Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has stressed the need to overhaul Thailand?s education system. In his weekly radio address on 26 February 2005, the Prime Minister said that education reform had been conducted to a certain extent and it would continue. The reform might take several years before changes would be clearly seen in the country?s education system.

As the Government attaches great importance to national education, the Prime Minister said that he had asked the Ministry of Education to invite education administrators, teachers, parents, and schoolchildren to attend a workshop in Khon Kaen Province on 25 and 26 February 2005 to discuss directions for educational development in Thailand.

The main objective of the workshop was to provide a forum for the participants to address problems and share their views on educational development. The Prime Minister pointed out that he wanted to listen to different perspectives, and the problems presented by various groups would be analyzed based on academic approaches. Results of the analysis would be used as guidelines for improving educational management as part of the reform. Similar workshops would be held in other parts of the country as well, and results would also be used to map out a long-term plan to be translated into action.

The Prime Minister said that the workshop had produced satisfactory results. Parents mainly spoke about narcotic drugs and computer games that have affected children inside and outside schools. Schoolchildren spoke about teachers, their schools, and the curriculum, while teachers discussed mainly educational management, their career promotion, debt problems, and teaching aids. As for administrators, their discussion focused on relations between administrators in Bangkok and those in the provinces and problems they have found in each locality.

In his address at the workshop, Prime Minister Thaksin touched on investment in educational development, saying that the Government did not regard this investment as expenditure. In fact, he said, educational investment is meant to develop humans into citizens of good quality and powerful forces of society.

He stated that the Government intends to develop Thai people in three areas. The first area, physical health, aims to make all Thais healthy. Towards this aim, the Government has launched the Universal Health Care Coverage Project, which is often referred to as the 30-baht health care program. The second area, education, seeks to provide wide educational opportunities for all people, so that they have alternatives in leading their life. The third area, spiritual health, aims to encourage people to adopt religious principles to help solve their problems. It is also intended to build good citizens who will live in society with self-sufficiency. At the same time, this area seeks to ease problems concerning young people.

The Prime Minister said that education reform centers on students and emphasizes life-long learning. The reform also involves the introduction of a new paradigm for teachers, students, and parents. A road map and a follow-up study must also be carried out. He believes that education reform in Thailand will bring about major changes in the next four years.

Results of the implementation of the Government?s ?One District, One Dream School? project in various parts of Thailand have been satisfactory. The Cabinet, during its meeting on 7 June 2005, acknowledged the Ministry of Education?s report on progress of the implementation of the project.

The Government launched the One District, One Dream School project on 1 October 2003, aimed at developing the quality of schools in all districts to ensure that every district has at least one high-quality school. The project was also intended to fulfill children?s dream of attending good schools in their locality. At the initial stage, one model school was established in each district, and it would encourage other schools to improve themselves. The Government wants high-quality schools to be developed in the entire education system to achieve education reform.

According to the report submitted to the Cabinet, the Government has approved a budget of 2,558 million baht from the 2004 to 2006 fiscal years to carry out the project. Out of this amount, 1,763 million baht was allocated for the 2004 fiscal year, 344 million baht for 2005, and 450 million baht for 2006. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has urged the business sector and various government agencies to provide support for these model schools. Tax reductions are offered to those who give donations to the schools.

The report indicates that the project has received good cooperation from companies, state enterprises, and local communities, which donated more than 500 million baht worth of equipment. The assistance also came in the form of advice and activities to help improve district schools. Each school under the project received 2.5 million baht on average from the Government and another 2.5 million baht from donors. The money was used mainly to develop libraries and laboratories. Part of the amount was spent on the purchase of computers for teaching and learning.

Since the beginning of the project in the 2004 fiscal year, people have been satisfied with the project and are willing to render support. They are confident that schools under the project are of good quality and want to send their children to attend these schools. As a result, all model schools need to expand their classes, so that they can accommodate more students. Sometimes the expansion is not possible, as these schools focus on quality and want all students to gain the maximum benefits from education.

Students in these schools are taught how to think analytically and to seek knowledge from reading. Moreover, they will be equipped with knowledge on the application of information technology.

About 30 schools under the project have been found to become full dream schools, where teachers have developed their teaching techniques very well. The model schools have also offered technical assistance to more than 10,000 smaller schools in adjacent areas. The Ministry of Education expects that the quality of all schools will be improved within the next four years, during the term of this administration.

The Thaksin Shinawatra administration, in its second term in office, attaches great importance to developing human resources and a quality society. In this regard, greater opportunities will be provided for young people through the ?Income Contingency Loan? program established by the Government.

