Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) and the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University are presenting the prestigious “Bai Po Business Awards by Sasin” to 7 local SMEs. Award winners include Black Canyon (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Narai Intertrade Co., Ltd., Masterkool International Co., Ltd., Teera-Mongkol Industry Co., Ltd., Accurate Technology Co., Ltd., Aruna Co., Ltd., and Papop Co., Ltd. These awards reflect the strong potential and high quality of Thai SMEs. The award presentation ceremony will be held at the Siam Commercial Bank Talad Noi Branch, and presided over by Mr. Anand Panyarachun, Siam Commercial Bank Chairman of the Board of Directors. SCB Business Banking Group Senior Executive Vice President Sirichai Sombutsiri noted that "The Bai Po Business Awards by Sasin are a collaborative effort between Siam Commercial Bank and the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University. Established in 2007 to recognize successful Thai companies demonstrating distinction among peers, the award aims to inspire local business operators to be more active in continuously enhancing their capabilities, and to assist them in becoming role models for other local small and medium enterprises in setting good standards and boosting sustainable economic growth. This is the fourth time in a row that these award ceremonies have been organized. To date 15 outstanding companies have received the awards, bringing great pride to the SME community."
Sasin Academic Affairs Deputy Director Kittiratt Na Ranong explained that, "Award winners must pass primary evaluation criteria and demonstrate distinctive qualifications critical to competitiveness, including customer focus, innovation, quality, adaptability to change, value creation, branding, efficiency, leadership & team building, social responsibility, and entrepreneurship. These criteria are considered critical to the development of SME business in order to withstand an unfavorable business environment and current economic woes. In selecting award winners, the Evaluation Committee Panel will judge qualified award recipients from candidates, with no limit to the number of candidates receiving the award each year."
Honorary Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce Dr. Ajva Taolananda, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Evaluation Committee Panel, disclosed that this is the forth time that the Bank and Sasin have organized the award presentation ceremony. This year the committee selected seven companies to receive the awards, out of more than 150 applicants or nominated candidates, namely:
Teera-Mongkol Industry Co., Ltd.: A leading manufacturer and distributor of ballast and lighting equipment, the Company has introduced innovative technology emphasizing energy savings and manufactures products that offer an effective substitute for import products. The Company was awarded for its distinction in terms of adaptability to change and quality.
Narai Intertrade Co., Ltd.: A designer, manufacturer, and distributor of fabric bags and accessories under the "Naraya" brand, the Company is distinguished for its quality and efficiency.
Black Canyon (Thailand) Co., Ltd.: The Company operates coffee shops and restaurants famous worldwide and has distinguished itself through branding and value creation.
Papop Co., Ltd.: An environmental engineering consultant company helping businesses reduce their costs, while also generating more revenues. Its two-in-one technology effectively treats wastewater and generate biogas as renewable energy at the same time. The Company was awarded for its distinction in innovation, value creation, and social responsibility.
Masterkool International Co., Ltd.: A manufacturer and distributor of outdoor cooling system products that employ a natural water evaporation process, the Company has distinguished itself through its innovation, customer focus, and branding. Accurate Technology Co., Ltd.: A leading manufacturer, distributor, and exporter of industrial laundry equipment under the “Image” brand, distinguished for innovative technology and reduced production costs. As evidence of its branding, innovation, and quality leadership, the Company is No. 1 sales in the ASEAN region and No. 14 in the world.
Aruna Co., Ltd.: An OEM exporter of regular and polychromos color pencils, Aruna Co. is Thailand's first and only company with a special integrated bonding technique for producing lead with certified quality standards, safety, and a friendly environment. The Company was awarded for its distinction in terms of quality and customer focus. The “Bai Po Business Awards by Sasin” awards presented to these 7 companies will certainly help create business opportunities, boost creditability for trading partners and customers, and inspire other firms to demonstrate their competitiveness and growth.
Previous Bai Po Business Awards by Sasin award winners include Rukluke Edutex Co., Ltd., Officemate Co., Ltd., Bathroom Design Co., Ltd., Business Online Public Co., Ltd., General Hospital Products Public Co., Ltd., Taokaenoi Food and Marketing Co., Ltd., Bertram Chemical (1982) Co., Ltd., Botanique Co., Ltd., Ubis ( Asia) PCL, Interlink Communication PCL, Yothaka International Co., Ltd., Nandee Inter-Trade Co., Ltd., VPP Progressive Co., Ltd., Perm Poon Patana Industry Co.,Ltd., and Twin Lotus Co., Ltd.
The “Bai Po Business Awards by Sasin” aim to support the stable growth of local companies. Entrepreneurs can apply, or nominate other companies for the award program, by obtaining details from the Sasin Management Team at 02-218-4009 ext. 181-183, the SCB Business Call Center at 02-722-2222, www.baipo-business-awards.org, or by E-mail at baipo@sasin.edu.
The Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Concert Announcement: Poom's Piano Recital
Poom Prommachart is rapidly building a reputation as an outstanding performer and an artist of rare expressive depth. A student of Prof. Ian Jones at the Royal College of Music (RCM), he recently won the 1st Prize (The Kindersley Prize) and the Audience Prize donated by Leopold de Rothschild at the UK's Conservatories, Sheepdrove Piano Competition, featuring some of the brightest talents from all major UK conservatoires. Other recent successes include the 1st Prize in the Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist of the Year Competition, youngest finalist in the RCM Concerto Competition, The Henry Wood Trust Award, the Esther Fisher Prize for best undergraduate (RCM) and the 2nd Prizes at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Budapest (where he was also awarded a special prize for the best performance of a work by Liszt), Moray Piano Competition, Scotland and Top-Prize, the Joan Chisell Schumann Award (RCM).
Poom gave his first solo recital when he was 14 and has since given regular recitals and concerto performances throughout Thailand, Singapore, Japan, UK, France, Switzerland, Hungary and Greece. Most recently, Poom performed Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra to great acclaim. Forthcoming engagements in 2010 include many recitals in Europe and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra at St. John’s Smith Square, London, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Thai Youth Orchestra, Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Newbury Symphony Orchestra, and Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 with North London Philharmonic Orchestra and Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Poom studied with Thailand’s foremost piano teacher, Peerapong Surawan, and then with Rena Phua and Boris Kraljevic at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. As a young student he won many awards and, at the age of 15, attained the FTCL Diploma from Trinity College. In 2007, he was awarded a full scholarship by H.R.H. Princess Galyani Vadhana and the Royal College of Music to continue his studies in London. Poom was also the last student of Yonty Solomon who described him as "A truly magnificent pianist POOM PROMMACHART ''.
Program
Sheep May Safely Graze, from Cantata BWV 208 J.S.Bach – Le Fleming
Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2 No. 2 Beethoven
Apres une Lecture de Dante – Fantasia quasi Sonata Liszt
- Intermission -
Moments Musicaux No. 3 & 4, Op. 16 Rachmaninoff
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 Schumann
On Sunday, 20th December 2009, 7.00 p.m.
At Small Hall, Thailand Cultural Centre
Tickets: Baht 500 / 300 and 200 บาท (Students only) Available at Peerapong Music School
Poom gave his first solo recital when he was 14 and has since given regular recitals and concerto performances throughout Thailand, Singapore, Japan, UK, France, Switzerland, Hungary and Greece. Most recently, Poom performed Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra to great acclaim. Forthcoming engagements in 2010 include many recitals in Europe and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra at St. John’s Smith Square, London, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Thai Youth Orchestra, Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Newbury Symphony Orchestra, and Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 with North London Philharmonic Orchestra and Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Poom studied with Thailand’s foremost piano teacher, Peerapong Surawan, and then with Rena Phua and Boris Kraljevic at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. As a young student he won many awards and, at the age of 15, attained the FTCL Diploma from Trinity College. In 2007, he was awarded a full scholarship by H.R.H. Princess Galyani Vadhana and the Royal College of Music to continue his studies in London. Poom was also the last student of Yonty Solomon who described him as "A truly magnificent pianist POOM PROMMACHART ''.
Program
Sheep May Safely Graze, from Cantata BWV 208 J.S.Bach – Le Fleming
Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2 No. 2 Beethoven
Apres une Lecture de Dante – Fantasia quasi Sonata Liszt
- Intermission -
Moments Musicaux No. 3 & 4, Op. 16 Rachmaninoff
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 Schumann
On Sunday, 20th December 2009, 7.00 p.m.
At Small Hall, Thailand Cultural Centre
Tickets: Baht 500 / 300 and 200 บาท (Students only) Available at Peerapong Music School
Saturday, November 21, 2009
IDP Education Australia Interview Program
IDP Education will present the IDP Education Australia Interview Program. This is a great opportunity to meet representatives from Australian educational institutions and find out all about the latest developments in Australian Education. Apply for any course with these institutions at the event and the application fee will be waived AUD50-250. (Please bring your original academic transcript and English results form) You will also get the chances to attend Free! Seminars on important topics such as “Why study in Australia? & Scholarship Sources”, “Smart Choice English Course”, “IELTS Test Tips”, “Information on specific fields of study” and “Featured Australian Institution”
Specials!
- English courses from AUD160 per/week
- Study Vocational Training courses while earning money
Specials!
- English courses from AUD160 per/week
- Study Vocational Training courses while earning money
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Local and global firms join in with Strength Thailand
Local and international PC vendors have joined the 4-billion-baht computer bidding project of the Office of the Basic Education Commission, running under the three-year "Strength Thailand" project, which covers more than 400,000 PCs - of which some 100,000 units are to be procured for the first batch.
V Technology, of DCom Group, has teamed up with local PC manufacturer Atec Computers and says it is ready in terms of capacity and service network.
According to V Technology System managing director Nathapong P, V Tech will be responsible for distribution channels and supply chain, while Atec will handle product specifications and manufacturing processes.
"Having many players is of benefit to the project in terms of service because there is dissemination of computer dealers," Nathapong said, noting that the company expects to have some 10-15 percent of the total project value.
The advantage of V Tech is the supply chain because components are delivered by DCom, so the cost is more efficient than other vendors, especially international brands,that have to ship in their products.
"We try to link the system with DCom's dropping point centre which has networks nationwide and this will shortcut the procedure of system integrators and dealers," the managing director said, adding that the DCom network will boost the efficiency of the services offered to schools.
The company has a target to enter some 3,000-4,000 schools by working with some 80 dealers nationwide. The first year will see an on-site service and after that the service network of DCom will handle matters.
Atec Computer assistant vice president Jatupong Rongklad said that Atec machines have qualified in lab tests.They include machines for general processing, the server and the client for students, and now they are preparing for demonstrations this month.
The capacity production is ready,he said, adding that 20,000-30,000 units should suffice.
Nathapong added that next year the company will propose the government makes the procurement more open so all dealers nationwide can partake in the project and help schools make the right decisions based on the central specifications.
According to SVOA CEO Vira Intanate, the company will partner with international vendors such as Dell and Samsung to supply computer servers and printers.
The company will work with its 300 dealers nationwide to support the project, he said, adding that SVOA aims to increase 10 percent of its sales revenue if they win the project.
