National e-learning platform a big leap for education equality, says minister

 DEEP aims to give students in the most remote corners of the country access to the same resources as those in big cities, closing the gap in Thailand’s notoriously uneven education system.
On the new platform, students can also access Google and Microsoft learning tools via a single sign-on for the first time in Thailand.
Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan hailed DEEP as a fundamental tool to boost Thailand’s human capital to meet 21st-century needs, as he launched the platform at Wat Rajabopit School in Bangkok today. 
“DEEP is a critical stepping stone toward equality in education. This digital platform transforms a Thai education system that is relatively fixed, into one that is flexible and versatile. Students will now have access to a diverse set of curriculums or modules that are provided on DEEP, which opens endless opportunities for them to acquire additional knowledge in their unique areas of interest,” said Nataphol. 
The platform addresses issues of unequal education access expressed by students, teachers and the administrative body, he said. 
“Consequently, we will have a labour market that answers the private sector’s demands. It is important to reiterate that DEEP promotes a culture of lifelong learning, with hopes that everyone can and will ‘re-skill’ or ‘upskill’ themselves”, said Nataphol. 
“Building Thailand’s human capital is a necessity, education’s sole purpose is to ensure that all Thais have the opportunity and capability to pursue a career they dream of. … The future of our youth is the future of our country.” 
A ground-breaking feature of DEEP is to incorporate online classrooms as a new national standard for learning outside the classroom.
DEEP also allows the private sector to create content for the platform, which should generate a plethora of learning material for students to use.
In the initial stage, additional resources from public and private efforts on DEEP will solely aim at building English and digital literacy of Thai students, teachers and school administrators. 
Among the global companies who have partnered with the ministry to upload learning content to DEEP are Google, Microsoft, Cambridge Assessment English, Pearson, the British Council, IC3, ICDL, Arkki, along with more than 40 Rajabhat universities.