Under the program, needy students may secure a loan to support their studies from vocational to university levels. They will repay the loan by installments when they start earning salaries. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra explained that the interest-free loan is connected to future income and would be extended widely in tertiary education. This system has been in use in Australia and would be adapted to suit economic and social conditions in Thailand.

The Prime Minister cited the Income Contingency Loan program as a way to empower students and prepare the country for a knowledge-based society. With this program, educational institutions will try to offer interesting subjects for students to select. The students will also have more options in their choice of universities or colleges. At the same time, they do not have to worry as much as before about finances, as they will not be asked for loan repayment until they have a chance to start employment. In case some subjects of study require high costs, the Government will offer scholarships to offset part of the costs, and the rest will be secured by the loan.

In this connection, the Government must strive to strengthen the economy, so that new graduates will be employed or be able to establish a business. Otherwise, the Government will not be able to ask for the education loan repayment. The Prime Minister said that if the Thai economy grew by less than 4.5 percent a year, new graduates would face the problem of unemployment. So it is necessary to expand both educational and economic opportunities at the same time.

Prime Minister Thaksin further explained that the program, to be operational in the 2006 academic year, would enable poor students to continue their studies at the university level by using their future income to support their present education. He regards human resource development as an investment, not an expenditure, saying that if people become healthy physically, mentally, and intellectually, the country will grow more prosperous. The Prime Minister stressed that he would invest in human resource development without conditions, as he believes that humans are the most valuable of all resources in the world.

He said that the Income Contingency Loan program would encourage educational institutions to compete and develop the quality of their teaching. Now, the ?Education for All? principle is no longer enough; all education administrators must help push for the ?All for Education? policy. The Prime Minister pointed out that educational development is a matter of everyone and it needs concerted cooperation. The Government is ready to give support for all universities to provide greater educational opportunities for poor students. So the Income Contingency Loan program is in line with the Government?s policy of developing human resources and a quality society.

The Government is attaching great importance to developing children through brain-based learning. It has launched the National Institute for Brain-based Learning to encourage the public to pay greater attention to the brain development of Thai children at different ages.

In his weekly radio address on 14 May 2005, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told the people that he had presided over the launching of the Institute on May 12 at Santi Maitri Hall, Government House. The Institute provides knowledge to parents about intellectual stimulation for babies from the time they are in the womb. He believes that intelligence boosting in children in accordance with their brain development will enable them to learn fast and gain much more knowledge. This brain-based learning system is comparable to laying down foundations to help strengthen children?s learning processes. Through this system, it would be easier to develop their knowledge and intelligence from their early days.

The National Institute for Brain-based Learning is under the supervision of the Office of Knowledge Management and Development, a public organization of the Prime Minister?s Office. It is one of the eight organizations established under the aegis of the Office. The seven other organizations include the National Center for the Gifted and the Talented, the Learning Park, the National Discovery Museum, the Design Center, the Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences, the National ICT Learning Center, and the Moral Center.

The National Institute for Brain-based Learning aims to provide basic knowledge on brain and human mechanisms for learning, so that methods, processes, and various tools are designed to develop the brain and stimulate intelligence in children. The main objective is to equip Thai people with knowledge to develop themselves, their children, and their grandchildren to become intelligent, lead their lives efficiently, and keep pace with the world.

The Institute has produced various prototype brain-based learning tools and introduced related activities for its target groups, comprising children under two years old, young children, school-age children, and adolescents. For example, a ?gift bag? has been made as a model to stimulate the brain development of infants below 18 months. A caravan to promote learning materials was launched to coincide with the opening of the Institute. The caravan traveled to various provinces, with a pilot project starting in Chiang Mai and Si Sa Ket.

In his keynote address at the opening of the National Institute for Brain-based Learning, Prime Minister Thaksin pointed out that intelligent people would become the country?s important human resources in the future. Research studies indicated that the brain of children from birth until 12 years old has great potential. So the learning process and curriculum should be arranged appropriately in each period of life for full intellectual development among children. He said that the Government wants young Thai people to have education for at least 12 years in both formal and non-formal schooling systems. It also wants workers to be provided with skill development opportunities to reduce unemployment.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of analytical thinking, saying that today knowledge is power, not simply information as in the past; and in the future, wisdom is power. Analytical thinking would create knowledge and knowledge could lead to wisdom. The new generation of Thailand must receive good care, so that they would grow up with good mental abilities to develop and rebuild the country.

As for the National ICT Learning Center, it is located on the sixth floor of the Central World Plaza on Ratchadamri Road in Bangkok, and it has been operational since 30 October 2004. Prime Minister Thaksin said that he intended to use this center to help develop Thailand into a knowledge-based society and to serve as a venue for families to get together for relaxation and to spend time fruitfully. The center is regarded as a form of education reform to promote self-learning and life-long learning. He revealed that he had come up with the idea of establishing this new and comprehensive learning center before the war on drugs started, saying that in order to keep young people away from drugs, creative activities must be arranged for them.