Vira noted that readiness in products delivery and price are advantages of SVOA.
Key players such as Acer, Hewlett Packard will also share the project biddings.
V Technology, of DCom Group, has teamed up with local PC manufacturer Atec Computers and says it is ready in terms of capacity and service network.
According to V Technology System managing director Nathapong P, V Tech will be responsible for distribution channels and supply chain, while Atec will handle product specifications and manufacturing processes.
"Having many players is of benefit to the project in terms of service because there is dissemination of computer dealers," Nathapong said, noting that the company expects to have some 10-15 percent of the total project value.
The advantage of V Tech is the supply chain because components are delivered by DCom, so the cost is more efficient than other vendors, especially international brands,that have to ship in their products.
"We try to link the system with DCom's dropping point centre which has networks nationwide and this will shortcut the procedure of system integrators and dealers," the managing director said, adding that the DCom network will boost the efficiency of the services offered to schools.
The company has a target to enter some 3,000-4,000 schools by working with some 80 dealers nationwide. The first year will see an on-site service and after that the service network of DCom will handle matters.
Atec Computer assistant vice president Jatupong Rongklad said that Atec machines have qualified in lab tests.They include machines for general processing, the server and the client for students, and now they are preparing for demonstrations this month.
The capacity production is ready,he said, adding that 20,000-30,000 units should suffice.
Nathapong added that next year the company will propose the government makes the procurement more open so all dealers nationwide can partake in the project and help schools make the right decisions based on the central specifications.
According to SVOA CEO Vira Intanate, the company will partner with international vendors such as Dell and Samsung to supply computer servers and printers.
The company will work with its 300 dealers nationwide to support the project, he said, adding that SVOA aims to increase 10 percent of its sales revenue if they win the project.
Vira noted that readiness in products delivery and price are advantages of SVOA.
Key players such as Acer, Hewlett Packard will also share the project biddings.
Making books affordable
The National Book Fair starting tomorrow flashed me back to several similar real-life dramas I saw at the last event earlier this year. A girl looked desperately at a colourful book while the mother rushed her to move on to other stalls as she could not afford the price. At another booth selling history magazines and pocketbooks, a boy arrived to show the seller all his money and asked how many books he could get from the amount. It's a pity for many children that they cannot read any book they want as their families cannot afford pricey children's books.
What I witnessed seems to contradict the government's publicity aimed at fostering youths' reading habits -with a vow that reading is the foundation of intellectual development. The cabinet in August adopted "reading" as the national agenda and 2009-2019 has been designated a "decade of reading". A committee promoting the reading chaired by the Education Ministry will drive the agenda to reality.
But how can poor children in the countryside have a chance to read good non-textbooks as many of them still don't have enough food to eat in a day? One easy answer is, going to a school or community library. But I am still sceptical about the titles available in those libraries,whether they are attractive enough to draw the interest of young children. Another issue is how many community libraries does Thailand have? Are they accessible to rural children?
The government is currently campaigning aggressively to establish a "creative economy" with a hefty budget of around 20 billion baht. Supporting the private sector to produce more affordable quality children's books should be put in this scheme as certainly books would better fit the criteria of a creative economy than fixing damaged fences at an ancient site. The government has for decades provided incentives to promote investment in several industries and services to drive the economy. Is it possible for publishers to be given some incentives to print quality reading materials so they can produce lower-priced books to serve the public? I believe Thai publishers have tried their best to publish good books but have not succeeded in knocking down the price to an affordable level for low and medium-income families.
The book distribution system is another worrying factor that can determine the survival of many publishing houses,especially small ones. Currently, most publishers pin their hopes on sales at the National Book Fair, organised twice a year in Bangkok, plus a few times on a smaller scale in the major provinces.
Several small publishers say over half of their annual sales are generated by the two fairs, forcing them to print out new titles at the fair to avoid missing the most important marketing opportunities.The process partly results in inferior quality of the books, proven by errors in the first edition or more updated information in later editions.
A study by the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand shows that 13,348 titles were introduced to the market in 2008 or 36.57 new titles each day. Imagine how difficult it is for a publisher to roll out a best-selling book amidst all the new titles put on shelves each day.
Thailand had 512 publishers as of last year - around 83%were small publishers with less than 30 million baht in annual sales,7% were large publishers with over 100 million baht sales. The rest were medium-sized. However, the medium and large publishers controlled 86% of the 18.9-billion-baht sales in 2008.That sales structure will be similar to this year's projected figure of 19-19.2 billion baht. What will be different is the the diminishing share of small publishers who cannot withstand the economic struggle and are losing liquidity to continue their business.
With the fair's fixed schedule, book readers, especially in Bangkok, are waiting to shop for new books from the over-crowded events - estimated to attract 1.5 million fairgoers in each edition. They would cut their visits to local bookshops as publishers normally give discounts of 20-50% in exchange for getting cash and bypassing the distributing agents. This is one of the reasons why individually-owned bookshops are unlikely to survive in Thailand. Only chain-bookstores are flourishing. The association's statistics counted 2,995 active bookshops last year, a sharp rise from 1,913 in 2007 as the figure included small Book Smile corners at 7-Eleven convenience stores.
Thailand is still far from being a knowledge-based economy as average spending per year of the Thai people on books is only 300 baht. The government will need great concrete efforts to cultivate the reading habit, which will become true only when books are affordable and accessible to all who want to read them.
What I witnessed seems to contradict the government's publicity aimed at fostering youths' reading habits -with a vow that reading is the foundation of intellectual development. The cabinet in August adopted "reading" as the national agenda and 2009-2019 has been designated a "decade of reading". A committee promoting the reading chaired by the Education Ministry will drive the agenda to reality.
But how can poor children in the countryside have a chance to read good non-textbooks as many of them still don't have enough food to eat in a day? One easy answer is, going to a school or community library. But I am still sceptical about the titles available in those libraries,whether they are attractive enough to draw the interest of young children. Another issue is how many community libraries does Thailand have? Are they accessible to rural children?
The government is currently campaigning aggressively to establish a "creative economy" with a hefty budget of around 20 billion baht. Supporting the private sector to produce more affordable quality children's books should be put in this scheme as certainly books would better fit the criteria of a creative economy than fixing damaged fences at an ancient site. The government has for decades provided incentives to promote investment in several industries and services to drive the economy. Is it possible for publishers to be given some incentives to print quality reading materials so they can produce lower-priced books to serve the public? I believe Thai publishers have tried their best to publish good books but have not succeeded in knocking down the price to an affordable level for low and medium-income families.
The book distribution system is another worrying factor that can determine the survival of many publishing houses,especially small ones. Currently, most publishers pin their hopes on sales at the National Book Fair, organised twice a year in Bangkok, plus a few times on a smaller scale in the major provinces.
Several small publishers say over half of their annual sales are generated by the two fairs, forcing them to print out new titles at the fair to avoid missing the most important marketing opportunities.The process partly results in inferior quality of the books, proven by errors in the first edition or more updated information in later editions.
A study by the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand shows that 13,348 titles were introduced to the market in 2008 or 36.57 new titles each day. Imagine how difficult it is for a publisher to roll out a best-selling book amidst all the new titles put on shelves each day.
Thailand had 512 publishers as of last year - around 83%were small publishers with less than 30 million baht in annual sales,7% were large publishers with over 100 million baht sales. The rest were medium-sized. However, the medium and large publishers controlled 86% of the 18.9-billion-baht sales in 2008.That sales structure will be similar to this year's projected figure of 19-19.2 billion baht. What will be different is the the diminishing share of small publishers who cannot withstand the economic struggle and are losing liquidity to continue their business.
With the fair's fixed schedule, book readers, especially in Bangkok, are waiting to shop for new books from the over-crowded events - estimated to attract 1.5 million fairgoers in each edition. They would cut their visits to local bookshops as publishers normally give discounts of 20-50% in exchange for getting cash and bypassing the distributing agents. This is one of the reasons why individually-owned bookshops are unlikely to survive in Thailand. Only chain-bookstores are flourishing. The association's statistics counted 2,995 active bookshops last year, a sharp rise from 1,913 in 2007 as the figure included small Book Smile corners at 7-Eleven convenience stores.
Thailand is still far from being a knowledge-based economy as average spending per year of the Thai people on books is only 300 baht. The government will need great concrete efforts to cultivate the reading habit, which will become true only when books are affordable and accessible to all who want to read them.
Magnificent seven
In the most important, most revered event since the invention of the brontosaurus trap,Microsoft shipped the most incredibly fabulous operating system ever made; the release of Windows 7 also spurred a new generation of personal computers of all sizes at prices well below last month's offers.The top reason Windows 7 does not suck: There is no registered website called Windows7Sucks.com
Kindle e-book reader maker Amazon.com and new Nook e-book reader vendor Barnes and Noble got it on; B&N got great reviews for the "Kindle killer"Nook, with dual screens and touch controls so you can "turn" pages, plays MP3s and allows many non-B&N book formats, although not the Kindle one;Amazon then killed the US version of its Kindle in favour of the international one, reduced its price to $260(8,700 baht), same as the Nook; it's not yet clear what you can get in Thailand with a Nook, but you sure can't (yet) get much, relatively speaking, with a Kindle;but here's the biggest difference so far,which Amazon.com has ignored: the Nook lets you lend e-books to any other Nook owner, just as if they were paper books; the borrowed books expire on the borrower's Nook in two weeks.
Phone maker Nokia of Finland announced it is suing iPhone maker Apple of America for being a copycat; lawyers said they figure Nokia can get at least one, probably two per cent (retail) for every iPhone sold by Steve "President for Life" Jobs and crew via the lawsuit,which sure beats working for it -$6 (200 baht) to $12(400 baht) on 30 million phones sold so far, works out to $400 million or 25 percent of the whole Apple empire profits during the last quarter;there were 10 patent thefts, the Finnish executives said, on everything from moving data to security and encryption.
Nokia of Finland announced that it is one month behind on shipping its new flagship N900 phone, the first to run on Linux software; delay of the $750(25,000 baht) phone had absolutely no part in making Nokia so short that it had to sue Apple, slap yourself for such a thought.
Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web, said he had one regret:the double slash that follows the "http:"in standard web addresses; he estimated that 14.2 gazillion users have wasted 48.72 bazillion hours typing those two keystrokes, and he's sorry; of course there's no reason to ever type that, since your browser does it for you when you type "www.bangkokpost.com" but Tim needs to admit he made one error in his lifetime.
The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations, which doesn't sell any phones or services, announced that there should be a mobile phone charger that will work with any phone; now who would ever have thought of that, without a UN body to wind up a major study on the subject?;the GSM Association estimates that 51,000 tonnes of chargers are made each year in order to keep companies able to have their own unique ones.
The Well, Doh Award of the Week was presented at arm's length to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; the group's deputy secretary-general Petko Draganov said that developing countries will miss some of the stuff available on the Internet if they don't install more broadband infrastructure; a report that used your tax baht to compile said that quite a few people use mobile phones but companies are more likely to invest in countries with excellent broadband connections; no one ever had thought of this before, right?
