Agreement with CERN a boon to Thai education

In what was hailed as a highly positive move for scientific progress in Thailand, the Prayut government has signed an expanded cooperation agreement with CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. The contract, it is hoped, will help elevate Thai proficiency in research, development and innovation and potentially lead their counterparts in neighbouring countries in key scientific fields.
The agreement, according to our embassy in Washington, will see Thai scientists working at CERN facilities in Switzerland. That alone will be a big boost for the Kingdom. CERN is the premier global facility for conducting advanced studies into particle physics, with key research aimed at discovering the basic constituents of matter and the fundamental structure of the universe. Based in Geneva, CERN is a joint venture among 22 European nations that have pooled human and financial resources to build the world’s most powerful particle accelerator and collider. The organisation has become so well known that some of its activities have featured in blockbuster movies and novels.
With political news in Thailand dominating local and foreign media on a daily basis and the ideological divide leading to many other items of news categorised as politically positive or negative, it is little surprise that the mainstream outlets have downplayed or overlooked the CERN deal. The agreement is a good one regardless of it being sealed by a divisive government.  
CERN’s director for international relations said the agency welcomed the government-level agreement, which comes on the heels of contracts signed with Thai universities and scientific institutes. The latest development means that relations between Thailand and CERN will continue to improve, and that can only benefit our scientific progress.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who presided at the signing of the agreement at the Ministry of Science and Technology in Bangkok, initiated cooperation with CERN in 2000. She visited its facilities five times, helping foster six contracts between CERN and Thai universities and science institutes. The latest agreement will see more Thai experts, teachers and students taking part in or observing activities at CERN. This has the potential to sow tremendous benefits, Thailand having never been a leader in scientific research but more often an envious observer of other countries making breakthroughs. 
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has pledged to increase the share of the national budget devoted to research and development and has been urging the private sector to contribute more as well. We hope this is not mere rhetoric and that, whether he or someone else is in power after the next election, this aspect of national development continues.
Building scientific knowledge might not garner the big headlines, but it warrants society’s wholehearted support and be a cornerstone of Thai education alongside languages and mathematics. And science education must not be politicised, as stressed by the late American cosmologist and broadcaster Carl Sagan, who warned that politics upending scientific rigour could result in “things blowing up in our faces”. Thailand’s agreement with CERN will bring great advances, but also pose challenges in some ways. Any failure could be very costly.