The Government has decided to increase investment in public health development to improve the people?s quality of life. In his weekly radio address on 11 June 2005, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that, starting from the 2006 fiscal year, more budget allocations would be given to the Government?s Universal Health Care Coverage Project, generally known as the 30-baht health care program.

The Prime Minister cited the 30-baht health care program as one of the top government policies that satisfied the people most. He said that during his visit to the rural poor, the local people told him that this program has provided them with health insurance coverage. When their health deteriorated, they would turn to the program and would not have to seek loans to cure themselves, so they would not have to run into debt and be threatened with bankruptcy.

The Prime Minister said that investment in health development was a topic of discussion when he chaired a meeting on health strategies on 6 June 2005. Since the Government attaches great importance to the development of health services of good quality, the Prime Minister said that a large enough budget would be allocated to the 30-baht health care program from 2006 onwards to ensure that people benefit fully from this medical system. Doctors, nurses, and health personnel would be provided with better welfare as well, to encourage them to devote themselves fully to public health services.

Out of the 63 million people in Thailand, 47 million are now entitled to the 30-baht health care program, while the rest are under the social security systems for workers, government officials, and state enterprise employees. These health insurance schemes depend largely on state hospitals and clinics. So it is necessary for the Government to enhance the capabilities of state hospitals for Thai people to have a better quality of life.

Apart from expanding the 30-baht health care program, the Prime Minister said that Government would take steps to ease the shortage of doctors and other health personnel. In this regard, Kasetsart University and Phra Mongkutklao Hospital would be entrusted with producing more doctors.

He revealed that the Government would also offer a scholarship for each district to select a student to study medical science in Bangkok. The project would provide opportunities for brilliant students in 900 rural districts to study medicine. These students, after having completed their education, would return to their hometowns to serve as doctors. At the same time, the Government would offer a scholarship for nursing studies to each tambon, or subdistrict. The two projects are considered urgent to help ease the shortage of medical personnel in the public health sector.

Prime Minister Thaksin also revealed that the Government was preparing to launch health services for disease prevention, based on the concept of ?prevention is better than cure.? These services cover such programs as dental health care for young people, cervical cancer checking for women, aged between 35 and 60, and family planning to prevent AIDS infection from mothers to children. The Prime Minister said that these services would be included in the 30-baht health care program, starting from the 2006 fiscal year, which begins in October 2005. They were intended to promote the Government?s policy of ?Healthy Thailand.?

The Cabinet, during its meeting on 15 February 2005, acknowledged results of a survey to sound out public opinion about services provided by the 30-baht health care program. The survey was undertaken in all provinces in December 2004 by the National Statistical Office. It was conducted among 5,800 people aged over 18 years.

According to the outcome of the survey, 85.2 percent of the people were satisfied with the medical services they had received under the program, and only 14.8 percent were not. Most of the surveyed people found it more convenient to have access to this low-cost health program after the Government has allowed more private hospitals to take part in it.

About 75 percent of the people who have used the medical services under the program indicated that their quality of life in terms of health had improved after the program was introduced in April 2001. About 24 percent said that their quality of life remained the same, and only one percent said it had worsened.

Concerning medical standards, 46 percent of the people who used the 30-baht health care program said that the program was not up to the standards of other welfare services, such as the medical welfare program for government officials. Around 34 percent indicated that the standard of the 30-baht health care program was the same as that of the medical welfare program for government officials, and 20 percent were not sure.

Most people, or 65.4 percent, believed that the health card under the program could be used for treatment of all diseases, while 34.6 percent understood that it could not be used for all cases. About 80 percent of the surveyed people said that the program should also cover treatment for AIDS-infected persons. More than 50 percent said that the Government should combine various state health insurance funds into one. They also wanted the Government to improve the 30-baht health care program, so that it would cover all cases and be available in all hospitals nationwide.

The 2004 survey on the program indicated that most people believed that the program was successful.

The Government has declared the national agenda of ?Healthy Thailand,? aimed at building health for Thai people, bringing them happiness, and enabling them to enjoy a reasonably good livelihood, in accordance with the philosophy of ?Sufficiency Economy,? initiated by His Majesty the King.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra explained that the Government had set a clear policy of Healthy Thailand, as it attached great importance to human resources in building a healthy nation. If human resources were weak in every dimension, it would be difficult to build and strengthen the family and the nation and so bring about a better future.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Healthy Thailand covers three major dimensions, namely physical health, mental health, and spiritual health. These three dimensions would be used as guidelines for all related ministries in translating the national agenda into action. He revealed that the Government had set a goal that by 2017, when His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej turns 90, Thai people would achieve the three dimensions of the Healthy Thailand policy.