Sun Microsystems , as a result of the Oracle takeover, said it will allow 3,000 current workers never to bother coming to work again; Sun referred to the losses as "jobs," not people; now the fourth largest server maker in the world, Sun said it lost $2.2 billion in its last fiscal year; European regulators are holding up approval of the Oracle purchase in the hope of getting some money in exchange for not involving Oracle in court cases.
The multi-gazillionaire and very annoying investor Carl Icahn resigned from the board at Yahoo ; he spun it as a vote of confidence, saying current directors are taking the formerly threatened company seriously; Yahoo reported increased profits but smaller revenues in the third quarter.
The US House of Representatives voted to censure Vietnam for jailing bloggers; the non-binding resolution sponsored by southern California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said the Internet is "a crucial tool for the citizens of Vietnam to be able to exercise their freedom of expression and association;"Hanoi has recently jailed at least nine activists for up to six years apiece for holding pro-democracy banners. Iran jailed blogger Hossein "Hoder" Derakshan for 10 months - in solitary confinement.
Kindle e-book reader maker Amazon.com and new Nook e-book reader vendor Barnes and Noble got it on; B&N got great reviews for the "Kindle killer"Nook, with dual screens and touch controls so you can "turn" pages, plays MP3s and allows many non-B&N book formats, although not the Kindle one;Amazon then killed the US version of its Kindle in favour of the international one, reduced its price to $260(8,700 baht), same as the Nook; it's not yet clear what you can get in Thailand with a Nook, but you sure can't (yet) get much, relatively speaking, with a Kindle;but here's the biggest difference so far,which Amazon.com has ignored: the Nook lets you lend e-books to any other Nook owner, just as if they were paper books; the borrowed books expire on the borrower's Nook in two weeks.
Phone maker Nokia of Finland announced it is suing iPhone maker Apple of America for being a copycat; lawyers said they figure Nokia can get at least one, probably two per cent (retail) for every iPhone sold by Steve "President for Life" Jobs and crew via the lawsuit,which sure beats working for it -$6 (200 baht) to $12(400 baht) on 30 million phones sold so far, works out to $400 million or 25 percent of the whole Apple empire profits during the last quarter;there were 10 patent thefts, the Finnish executives said, on everything from moving data to security and encryption.
Nokia of Finland announced that it is one month behind on shipping its new flagship N900 phone, the first to run on Linux software; delay of the $750(25,000 baht) phone had absolutely no part in making Nokia so short that it had to sue Apple, slap yourself for such a thought.
Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web, said he had one regret:the double slash that follows the "http:"in standard web addresses; he estimated that 14.2 gazillion users have wasted 48.72 bazillion hours typing those two keystrokes, and he's sorry; of course there's no reason to ever type that, since your browser does it for you when you type "www.bangkokpost.com" but Tim needs to admit he made one error in his lifetime.
The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations, which doesn't sell any phones or services, announced that there should be a mobile phone charger that will work with any phone; now who would ever have thought of that, without a UN body to wind up a major study on the subject?;the GSM Association estimates that 51,000 tonnes of chargers are made each year in order to keep companies able to have their own unique ones.
The Well, Doh Award of the Week was presented at arm's length to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; the group's deputy secretary-general Petko Draganov said that developing countries will miss some of the stuff available on the Internet if they don't install more broadband infrastructure; a report that used your tax baht to compile said that quite a few people use mobile phones but companies are more likely to invest in countries with excellent broadband connections; no one ever had thought of this before, right?
Sun Microsystems , as a result of the Oracle takeover, said it will allow 3,000 current workers never to bother coming to work again; Sun referred to the losses as "jobs," not people; now the fourth largest server maker in the world, Sun said it lost $2.2 billion in its last fiscal year; European regulators are holding up approval of the Oracle purchase in the hope of getting some money in exchange for not involving Oracle in court cases.
The multi-gazillionaire and very annoying investor Carl Icahn resigned from the board at Yahoo ; he spun it as a vote of confidence, saying current directors are taking the formerly threatened company seriously; Yahoo reported increased profits but smaller revenues in the third quarter.
The US House of Representatives voted to censure Vietnam for jailing bloggers; the non-binding resolution sponsored by southern California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said the Internet is "a crucial tool for the citizens of Vietnam to be able to exercise their freedom of expression and association;"Hanoi has recently jailed at least nine activists for up to six years apiece for holding pro-democracy banners. Iran jailed blogger Hossein "Hoder" Derakshan for 10 months - in solitary confinement.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
MBAs must learn to "sell" ideas
One of the biggest mistakes an inexperienced MBA can make is not involving and "selling" other people on their ideas for change.
During the recession, many college students opted to continue their education rather than graduate and enter a depressed job market. Some decided to collect their master's degree in business ("MBA") with little or no work experience.
When these MBA students graduate, they will have advanced academic credentials and the mettle to make it to the executive suite. But what they might lack is one other essential skill needed for success: The ability to sell ideas to others.
Most MBA programmes provide the traditional business school curriculum that sharpens technical skills such as finance and accounting, builds decision-making effectiveness via case studies, and enhances collaboration through group problem-solving. These experiences equip students with rudimentary management skills and a better understanding of the business world.
But to make an impact in the post-recession era, an MBA degree must be accompanied with a healthy dose of what it takes to sell change - new ideas for growth, different strategies or tough re-structuring. A brilliant MBA graduate who doesn't know how to sell his ideas is like a sports car with a big engine but no wheels. It has a lot of horsepower, makes a lot of noise, but doesn't go anywhere.
"One of the biggest knocks against inexperienced MBAs is that they are book smart, but don't know how to deal with people to get things done," said Khun Siriporn, HR director at a multinational here in Thailand. "They think the quality of their ideas will fly on their own merit and can't understand when they don't."
The problem occurs when an inexperienced MBA comes up with a good idea, but meets resistance because he has not involved others in developing that idea. Often alternative ideas are accepted not because they are better, but because more people have been consulted and involved. This creates ownership.
"Often times MBAs are frustrated when their ideas are put on hold for several months and then nothing happens," said Khun Siriporn. "You need other people to champion your ideas to push them through."
Take, for example, the classic method for problem-solving in the workplace. A young MBA is faced with a business problem to solve so he refers to the three-step MBA playbook. First, he clarifies the situation, second, he identifies the correct problem, and third, he proposes a text book solution.
Although he followed a logical approach, he neglected to involve and sound out others who would be affected. As a result, when his idea is presented for approval, there isn't enough buy-in to push it through.
In the real world, even the cleverest leaders with the smartest ideas need to gain support. Without this support, their ideas remain purely academic.
During the recession, many college students opted to continue their education rather than graduate and enter a depressed job market. Some decided to collect their master's degree in business ("MBA") with little or no work experience.
When these MBA students graduate, they will have advanced academic credentials and the mettle to make it to the executive suite. But what they might lack is one other essential skill needed for success: The ability to sell ideas to others.
Most MBA programmes provide the traditional business school curriculum that sharpens technical skills such as finance and accounting, builds decision-making effectiveness via case studies, and enhances collaboration through group problem-solving. These experiences equip students with rudimentary management skills and a better understanding of the business world.
But to make an impact in the post-recession era, an MBA degree must be accompanied with a healthy dose of what it takes to sell change - new ideas for growth, different strategies or tough re-structuring. A brilliant MBA graduate who doesn't know how to sell his ideas is like a sports car with a big engine but no wheels. It has a lot of horsepower, makes a lot of noise, but doesn't go anywhere.
"One of the biggest knocks against inexperienced MBAs is that they are book smart, but don't know how to deal with people to get things done," said Khun Siriporn, HR director at a multinational here in Thailand. "They think the quality of their ideas will fly on their own merit and can't understand when they don't."
The problem occurs when an inexperienced MBA comes up with a good idea, but meets resistance because he has not involved others in developing that idea. Often alternative ideas are accepted not because they are better, but because more people have been consulted and involved. This creates ownership.
"Often times MBAs are frustrated when their ideas are put on hold for several months and then nothing happens," said Khun Siriporn. "You need other people to champion your ideas to push them through."
Take, for example, the classic method for problem-solving in the workplace. A young MBA is faced with a business problem to solve so he refers to the three-step MBA playbook. First, he clarifies the situation, second, he identifies the correct problem, and third, he proposes a text book solution.
Although he followed a logical approach, he neglected to involve and sound out others who would be affected. As a result, when his idea is presented for approval, there isn't enough buy-in to push it through.
In the real world, even the cleverest leaders with the smartest ideas need to gain support. Without this support, their ideas remain purely academic.
Zone curbing alcohol sales set for trial
The zoning of outlets selling alcohol around universities will begin on a pilot basis pending a ministerial announcement enforcing the change.
Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodee yesterday said the selection of areas for the project had been discussed with Thammasat University, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and a network of civic groups.
The pilot would show curbs on the sale of alcohol around universities would work, Mr Manit said.
The Prime Minister's Office has drafted an announcement under the Alcohol Control Act. The announcement is organic to the act and it is needed to enforce the zoning.
First, however, it would have to be backed by the national committee on alcohol consumption control chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart. No date for a meeting of the committee has been set.
No alcohol sales will be allowed within 500 metres of universities or other education outlets under the announcement.
However, shops such as convenience stores or entertainment venues selling alcohol may be exempt from the ban.
Exemptions will be decided by the education outlets and the provincial alcohol regulation committee.
Roadside vendors selling alcoholic smoothies will also come under the regulation.
The changes also introduce picture warnings on bottles containing alcohol,similar to those seen on cigarette packs.
The draft will specify the size of the images and health messages which must cover half the label.
They will tell of drinkers suffering from liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver and causing road accidents. They have to be posted on all bottles and packaging for alcohol, the Disease Control Department says.
The pilot project will be useful for testing the water before the announcement takes effect, Mr Manit said.
Another possible measure for the pilot zone is to reject any new applications for operating licences for alcohol shops close to education outlets.
Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodee yesterday said the selection of areas for the project had been discussed with Thammasat University, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and a network of civic groups.
The pilot would show curbs on the sale of alcohol around universities would work, Mr Manit said.
The Prime Minister's Office has drafted an announcement under the Alcohol Control Act. The announcement is organic to the act and it is needed to enforce the zoning.
First, however, it would have to be backed by the national committee on alcohol consumption control chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart. No date for a meeting of the committee has been set.
No alcohol sales will be allowed within 500 metres of universities or other education outlets under the announcement.
However, shops such as convenience stores or entertainment venues selling alcohol may be exempt from the ban.
Exemptions will be decided by the education outlets and the provincial alcohol regulation committee.
Roadside vendors selling alcoholic smoothies will also come under the regulation.
The changes also introduce picture warnings on bottles containing alcohol,similar to those seen on cigarette packs.
The draft will specify the size of the images and health messages which must cover half the label.
They will tell of drinkers suffering from liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver and causing road accidents. They have to be posted on all bottles and packaging for alcohol, the Disease Control Department says.
The pilot project will be useful for testing the water before the announcement takes effect, Mr Manit said.
Another possible measure for the pilot zone is to reject any new applications for operating licences for alcohol shops close to education outlets.
