preparation in consultation with programme providers.
The review emphasised that the success of Thailand’s education system will increasingly depend on how well it uses its resources.
“Thailand’s recent investments in education have not resulted in the expected outcomes, as seen on the PISA [Programme for International Student Assessment] results, which were below those of neighbouring countries,” said Elizabeth Fordham, OECD senior adviser of global relations for education and skills, at a seminar on Thursday. 
The seminar took place in Bangkok, with the participation of representatives of Unesco and the OECD as well as high-level Thai officials, including Office of the Education Council’s secretary-general Kamol Rodklai.
Education Council deputy secretary-general Watanaporn Rangubtook said, “The results of the review have encouraged policymakers and all stakeholders to reconsider issues related to the Thai education system, especially those relating to efficiency in education and how the Thai government can best provide students with quality education, the best teachers, coherent curriculum, and how we can most effectively harness ICT to reduce education inequality in the country”.
The review covered four policy domains: curriculum; student assessment; teachers and school leaders; and information and communication technology in education. The domains align with the renewed emphasis placed on quality and equity by the Education 2030 agenda and, in particular, the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Gwang-jo Kim, director of Unesco Bangkok called the review “a significant milestone in Unesco’s longstanding cooperation with Thailand and our shared commitment in advancing quality education”. 
David Atchoarena, Unesco Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems director, said Thailand had ample opportunities to meet challenges. “Thailand’s potential use of ICT to support students’ acquisition of 21st century competencies and a revised curriculum that corresponds to student assessments are among the major elements needed to achieve the desired goals and keep pace with many of its neighbours in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community,” he said.
ML Pariyada Diskul, assistant secretary to the Education Minister, said yesterday that the review would provide guidance to the Education Ministry and relevant agencies in translating policies into better educational quality. “We will have to do that in line with our social context and development directions too,” she said. 
 
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