In this connection, he said, the Government would take good care of Thai people from their birth until their twilight years. Modern science would help people live longer. So if people maintain good health, physically and mentally, they could live to a great age, up to 100 years. However, the Prime Minister said that, in order to live with good quality of life, people must have knowledge, as today?s world has become a knowledge-based society where everyone must compete.

In his weekly radio address on 18 December 2004, the Prime Minister stressed that the Government must try every possible way to develop the country and the people. In particular, the Government?s Universal Health Care Coverage Project must be expanded to cover prevention as well, in addition to treatment. The Prime Minister said that the Ministry of Public Health must also focus its attention on food safety. Many projects would be carried out to make all Thais healthy, so that they would be able to build their future for the maximum benefit of themselves and the country as a whole.

As part of the national agenda of Healthy Thailand, Thai people will receive education in the schooling system for at least 12 years. Greater opportunities for life-long learning will be provided for them. Older people will be provided with better care, so that they can live for more than 80 years in a warm family. Moreover, all Thai people will have health insurance and access to health services of good standards. Campaigns against major killers, such as AIDS, cancer, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes, will be stepped up to ease people?s suffering and bring them happiness.

The Government has stressed the need to create awareness for cultural and environmental conservation.

As for cultural conservation, the Cabinet, during its meeting on 5 April 2005 decided to proclaim 2005 the Year for the Promotion of Thai Culture. It instructed the Ministry of Culture to work with other related agencies in introducing various cultural programs to be carried out in 2005, marking this special occasion. In its report submitted to the Cabinet, the Ministry said that the Government had designated April 2 each year Thailand?s National Heritage Preservation Day. The designation was meant to honor Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who was presented with the title of ?Supreme Patroness of Thai Cultural Heritage.?

Her Royal Highness was also honored as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Empowerment of Minority Children through Education and through the Preservation of Their Intangible Cultural Heritage. The ceremony designating her as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador took place this year, coinciding with her 50th birthday anniversary. So the proclamation of the Year for the Promotion of Thai culture was appropriate for the celebration of this auspicious occasion. The decision to declare 2005 the year for the Promotion of Thai Culture was in line with the Government?s policy statement, delivered to the National Assembly on 23 March 2005. In a briefing on the Government?s policies to senior officials on 26 March 2005, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra pointed out that cultural conservation must be carried out in several ways. At present, Thailand has accepted globalization, which can be compared to a disease. If Thai children do not have enough cultural immunization against the ?disease,? they are likely to be ?infected? or misled. When people had been immunized, they would be able to live among certain diseases without falling ill. Today, there is no isolated world; everything is connected. The question is how to restore culture without going to extremes.

Concerning environmental conservation, the Prime Minister indicated that a great deal of the environment has been destroyed. So it was the duty of the adults to help create awareness of the need for environmental conservation among young people. He likened the environment to part of the national heritage to be left behind by the present generation for future generations. To pass on a living heritage to their children and grandchildren, people today must join forces in tackling environmental problems.

He commended the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment?s campaign for environmental protection under the ?Warrior for the Environment? project, which was launched on 9 June 2005. The present situation is that most universities in Thailand have faculties in connection with environmental studies. The Prime Minister said that students engaged in this field of study were usually aware of environmental protection. Moreover, universities also have laboratories for environmental monitoring. The decision to encourage university students to join this project would help save costs and the Government would not have to invest in new environmental projects or in employing more officials.

For this reason, he explained that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment decided to persuade students from 14 institutions to join caravans of mobile labs to check water and air quality and inspect various factories. The inspection was not meant to uncover their wrongdoing but to learn about dealing with environmental impacts. The caravans have been dispatched to carry out their mission in Bangkok and six adjacent provinces, namely Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, and Chachoengsao. A great number of factories are located in these provinces.

The Warriors for the Environment started with a survey on wastewater discharged from industrial plants along the Chao Phraya, Bang Pakong, and Tha Chin rivers. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will give advice to these plants at the initial stage. If they still create environmental problems, they will be given a warning, and later, the legal process will take its course.

The 14-month project is divided into two phases. The first phase is from May to September 2005, and the second phase from October 2005 to June 2006. The project involves 4,000 factories out of 34,000 in the selected areas.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the Government attaches great importance to efforts to rehabilitate natural resources and the environment. He wants young people to help protect the environment and adults not to let the environment continue to be destroyed.