Many fine art students today
Many fine art students today are facing a shortage of scholarships with which to create works of art,due to the sluggish economy and family financial problems. A fund is also needed for the purchase of tools for the creation of art works.
To help alleviate these problems,the Architecture Faculty of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, which has been in the fine arts field for more than 10 years,in conjunction with Artery Thailand,has come up with the "GIFT" project, an art exhibition to raise funds for needy students with good academic records.
The project will exhibit the works of 24 famous art professionals such as Decha Warashoon, Sannarong Singhaseni, Alita Junfungpetch, Wutigorn Kongka, and Mongkol Kerdwan. All the works will be for sale, with the income going directly to the institute and the students.
The exhibition will be from Oct 8 to Oct 31, at Artery Gallery,919/1 The Silom Galleria Building, B1 Fl, Silom Rd., Bangkok.
To help alleviate these problems,the Architecture Faculty of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, which has been in the fine arts field for more than 10 years,in conjunction with Artery Thailand,has come up with the "GIFT" project, an art exhibition to raise funds for needy students with good academic records.
The project will exhibit the works of 24 famous art professionals such as Decha Warashoon, Sannarong Singhaseni, Alita Junfungpetch, Wutigorn Kongka, and Mongkol Kerdwan. All the works will be for sale, with the income going directly to the institute and the students.
The exhibition will be from Oct 8 to Oct 31, at Artery Gallery,919/1 The Silom Galleria Building, B1 Fl, Silom Rd., Bangkok.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
EDUCATION INSTITUTE PLAN REDUNDANT, COSTLY: EXPERTS
Several key figures in the country's education circle have condemned the government plan to establish a National Institute of Education (NIE) to oversee organisations that produce teachers and ensure their quality.
"I disagree with the plan because of [the amount of] budget involved," Teachers' Council of Thailand secretarygeneral Ongkorn Amornsirinan said at a seminar yesterday.
NIE will need at least Bt2billion to start its operations.
The Office of the Education Council held the seminar to gather opinions on the NIE plan. The information will later be forwarded to Education Minister Jurin Laksanawisit.
Suan Dusit Rajabhat University president Sirote Phonpuntin lamented that the Rajabhat institutes had to take the flak for the perceived drop in teacher quality.
"In the past, we had never been consulted about any upcoming change. We put academic content before teaching skills in our course. But then we were told to focus more on teaching skills. Now that the teachers do not have solid knowledge of the academic subject, we are blamed," Sirote said.
He was against the NIE.
"It's redundant," Sirote insisted.
Ongkorn said political interference was a reason the country's educational reform was not successful and the teaching profession was headed for decline.
"I think it's time we stopped carrying out educational reform in response to politicians' wishes," he said.
Thailand Education Deans Council chairman Sombat Noprak said he would support NIE only if it was going to work like the nowdefunct Department of Teacher Education.
The department was dissolved during the first round of the country's educational reform.
"NIE, if established, must not compete with 100 institutes now producing teachers for the country. Also, NIE's scope of work must not overlap with that of the Teachers' Council of Thailand," Sombat said.
Chulalongkorn University lecturer Sompong Jitradub said it would be better for existing organisations to work together in solving educational problems. "We should not establish a new organisation," he said.
"Thailand already has so many highereducational institutes."
Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (Onesqa) acting director Somwang Phithiyanuwat insisted that NIE works would not overlap any existing institute.
"NIE will develop the teaching profession. It will also enhance not just the work standard but also the quality of life of teachers," Somwang said.
NIE will plan how best to develop teachers and will channel budget to qualified institutes, he said.
"Some institutes may be upset because they are producing too many unqualified teachers," Somwang said.
Dr Warakorn Samkoses, who chairs a panel on teacher production and development, said no existing organisation could do what the NIE was supposed to do.
"I disagree with the plan because of [the amount of] budget involved," Teachers' Council of Thailand secretarygeneral Ongkorn Amornsirinan said at a seminar yesterday.
NIE will need at least Bt2billion to start its operations.
The Office of the Education Council held the seminar to gather opinions on the NIE plan. The information will later be forwarded to Education Minister Jurin Laksanawisit.
Suan Dusit Rajabhat University president Sirote Phonpuntin lamented that the Rajabhat institutes had to take the flak for the perceived drop in teacher quality.
"In the past, we had never been consulted about any upcoming change. We put academic content before teaching skills in our course. But then we were told to focus more on teaching skills. Now that the teachers do not have solid knowledge of the academic subject, we are blamed," Sirote said.
He was against the NIE.
"It's redundant," Sirote insisted.
Ongkorn said political interference was a reason the country's educational reform was not successful and the teaching profession was headed for decline.
"I think it's time we stopped carrying out educational reform in response to politicians' wishes," he said.
Thailand Education Deans Council chairman Sombat Noprak said he would support NIE only if it was going to work like the nowdefunct Department of Teacher Education.
The department was dissolved during the first round of the country's educational reform.
"NIE, if established, must not compete with 100 institutes now producing teachers for the country. Also, NIE's scope of work must not overlap with that of the Teachers' Council of Thailand," Sombat said.
Chulalongkorn University lecturer Sompong Jitradub said it would be better for existing organisations to work together in solving educational problems. "We should not establish a new organisation," he said.
"Thailand already has so many highereducational institutes."
Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (Onesqa) acting director Somwang Phithiyanuwat insisted that NIE works would not overlap any existing institute.
"NIE will develop the teaching profession. It will also enhance not just the work standard but also the quality of life of teachers," Somwang said.
NIE will plan how best to develop teachers and will channel budget to qualified institutes, he said.
"Some institutes may be upset because they are producing too many unqualified teachers," Somwang said.
Dr Warakorn Samkoses, who chairs a panel on teacher production and development, said no existing organisation could do what the NIE was supposed to do.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
REDUNDANT EDUCATION CONTENT MAY BE CUT AS PART OF REFORM
Some 30 per cent of content taught at the basic-education level may be cut or adjusted on grounds of redundancy, Education Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said at a meeting yesterday.
Meanwhile, academics at the meeting urged the education and other ministries to stop organising formal training for teachers, because it was found they often had to miss classes in order to attend the sessions.
After the meeting, held at the Dusit Thani Hotel and Resort in Pattaya with education officials and academics to decide on priorities for the country's second education reform programme, Jurin said he would let educational experts work together with curriculum creators |to consider whether the ministry should cut or adjust redundant content.
He expects it will take about a month to consider the issue, after which he will decide which path to take.
Utumporn Jamornmann, director of the National Institute of Educational Testing Service, said she wanted training held by the ministries for teachers to be revoked, but they should instead let teachers organise training themselves.
"Many teachers have to leave their pupils and classes to take part in the training, especially in August when much of the training budget remains," she said.
Channarong Pornrungroj, secretary to the Council of University Presidents of Thailand, backed Utumporn's idea.
He said it was unnecessary to have so much formal training for teachers. They should instead have the freedom and time to adjust their own training, so that it does not affect their classes.
Jurin concluded from yesterday's discussion that three main areas of the education system should be focused upon in the upcoming reform.
"With the need to enable Thai students to think more analytically than only being able to remember studied content, initially we'll improve three main areas: curriculum, teachers and instructional media. We'll put the conclusions of the meeting into practice and initiate policy to support them," he said.
"In order to develop students' analytical thinking, the curriculum needs adjustment. Apart from dealing with redundant content, more education-related activities are needed for the new curriculum because this will encourage students to think more analytically. Therefore, students' timetables will also be adjusted to suit learning through such activities," the minister said.
He said he planned to improve the quality of teaching by organising training for 450,000 teachers countrywide within one year, together with creating a better understanding with school boards.
Jurin added that instructional media successfully produced and used in other countries would be introduced into Thailand for use by teachers. In addition, more local instructional media will be produced to facilitate their teaching.
Meanwhile, academics at the meeting urged the education and other ministries to stop organising formal training for teachers, because it was found they often had to miss classes in order to attend the sessions.
After the meeting, held at the Dusit Thani Hotel and Resort in Pattaya with education officials and academics to decide on priorities for the country's second education reform programme, Jurin said he would let educational experts work together with curriculum creators |to consider whether the ministry should cut or adjust redundant content.
He expects it will take about a month to consider the issue, after which he will decide which path to take.
Utumporn Jamornmann, director of the National Institute of Educational Testing Service, said she wanted training held by the ministries for teachers to be revoked, but they should instead let teachers organise training themselves.
"Many teachers have to leave their pupils and classes to take part in the training, especially in August when much of the training budget remains," she said.
Channarong Pornrungroj, secretary to the Council of University Presidents of Thailand, backed Utumporn's idea.
He said it was unnecessary to have so much formal training for teachers. They should instead have the freedom and time to adjust their own training, so that it does not affect their classes.
Jurin concluded from yesterday's discussion that three main areas of the education system should be focused upon in the upcoming reform.
"With the need to enable Thai students to think more analytically than only being able to remember studied content, initially we'll improve three main areas: curriculum, teachers and instructional media. We'll put the conclusions of the meeting into practice and initiate policy to support them," he said.
"In order to develop students' analytical thinking, the curriculum needs adjustment. Apart from dealing with redundant content, more education-related activities are needed for the new curriculum because this will encourage students to think more analytically. Therefore, students' timetables will also be adjusted to suit learning through such activities," the minister said.
He said he planned to improve the quality of teaching by organising training for 450,000 teachers countrywide within one year, together with creating a better understanding with school boards.
Jurin added that instructional media successfully produced and used in other countries would be introduced into Thailand for use by teachers. In addition, more local instructional media will be produced to facilitate their teaching.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Forum to discuss broadband
Fed up with the delay surrounding Thailand's 3G and Wimax deployments,the secretariat of apowerful Chulalongkorn-based think tank will release a report on October 28, presenting a model to vastly accelerate the nation's broadband deployment.
Headlining the event, to be held at Sasin Graduate School of Business, will be True Corp. CEO Supachai Chearavanont, in his role as Rotating Chairman of Chulalongkorn's Meaningful Broadband Working Group. The Forum will be on October 28 at Sasin Graduate School of Business,1-4 pm, sponsored by Cisco Systems.
"The report shows that broadband can be leveraged to bring new opportunities for low-income Thais. Meaningful Broadband is bringing together government, business and academia to this end," said Supachai.
The report,A Model to Close Digital Divide , formulates a business model that would more than triple fixed and wireless broadband penetration in Thailand from the current predicted level of 17 percent by 2015, to more than 50 percent, a target called for by the ICT Minister Ranongrak Suwanchawee.
The Forum, for the Chulalongkorn community, with some space available for the general public, will be opened by Dr Charas Suwanwela, Chairman of the University Council. Individuals interested in attending the forum can register after October 20 at www.meaningfulbroadband.org.
Supachai recently replaced NTC commissioners as temporary leader of the Meaningful Broadband Working Group,which includes the top executives of AIS, DTAC, TOT Telecom and CAT Telecom, as well as the government's NTC.After gaining public feedback, the report will be revised and formally presented for the consideration of the Working Group and to the Prime Minister within the next several weeks.
The author of the report, Chulalongkorn Visiting Professor Craig Warren Smith, a leader in the global movement to close digital divide is now in residence as Visiting Professor at Chulalongkorn to oversee the initiative. He says,"The Thai government rightly calls for a 'creative economy,' and for giving low-income Thais skills to be knowledge workers.But these concepts require broadband for their implementation. Mobile data services could be designed for smart phones to transmit a 'wealth effect,' lowering costs and increasing income."
As an example, he offers the example of cellbazaar.com, an application that is used by millions of Bangladeshis to buy and sell, cutting out middlemen."If such applications become part of a suite of 'meaningful services' that are enabled by broadband and made affordable to all Thais, they would produce a more equitable Thai economy," says Prof Smith.
He adds,"Even if 3G and Wimax licensing proceeds as planned, price points of the Thai broadband ecosystem will be so high that smart phones and netbooks will hardly reach beyond the 'yuppiephone' market. And they will be bundled with frivolous entertainment applications designed for international markets. They will be too pricey and irrelevant to the basic needs of Thai families who earn less than 20,000 baht a month," he said.
Prof Soraj Hongladarom, director of the university's Center for Ethics of Science and Technology, which hosts the Meaningful Broadband Working Group,adds that the Secretariat is considering options for beta-test deployment of the model in Isan."We might invite innovators from IT labs from around the world to join to join in the effort to create web services that preserve Thai values as well as help low-income Thais develop essential new skills."
Headlining the event, to be held at Sasin Graduate School of Business, will be True Corp. CEO Supachai Chearavanont, in his role as Rotating Chairman of Chulalongkorn's Meaningful Broadband Working Group. The Forum will be on October 28 at Sasin Graduate School of Business,1-4 pm, sponsored by Cisco Systems.
"The report shows that broadband can be leveraged to bring new opportunities for low-income Thais. Meaningful Broadband is bringing together government, business and academia to this end," said Supachai.
The report,A Model to Close Digital Divide , formulates a business model that would more than triple fixed and wireless broadband penetration in Thailand from the current predicted level of 17 percent by 2015, to more than 50 percent, a target called for by the ICT Minister Ranongrak Suwanchawee.
The Forum, for the Chulalongkorn community, with some space available for the general public, will be opened by Dr Charas Suwanwela, Chairman of the University Council. Individuals interested in attending the forum can register after October 20 at www.meaningfulbroadband.org.
Supachai recently replaced NTC commissioners as temporary leader of the Meaningful Broadband Working Group,which includes the top executives of AIS, DTAC, TOT Telecom and CAT Telecom, as well as the government's NTC.After gaining public feedback, the report will be revised and formally presented for the consideration of the Working Group and to the Prime Minister within the next several weeks.
The author of the report, Chulalongkorn Visiting Professor Craig Warren Smith, a leader in the global movement to close digital divide is now in residence as Visiting Professor at Chulalongkorn to oversee the initiative. He says,"The Thai government rightly calls for a 'creative economy,' and for giving low-income Thais skills to be knowledge workers.But these concepts require broadband for their implementation. Mobile data services could be designed for smart phones to transmit a 'wealth effect,' lowering costs and increasing income."
As an example, he offers the example of cellbazaar.com, an application that is used by millions of Bangladeshis to buy and sell, cutting out middlemen."If such applications become part of a suite of 'meaningful services' that are enabled by broadband and made affordable to all Thais, they would produce a more equitable Thai economy," says Prof Smith.
He adds,"Even if 3G and Wimax licensing proceeds as planned, price points of the Thai broadband ecosystem will be so high that smart phones and netbooks will hardly reach beyond the 'yuppiephone' market. And they will be bundled with frivolous entertainment applications designed for international markets. They will be too pricey and irrelevant to the basic needs of Thai families who earn less than 20,000 baht a month," he said.
Prof Soraj Hongladarom, director of the university's Center for Ethics of Science and Technology, which hosts the Meaningful Broadband Working Group,adds that the Secretariat is considering options for beta-test deployment of the model in Isan."We might invite innovators from IT labs from around the world to join to join in the effort to create web services that preserve Thai values as well as help low-income Thais develop essential new skills."
Monday, October 12, 2009
ANOTHER CHANCE FOR VICTIMS OF TEST HACKERS
Students who missed two national university-entrance tests as a result of hackers attacking the website of the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS) will be allowed to take both tests later this month, NIETS director Uthumphorn Jamornman said yesterday.
Those able to print out test permits from the website before it was hacked last week can take both the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and the Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) exams at 2 pm today.
Those who were unable to obtain the printouts can take the tests from October 29 to November 1, before overall results are announced by November 10.
Information about 1,000 students was stolen last week by hackers in coordinated denial-of-service attacks against the NIETS website. The attacks, believed to have been the work of dissatisfied students, led to the NIETS website shutting down.
High absentee rates at GAT |tests on Saturday were believed |to be a consequence of students |misunderstanding their inability to print out their information from |the NIETS website following the attacks. They saw this as meaning they were unable to take the exam.
Uthumphorn said a new registration would be held from Thursday to October 22, for all students, and the names of those allowed to take the tests would be announced on October 26. She said the new registration would also benefit students who did not register in the first place, giving them a second chance. All students entitled to take second-round tests will not have to pay extra registration fees.
The NIETS has sought technological assistance from the Information and Communications Technology Ministry to prevent or deter possible hacker attacks.
The online intrusion had not reached essential information protected by firewalls in the NIETS website, she said, adding that she thought it had been done by some "wayward individuals similar to those who throw objects at passing vehicles".
She said additional means of communication would be established next year as alternative channels in the case of possible malfunction or hacking of the website, like mirror websites or a call centre for emergency information.
Uthumphorn was jointly inspecting an exam venue yesterday at Ratchavinij Bang Kaew School in Samut Prakan, where a PAT II exam was held.
Suraphong Phongdej khajorn, an assistant to the education minister's secretary. said later that the PAT exam was held at 300 venues across the country and about 20 per cent of students missed the test.
Those able to print out test permits from the website before it was hacked last week can take both the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and the Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) exams at 2 pm today.
Those who were unable to obtain the printouts can take the tests from October 29 to November 1, before overall results are announced by November 10.
Information about 1,000 students was stolen last week by hackers in coordinated denial-of-service attacks against the NIETS website. The attacks, believed to have been the work of dissatisfied students, led to the NIETS website shutting down.
High absentee rates at GAT |tests on Saturday were believed |to be a consequence of students |misunderstanding their inability to print out their information from |the NIETS website following the attacks. They saw this as meaning they were unable to take the exam.
Uthumphorn said a new registration would be held from Thursday to October 22, for all students, and the names of those allowed to take the tests would be announced on October 26. She said the new registration would also benefit students who did not register in the first place, giving them a second chance. All students entitled to take second-round tests will not have to pay extra registration fees.
The NIETS has sought technological assistance from the Information and Communications Technology Ministry to prevent or deter possible hacker attacks.
The online intrusion had not reached essential information protected by firewalls in the NIETS website, she said, adding that she thought it had been done by some "wayward individuals similar to those who throw objects at passing vehicles".
She said additional means of communication would be established next year as alternative channels in the case of possible malfunction or hacking of the website, like mirror websites or a call centre for emergency information.
Uthumphorn was jointly inspecting an exam venue yesterday at Ratchavinij Bang Kaew School in Samut Prakan, where a PAT II exam was held.
Suraphong Phongdej khajorn, an assistant to the education minister's secretary. said later that the PAT exam was held at 300 venues across the country and about 20 per cent of students missed the test.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
THE SCHOOL THAT SETS ITS OWN COURSE
Meet Wichien Chaiyabang, headmaster of a school that really stands out in this country - no strict curriculum, no exams and, despite producing some of the best national results in science, no science course.
Wichien, 41, graduated from Rajabhat Maha Sarakham University with a teaching degree and spent 10 years teaching in the civil service. But despite his best efforts to improve things, it was "like being in a very big pond" and he was never able to raise a ripple.
His belief that there's a better way was restored soon after he became headmaster of Buri Ram's Lamplaimat Pattana School when it opened eight years ago. He chose the right strings to pull and the results came fast.
"It's just a small school, but it's having an impact elsewhere," Wichien says with modest understatement. More than 20 state schools are now following its example.
In 2006 the University of Tasmania ranked it as "world class". The following year its students sailed through the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment with "excellent marks" under 13 criteria.
Lamplaimat Pattana School's founders, the Population and Community Development Association and the James Clark Foundation, envisioned it as a model for schools where rural children could receive a solid education and learn to be good members of society.
"Compared with students at rural state schools, ours are really full of confidence, determination and tenderness," Wichien says.
Lamplaimat Pattana holds no exams, he notes. "I don't believe multiplec-hoice exams can identify which children are smart."
The lack of testing hasn't stopped the youngsters from doing exceptionally well on national examinations. They routinely score higher than average in the Thai language, math and science.
"Actually, we don't even have a science course," Wichien says.
There is no strict curriculum and no purposemade textbooks. No bells ring to signal the end of classes.
"Our class time is based on short lessons," Wichien explains. In learning Thai grammar, for example, the students are told a story and then quizzed about it, thus honing their ability to memorise, understand and analyse.
"We'll ask them what they would do if they were in such a situation," Wichien says. "That's how they learn how to apply what they've learned."
From there, the teacher might move on to any other related subject, such as design.
"The students could be asked to design a setting for the story. And to further stimulate their imagination, they could be asked to suggest different endings for the story."
Wichien says all of the school's teachers are committed to maintaining a happy learning environment with "no coercion".
They're required to treat their students the way they wanted to be treated when they were children, and to show love and respect.
"Good relationships can be very useful!" Wichien says.
"They have to see the students' good points and boost their potential. They must not let a single student fail."
Every Monday evening the teachers meet to compare notes on the previous week and plan for the next.
Wichien admits he tries to push the teachers beyond their comfort zones so that greater achievements become possible.
"We've also involved the parents and others in the local community. We want them to know they have a responsibility to the school as well."
Parents are regularly invited to conduct classes.
"They can tell a story or teach the kids how to cook something, but they must come, so that they get to know their children's friends," Wichien says.
The parents, he says, at first wanted to see their children learn to read and write in the conventional way, believing it was essential to gaining admission to a prestigious school and a brighter future.
"But over the years their attitude has changed. They've come to understand that Lamplaimat Pattana teaches their children to be good people and efficient problemsolvers. Their children will be able to live a good life."
Satisfied at having made a difference in education, Wichien is thinking about retiring from the school after two more years to pursue his dream of writing.
"I want to spend the rest of my life writing," he says. "I believe books have a significant impact on people's lives. I want to write fulltime in the hope that my books will expand the readers' horizon and offer them good alternatives in life."
Wichien, 41, graduated from Rajabhat Maha Sarakham University with a teaching degree and spent 10 years teaching in the civil service. But despite his best efforts to improve things, it was "like being in a very big pond" and he was never able to raise a ripple.
His belief that there's a better way was restored soon after he became headmaster of Buri Ram's Lamplaimat Pattana School when it opened eight years ago. He chose the right strings to pull and the results came fast.
"It's just a small school, but it's having an impact elsewhere," Wichien says with modest understatement. More than 20 state schools are now following its example.
In 2006 the University of Tasmania ranked it as "world class". The following year its students sailed through the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment with "excellent marks" under 13 criteria.
Lamplaimat Pattana School's founders, the Population and Community Development Association and the James Clark Foundation, envisioned it as a model for schools where rural children could receive a solid education and learn to be good members of society.
"Compared with students at rural state schools, ours are really full of confidence, determination and tenderness," Wichien says.
Lamplaimat Pattana holds no exams, he notes. "I don't believe multiplec-hoice exams can identify which children are smart."
The lack of testing hasn't stopped the youngsters from doing exceptionally well on national examinations. They routinely score higher than average in the Thai language, math and science.
"Actually, we don't even have a science course," Wichien says.
There is no strict curriculum and no purposemade textbooks. No bells ring to signal the end of classes.
"Our class time is based on short lessons," Wichien explains. In learning Thai grammar, for example, the students are told a story and then quizzed about it, thus honing their ability to memorise, understand and analyse.
"We'll ask them what they would do if they were in such a situation," Wichien says. "That's how they learn how to apply what they've learned."
From there, the teacher might move on to any other related subject, such as design.
"The students could be asked to design a setting for the story. And to further stimulate their imagination, they could be asked to suggest different endings for the story."
Wichien says all of the school's teachers are committed to maintaining a happy learning environment with "no coercion".
They're required to treat their students the way they wanted to be treated when they were children, and to show love and respect.
"Good relationships can be very useful!" Wichien says.
"They have to see the students' good points and boost their potential. They must not let a single student fail."
Every Monday evening the teachers meet to compare notes on the previous week and plan for the next.
Wichien admits he tries to push the teachers beyond their comfort zones so that greater achievements become possible.
"We've also involved the parents and others in the local community. We want them to know they have a responsibility to the school as well."
Parents are regularly invited to conduct classes.
"They can tell a story or teach the kids how to cook something, but they must come, so that they get to know their children's friends," Wichien says.
The parents, he says, at first wanted to see their children learn to read and write in the conventional way, believing it was essential to gaining admission to a prestigious school and a brighter future.
"But over the years their attitude has changed. They've come to understand that Lamplaimat Pattana teaches their children to be good people and efficient problemsolvers. Their children will be able to live a good life."
Satisfied at having made a difference in education, Wichien is thinking about retiring from the school after two more years to pursue his dream of writing.
"I want to spend the rest of my life writing," he says. "I believe books have a significant impact on people's lives. I want to write fulltime in the hope that my books will expand the readers' horizon and offer them good alternatives in life."
Friday, October 9, 2009
Varsities face class suspensions
The Education Ministry is looking at suspending classes at two Bangkok technology universities in a bid to end clashes between students.
The ministry yesterday said it also might discipline the university heads or, as a last resort, close the universities in response to the latest strife.
Students from Rajamangala University of Technology's Uthen Thawai campus came under gun attack on a public bus on Wednesday night. One student was seriously injured and the bus driver and three passengers wounded.
The attackers were believed to be students from the Pathumwan Institute of Technology, as students from the two schools have a long history of rivalry.
Witnesses told police a group of teenagers tried to get on to the air-conditioned bus No.113 stopped in front of Supachalasai National Stadium, but the driver closed the door and drove away. Moments later, six gun shots rang out.
Five people including the bus driver and the Uthen Thawai student were wounded. The student was taken to Hua Chiew Hospital with chest wounds.
Pol Col Phaisarn Lue-somboon, head of the Pathumwan police station, said the driver told police eight Uthen Thawai students were on board.
They asked him to take them to the Pathumwan police station as they feared being attacked by a group of about 30 Pathumwan Institute students outside.
Police are checking surveillance cameras in their search for the attackers, he said.
Deputy Education Minister Chaiwuti Bannawat yesterday said the heads of the two universities had been told they would be held responsible for further violence between their students.
"If the problems cannot be solved,we may have to consider closing the universities," he said.
San Vora-in, deputy secretary-general of the Higher Education Commission,said the two institutes had promised to bring the situation under control.
Ordering the suspension of classes was another option, but not ideal as the students were in the middle of exams.
But if the situation gets out of hand,classes would be ordered suspended for the sake of student safety, Mr San said.
On Tuesday night, a man wearing a safety helmet fired a gun into the Uthen Thawai campus. No one was hurt.
About 2am the following day, a man on a motorcycle fired at a group of Pathumwan students in front of their school. One bullet hit a student who had just returned from a party, he said.His condition is now safe.
The ministry yesterday said it also might discipline the university heads or, as a last resort, close the universities in response to the latest strife.
Students from Rajamangala University of Technology's Uthen Thawai campus came under gun attack on a public bus on Wednesday night. One student was seriously injured and the bus driver and three passengers wounded.
The attackers were believed to be students from the Pathumwan Institute of Technology, as students from the two schools have a long history of rivalry.
Witnesses told police a group of teenagers tried to get on to the air-conditioned bus No.113 stopped in front of Supachalasai National Stadium, but the driver closed the door and drove away. Moments later, six gun shots rang out.
Five people including the bus driver and the Uthen Thawai student were wounded. The student was taken to Hua Chiew Hospital with chest wounds.
Pol Col Phaisarn Lue-somboon, head of the Pathumwan police station, said the driver told police eight Uthen Thawai students were on board.
They asked him to take them to the Pathumwan police station as they feared being attacked by a group of about 30 Pathumwan Institute students outside.
Police are checking surveillance cameras in their search for the attackers, he said.
Deputy Education Minister Chaiwuti Bannawat yesterday said the heads of the two universities had been told they would be held responsible for further violence between their students.
"If the problems cannot be solved,we may have to consider closing the universities," he said.
San Vora-in, deputy secretary-general of the Higher Education Commission,said the two institutes had promised to bring the situation under control.
Ordering the suspension of classes was another option, but not ideal as the students were in the middle of exams.
But if the situation gets out of hand,classes would be ordered suspended for the sake of student safety, Mr San said.
On Tuesday night, a man wearing a safety helmet fired a gun into the Uthen Thawai campus. No one was hurt.
About 2am the following day, a man on a motorcycle fired at a group of Pathumwan students in front of their school. One bullet hit a student who had just returned from a party, he said.His condition is now safe.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Ninety-year-old man seeks master's degree
So the 90-year-old Idaho Falls resident is going back to school,pursuing a master's degree in business administration. He started school last week.
Felicia Little, manager at the school's College Education Center,says he's the oldest student they have.
But that's not stopping Wagnon.The former real estate agent and mobile home salesman says he's looking forward to graduating and finding a new career.
Felicia Little, manager at the school's College Education Center,says he's the oldest student they have.
But that's not stopping Wagnon.The former real estate agent and mobile home salesman says he's looking forward to graduating and finding a new career.
Teacher-pupil lesbian affair ends with jail
A teacher at a private school who said she was "pressured" into a lesbian affair by a 15-year-old pupil,was jailed for 15 months yesterday.
Music teacher Helen Goddard,26, of Greenwich, southeast London, pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual activity with the girl between February and July,earlier this year.
Southwark Crown Court heard how Goddard, who was nicknamed "the Jazz Lady", befriended the youngster as they met for coffee after lessons.
Their relationship eventually became sexual, a development the youngster's parents condemned as a "complete betrayal" of trust.
The five-month affair included an overnight stay at her home and a romantic weekend in Paris, the court heard. Their forbidden trysts remained a secret until someone sent the school an anonymous tip-off about their relationship.
Music teacher Helen Goddard,26, of Greenwich, southeast London, pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual activity with the girl between February and July,earlier this year.
Southwark Crown Court heard how Goddard, who was nicknamed "the Jazz Lady", befriended the youngster as they met for coffee after lessons.
Their relationship eventually became sexual, a development the youngster's parents condemned as a "complete betrayal" of trust.
The five-month affair included an overnight stay at her home and a romantic weekend in Paris, the court heard. Their forbidden trysts remained a secret until someone sent the school an anonymous tip-off about their relationship.
Harvard's first new education degree since 1935
Citing what it calls a "leadership deficit" in the nation's schools, Harvard University is introducing a doctoral education programme aimed at attracting top talent to transform the US education system by shaking up the status quo.
The Doctor of Education Leadership is the first new degree to be offered in 74 years by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and comes as US students continue to lag behind their peers worldwide.
The degree is designed for people who want to be top-level managers - such as superintendents of large districts or state education agency heads and seeks to attract upper-echelon candidates who normally would choose other, more lucrative fields.
"Education is getting better, it's just not getting better fast enough," said Robert Schwartz, the school's academic dean. He says that for too long, colleges have produced administrators isolated from other disciplines and geared more toward managing existing systems than pushing badly needed reform.
"Radically accelerating the pace of improvement is an urgent national priority.... We need people who really are trained in large-scale organisational development and change," he said. Harvard acknowledges "a widely shared view that US schools are failing",in a description of its new programme and also blames "a leadership deficit in education."
Schwartz said many school leaders don't know what good teaching looks like and are unpractised at navigating the policy-making process that allocates major education funding and unprepared to remake large, complex and always-changing organisations.
International assessments show US students near the bottom in academic achievement. In 2006,15-yearolds in the US ranked 21st out of 30 countries in maths and 25th out of 30 in science, according to the Program for International Student Assessment.
Arthur Levine, a prominent critic of current education school programmes, said Harvard's programme shows promise. He praised its collaboration with the business and government schools, and its third and final year, which he said offers the substantial, practical training absent in too many programmes. Changing
technology, demographics and economics are presenting challenges educators haven't figured out,but urgently need to, Levine said.
The Harvard programme will start in the autumn of 2010 with just 25 students. It's tuition-free and includes a living stipend to attract a broader range of students.
The Doctor of Education Leadership is the first new degree to be offered in 74 years by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and comes as US students continue to lag behind their peers worldwide.
The degree is designed for people who want to be top-level managers - such as superintendents of large districts or state education agency heads and seeks to attract upper-echelon candidates who normally would choose other, more lucrative fields.
"Education is getting better, it's just not getting better fast enough," said Robert Schwartz, the school's academic dean. He says that for too long, colleges have produced administrators isolated from other disciplines and geared more toward managing existing systems than pushing badly needed reform.
"Radically accelerating the pace of improvement is an urgent national priority.... We need people who really are trained in large-scale organisational development and change," he said. Harvard acknowledges "a widely shared view that US schools are failing",in a description of its new programme and also blames "a leadership deficit in education."
Schwartz said many school leaders don't know what good teaching looks like and are unpractised at navigating the policy-making process that allocates major education funding and unprepared to remake large, complex and always-changing organisations.
International assessments show US students near the bottom in academic achievement. In 2006,15-yearolds in the US ranked 21st out of 30 countries in maths and 25th out of 30 in science, according to the Program for International Student Assessment.
Arthur Levine, a prominent critic of current education school programmes, said Harvard's programme shows promise. He praised its collaboration with the business and government schools, and its third and final year, which he said offers the substantial, practical training absent in too many programmes. Changing
technology, demographics and economics are presenting challenges educators haven't figured out,but urgently need to, Levine said.
The Harvard programme will start in the autumn of 2010 with just 25 students. It's tuition-free and includes a living stipend to attract a broader range of students.
Kasama quits as Obec chief
Khunying Kasama Voravan Na Ayudhaya has tendered her resignation from the top post at the Office of the Basic Education Commission.
The Obec secretary-general yesterday insisted she had quit of her own accord,without being pressured by anyone.
She believed the time was right for her to resign because she has been working in the post for a long time. As an education reform scheme is being carried out, she wanted to give an opportunity to others to prove their worth.
She was breaking her silence as there had been speculation she had quit.
Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit earlier remained tight-lipped over reports Khunying Kasama had stepped down.
Although she had quit, she had not left education altogether as she was still a member of several education panels.
Mr Jurin declined to confirm when asked if the Obec chief had quit, saying it was a matter of etiquette that he should not speak first on the issue. He would let Khunying Kasama discuss the matter.
She would hold a press conference about her resignation after the education minister approved her exit, she said.She would remain the Obec chief until Oct 26, the day she turns 60.
A source at the Obec said Khunying Kasama had tendered her resignation several months ago, but the minister had put her departure on hold. He just approved the resignation letter last week.
The Obec secretary-general yesterday insisted she had quit of her own accord,without being pressured by anyone.
She believed the time was right for her to resign because she has been working in the post for a long time. As an education reform scheme is being carried out, she wanted to give an opportunity to others to prove their worth.
She was breaking her silence as there had been speculation she had quit.
Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit earlier remained tight-lipped over reports Khunying Kasama had stepped down.
Although she had quit, she had not left education altogether as she was still a member of several education panels.
Mr Jurin declined to confirm when asked if the Obec chief had quit, saying it was a matter of etiquette that he should not speak first on the issue. He would let Khunying Kasama discuss the matter.
She would hold a press conference about her resignation after the education minister approved her exit, she said.She would remain the Obec chief until Oct 26, the day she turns 60.
A source at the Obec said Khunying Kasama had tendered her resignation several months ago, but the minister had put her departure on hold. He just approved the resignation letter last week.
Accurate reading with IBM
Students may find reading lessons more enjoyable than before as IBM Thailand recently launched an online web-based reading programme,named "Reading Companion".
The company has granted the programme to two schools: Chulalongkorn University Demonstration (CUD) Elementary School and Kasetsart University Laboratory School Center for Educational Research and Development (KUS).
For Thais to be successful at the international level, it is important that they master their English-language skills, according to Thanwa Laohasiriwong, country general manager at IBM Thailand.However, many Thais are still facing the English-language barrier. This has led to the company initiating the use of its technology to advance the oral communicative excellence of Thai students. Features
"Reading Companion" is an online virtual library, which currently offers over 200 books online. Users can read the reading materials aloud into the microphone and the programme will provide immediate audio comments on the accuracy of the pronunciation via its proprietary speech-recognition technology.
Accurate readers receive positive reinforcement while readers who have difficulties will be provided with gentle reminders and corrections and are encouraged to read again. Readers can also listen to reading samples of the texts.
As it is a online programme, users can access the programme at any time and place. All that is needed is an internet connection and a headset.
The programme also enables teachers to create and add their own content to the library. It also generates an evaluation report on each reader's progress on the website for teachers and students to follow up on progress and achievements. Pilot schools
"Initially, we will use the programme in Prathom 5 and 6(Grades 5 and 6) as a free elective course. Later, the application will be expanded to Prathom 3 and 4 students (Grades 3 and 4)," commented Assoc Prof Supranee Jiranarong,principal of CUD Elementary School.
The programme will also be used by students who have difficulties in English reading and pronunciation, as well as by the teachers themselves, Prof Supranee added.
"This is an interesting programme because after we read aloud, the system will respond back immediately. This is like an immediate evaluation, which students really like, unlike other assignments where teachers have to spend days checking the answers," she said.
Assoc Prof Dr Daranee Utairatanakit,principle of KUS, said the programme will help students with pronunciation and sentence structure.
"Although the programme does not provide comprehension features, students can hear correct pronunciations and see proper sentence structures. By repeating phrases while reading and learning pronunciation, students will create their own learning process, which they can apply to other lessons," Prof Daranee added.
"Today, we encourage students to take a self-learning approach. This programme will inculcate more confidence in students to pursue their education through self-learning and to spur them to seek knowledge by themselves," she continued.
KUS will apply the programme to gifted, average and weak students and conduct research on how the programme contributes to academic success among these three student groups. Teachers who seek to improve their English are also welcome to use the programme,according to Prof Daranee.
IBM invites other schools to apply to participate in the programme.
According to On-uma V. Rerkpattanapipat, IBM Thailand's country mar-keting and communications manager,the approved schools are required to put the programme into real use, and the company conducts an evaluation exercise every six months. Prospective schools that are interested to take part in the programme would need to have a sound lab and teachers with some English and computer skills.
Schools that are interested in participating in IBM's 'Reading Companion' project are invited to contact IBM Thailand at 02-273-4633 or for more information, visit www.readingcompanion.org.
The company has granted the programme to two schools: Chulalongkorn University Demonstration (CUD) Elementary School and Kasetsart University Laboratory School Center for Educational Research and Development (KUS).
For Thais to be successful at the international level, it is important that they master their English-language skills, according to Thanwa Laohasiriwong, country general manager at IBM Thailand.However, many Thais are still facing the English-language barrier. This has led to the company initiating the use of its technology to advance the oral communicative excellence of Thai students. Features
"Reading Companion" is an online virtual library, which currently offers over 200 books online. Users can read the reading materials aloud into the microphone and the programme will provide immediate audio comments on the accuracy of the pronunciation via its proprietary speech-recognition technology.
Accurate readers receive positive reinforcement while readers who have difficulties will be provided with gentle reminders and corrections and are encouraged to read again. Readers can also listen to reading samples of the texts.
As it is a online programme, users can access the programme at any time and place. All that is needed is an internet connection and a headset.
The programme also enables teachers to create and add their own content to the library. It also generates an evaluation report on each reader's progress on the website for teachers and students to follow up on progress and achievements. Pilot schools
"Initially, we will use the programme in Prathom 5 and 6(Grades 5 and 6) as a free elective course. Later, the application will be expanded to Prathom 3 and 4 students (Grades 3 and 4)," commented Assoc Prof Supranee Jiranarong,principal of CUD Elementary School.
The programme will also be used by students who have difficulties in English reading and pronunciation, as well as by the teachers themselves, Prof Supranee added.
"This is an interesting programme because after we read aloud, the system will respond back immediately. This is like an immediate evaluation, which students really like, unlike other assignments where teachers have to spend days checking the answers," she said.
Assoc Prof Dr Daranee Utairatanakit,principle of KUS, said the programme will help students with pronunciation and sentence structure.
"Although the programme does not provide comprehension features, students can hear correct pronunciations and see proper sentence structures. By repeating phrases while reading and learning pronunciation, students will create their own learning process, which they can apply to other lessons," Prof Daranee added.
"Today, we encourage students to take a self-learning approach. This programme will inculcate more confidence in students to pursue their education through self-learning and to spur them to seek knowledge by themselves," she continued.
KUS will apply the programme to gifted, average and weak students and conduct research on how the programme contributes to academic success among these three student groups. Teachers who seek to improve their English are also welcome to use the programme,according to Prof Daranee.
IBM invites other schools to apply to participate in the programme.
According to On-uma V. Rerkpattanapipat, IBM Thailand's country mar-keting and communications manager,the approved schools are required to put the programme into real use, and the company conducts an evaluation exercise every six months. Prospective schools that are interested to take part in the programme would need to have a sound lab and teachers with some English and computer skills.
Schools that are interested in participating in IBM's 'Reading Companion' project are invited to contact IBM Thailand at 02-273-4633 or for more information, visit www.readingcompanion.org.
Rankings or assessments
Mirror, mirror on the wall,which Thai university is best of them all?"Well," said the magic mirror,"you might not like the answer to that question,and before I give you the answer, these are the criteria on which I made my judgment ...."
It's hard to be a well-balanced, nonbiased, truthful mirror.
When the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (Onesqa) released its assessment of the quality of university-level institutions recently, there were complaints and a few hostilities here and there against what most people perceived as being the Thai-university "rankings".Using the correct
terminology
A university ranking is an evaluation and positioning of two or more universities against each other in a hierarchy - one above the other; whereas an assessment is the evaluation of a university against itself, the main goal of which is to foster self-improvement.
Of course, Onesqa was quick to emphasize that the report did not "rank"Thailand's universities, but its voice was not heard over the boisterous din of detractors.
Onesqa clarified that the main objective of the quality assessment of universities and educational institutions was to inform each university, individually,of its true quality and performance. This would empower them to improve their own performances and achieve higher quality standards in the future.
That is what has been needed for a long time. And publishing the results for everybody to see reinforces the transparency that is often absent when tabulations are kept secret.
Therefore, each university should not waste time arguing about who is "No.1", but instead should be asking how it did this year compared to last year and how it can do better next year. Reasons for assessments
Onesqa was established in 2000 as a public organisation to assess - not to rank - the performance of all education institutions in the Kingdom.
Many education-related agencies, including the Ministry of Education, the Office of the Higher Education Commission, and even Onesqa, are reluctant to come up with outright official university rankings like those in the US News & World Report or the Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities .However, for many years, academics with broader perspectives have urged for a publication of a true evaluation of all 37,000 schools in Thailand - elementary schools, high schools, vocational and commercial schools, international schools, colleges and universities - and that the results should be made public.
It is important to have assessments because they provide valuable information on the independent standings of universities to be used by prospective students and their parents who may be trying to select a university or special programme. For too long, students have had to search in the dark, or to depend on subjective conclusions by others regarding the quality of a university or academic programme.
The public distribution of objective assessments can assist parents, teachers,administrators and students in making informed decisions concerning their education.
The individual assessments also act as a mirror that enables each university to see itself and its performances and its strengths and weaknesses through the eyes of its peers. This allows each university to identify which areas it needs to improve and marks which areas of strength it should promote. Chaiyo for Onesqa!
Whether the public calls the listing an assessment or a ranking, the most important point is that Onesqa should be applauded, not only for its bold move in publishing its university assessments,but also for doing so transparently and without bias - a rare event in Thailand.
In publishing the list, Onesqa took a courageous step knowing that it would receive lots of criticism and claims of unfairness. One of the main brickbats is that the criteria on which Onesqa based its assessments might not be fair and accurate.
But that's the point of having one's own set of criteria for making assessments. There is no universal set of standards or criteria that are used and accepted for assessments or rankings throughout the world.
For instance - and using examples from the rankings world - the US News & World Report , the leading universityrankings publication, uses a different set of criteria from the Times Higher Education's world university rankings.Each assessor has its own set of criteria,indicators and, therefore, results.
In addition, the Washington Monthly magazine recently came up with its own university rankings with the emphasis on measuring which US universities do the most for social good. Surprisingly,Harvard University (ranked No. 1 on both the US News and the UK's Times Higher Education lists) was ranked No.11 by the Washington Monthly , with Yale at No.23 and Princeton at No.28.
Therefore, Onesqa's set of criteria,for all its intents and purposes, is Onesqa's set of criteria, period. Evaluation criteria
Thailand's 200 universities are assessed systematically over a five-year period. Not all universities are evaluated every year, but every university is evaluated at least once in the mandatory five-year cycle.
According to Onesqa, its assessment methodology is rigorous, systematic and beyond reproach, and that the criteria used are complex and comprehensive.
In assessing all the universities, Onesqa focuses on evaluating all aspects of the institution, including areas like the quality of graduates, research programmes, academic services, the preservation of arts and culture, curriculum and teaching/learning standards, and many others,including human resources management and employee benefits.
Additionally, the peer-review method was used in the evaluation process.
Onesqa's evaluation teams comprise more than 300 academic experts from all the universities that are being assessed.Each assessment team has a minimum of three members, but may have many more. The assessment teams are required to visit and evaluate each assigned university by means of an evaluation process that is very thorough and which takes a minimum of three days to complete.
The criteria for selecting each evalu-ation team member are as follows: the first person must have worked under the supervision of Onesqa during the previous university assessment cycle,and must have a full understanding of the requirements and applicable criteria.The second person must come from the university that is being assessed, so that he or she has in-depth knowledge of the university. The third person is chosen randomly from a pool of highly respected experts and is assigned by Onesqa to the evaluation team. Time to improve
The most important thing is that Onesqa's assessment results are now public. Now it's up to us to use the assessment results to the benefit of each university and start improving the quality of our higher education institutions.
For institutions that received high marks across the board,"Well done!"And keep it up. However, to those universities that didn't receive maximum points in specific categories, you have no excuses. You now know where the weak points are, thanks to Onesqa. Dig in and start improving yourself.
Universities shouldn't waste time criticising the system or faulting other schools because they did better; instead, do your part to improve Thailand's higher education.
So, before you go back to the magic mirror to ask that tough question again,prepare yourself and make sure you work hard, because you can fool yourself that you look good, but remember that the mirror never lies. It just reflects your true being.
For the entire assessment report (in Thai),visit www.onesqa.or.th or call 02-216-3955.
It's hard to be a well-balanced, nonbiased, truthful mirror.
When the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (Onesqa) released its assessment of the quality of university-level institutions recently, there were complaints and a few hostilities here and there against what most people perceived as being the Thai-university "rankings".Using the correct
terminology
A university ranking is an evaluation and positioning of two or more universities against each other in a hierarchy - one above the other; whereas an assessment is the evaluation of a university against itself, the main goal of which is to foster self-improvement.
Of course, Onesqa was quick to emphasize that the report did not "rank"Thailand's universities, but its voice was not heard over the boisterous din of detractors.
Onesqa clarified that the main objective of the quality assessment of universities and educational institutions was to inform each university, individually,of its true quality and performance. This would empower them to improve their own performances and achieve higher quality standards in the future.
That is what has been needed for a long time. And publishing the results for everybody to see reinforces the transparency that is often absent when tabulations are kept secret.
Therefore, each university should not waste time arguing about who is "No.1", but instead should be asking how it did this year compared to last year and how it can do better next year. Reasons for assessments
Onesqa was established in 2000 as a public organisation to assess - not to rank - the performance of all education institutions in the Kingdom.
Many education-related agencies, including the Ministry of Education, the Office of the Higher Education Commission, and even Onesqa, are reluctant to come up with outright official university rankings like those in the US News & World Report or the Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities .However, for many years, academics with broader perspectives have urged for a publication of a true evaluation of all 37,000 schools in Thailand - elementary schools, high schools, vocational and commercial schools, international schools, colleges and universities - and that the results should be made public.
It is important to have assessments because they provide valuable information on the independent standings of universities to be used by prospective students and their parents who may be trying to select a university or special programme. For too long, students have had to search in the dark, or to depend on subjective conclusions by others regarding the quality of a university or academic programme.
The public distribution of objective assessments can assist parents, teachers,administrators and students in making informed decisions concerning their education.
The individual assessments also act as a mirror that enables each university to see itself and its performances and its strengths and weaknesses through the eyes of its peers. This allows each university to identify which areas it needs to improve and marks which areas of strength it should promote. Chaiyo for Onesqa!
Whether the public calls the listing an assessment or a ranking, the most important point is that Onesqa should be applauded, not only for its bold move in publishing its university assessments,but also for doing so transparently and without bias - a rare event in Thailand.
In publishing the list, Onesqa took a courageous step knowing that it would receive lots of criticism and claims of unfairness. One of the main brickbats is that the criteria on which Onesqa based its assessments might not be fair and accurate.
But that's the point of having one's own set of criteria for making assessments. There is no universal set of standards or criteria that are used and accepted for assessments or rankings throughout the world.
For instance - and using examples from the rankings world - the US News & World Report , the leading universityrankings publication, uses a different set of criteria from the Times Higher Education's world university rankings.Each assessor has its own set of criteria,indicators and, therefore, results.
In addition, the Washington Monthly magazine recently came up with its own university rankings with the emphasis on measuring which US universities do the most for social good. Surprisingly,Harvard University (ranked No. 1 on both the US News and the UK's Times Higher Education lists) was ranked No.11 by the Washington Monthly , with Yale at No.23 and Princeton at No.28.
Therefore, Onesqa's set of criteria,for all its intents and purposes, is Onesqa's set of criteria, period. Evaluation criteria
Thailand's 200 universities are assessed systematically over a five-year period. Not all universities are evaluated every year, but every university is evaluated at least once in the mandatory five-year cycle.
According to Onesqa, its assessment methodology is rigorous, systematic and beyond reproach, and that the criteria used are complex and comprehensive.
In assessing all the universities, Onesqa focuses on evaluating all aspects of the institution, including areas like the quality of graduates, research programmes, academic services, the preservation of arts and culture, curriculum and teaching/learning standards, and many others,including human resources management and employee benefits.
Additionally, the peer-review method was used in the evaluation process.
Onesqa's evaluation teams comprise more than 300 academic experts from all the universities that are being assessed.Each assessment team has a minimum of three members, but may have many more. The assessment teams are required to visit and evaluate each assigned university by means of an evaluation process that is very thorough and which takes a minimum of three days to complete.
The criteria for selecting each evalu-ation team member are as follows: the first person must have worked under the supervision of Onesqa during the previous university assessment cycle,and must have a full understanding of the requirements and applicable criteria.The second person must come from the university that is being assessed, so that he or she has in-depth knowledge of the university. The third person is chosen randomly from a pool of highly respected experts and is assigned by Onesqa to the evaluation team. Time to improve
The most important thing is that Onesqa's assessment results are now public. Now it's up to us to use the assessment results to the benefit of each university and start improving the quality of our higher education institutions.
For institutions that received high marks across the board,"Well done!"And keep it up. However, to those universities that didn't receive maximum points in specific categories, you have no excuses. You now know where the weak points are, thanks to Onesqa. Dig in and start improving yourself.
Universities shouldn't waste time criticising the system or faulting other schools because they did better; instead, do your part to improve Thailand's higher education.
So, before you go back to the magic mirror to ask that tough question again,prepare yourself and make sure you work hard, because you can fool yourself that you look good, but remember that the mirror never lies. It just reflects your true being.
For the entire assessment report (in Thai),visit www.onesqa.or.th or call 02-216-3955.
Man filmed bashing pupil in classroom
A teacher has been caught on video savagely bashing a young boy in a crowded classroom, authorities say.
The footage was captured by another student using his mobile telephone.
Kwongsiew Thai-Chinese bilingual school authorities said they would punish the Bangkok secondary school teacher who repeatedly hit the student.
School director Srithai Damrongrat yesterday confirmed the video footage of the assault involving a 29-year-old science teacher and the school boy in class was genuine.
Mr Srithai said the teacher took the student to task for failing to bring a textbook. The Mathayom 2 student responded with colourful language that enraged the teacher, authorities said.
In the clip captured by a mobile phone camera by another student, the teacher is seen to have locked the student's neck with one hand and hit the boy's head several times.
The teacher is seen to have also slammed the boy's head against a blackboard.
The school director said the physical punishment was too harsh and it should not have happened.
He said the incident took place just after he had advised teachers of the school's punishment policy on Sept 4.
He ordered a disciplinary investigation into the incident which he said had tarnished the reputation of the school.
Mr Srithai said he could not suspend the teacher because students were approaching their examinations and there was not a substitute science teacher.
He said the student allegedly abused was not seriously injured and could attend classes as usual.
The science teacher said yesterday the school boy had not brought a textbook and, when questioned, the boy reacted by uttering a rude word.
The teacher admitted his physical punishment was too violent.
He said the boy was not seriously injured and students were often injured in a more serious manner during schoolyard fights.
The boy yesterday said he was not angry with the teacher and did not want the teacher to be investigated because he also did wrong.
He said he had not told his parents about the incident. The boy said his classmate had recorded the video clip.
The footage was captured by another student using his mobile telephone.
Kwongsiew Thai-Chinese bilingual school authorities said they would punish the Bangkok secondary school teacher who repeatedly hit the student.
School director Srithai Damrongrat yesterday confirmed the video footage of the assault involving a 29-year-old science teacher and the school boy in class was genuine.
Mr Srithai said the teacher took the student to task for failing to bring a textbook. The Mathayom 2 student responded with colourful language that enraged the teacher, authorities said.
In the clip captured by a mobile phone camera by another student, the teacher is seen to have locked the student's neck with one hand and hit the boy's head several times.
The teacher is seen to have also slammed the boy's head against a blackboard.
The school director said the physical punishment was too harsh and it should not have happened.
He said the incident took place just after he had advised teachers of the school's punishment policy on Sept 4.
He ordered a disciplinary investigation into the incident which he said had tarnished the reputation of the school.
Mr Srithai said he could not suspend the teacher because students were approaching their examinations and there was not a substitute science teacher.
He said the student allegedly abused was not seriously injured and could attend classes as usual.
The science teacher said yesterday the school boy had not brought a textbook and, when questioned, the boy reacted by uttering a rude word.
The teacher admitted his physical punishment was too violent.
He said the boy was not seriously injured and students were often injured in a more serious manner during schoolyard fights.
The boy yesterday said he was not angry with the teacher and did not want the teacher to be investigated because he also did wrong.
He said he had not told his parents about the incident. The boy said his classmate had recorded the video clip.
Flying on a wing and a prayer
Mong Thongdee, the 12-year-old stateless boy who won first prize in a paper airplane team competition, has been honoured as a science ambassador and promised a scholarship for a doctorate degree.
Science and Technology Minister Kalaya Sophonpanich yesterday led officials to greet Mong at Suvarnabhumi airport and said the boy had been rewarded for encouraging other children to study the sciences.
The Science and Technology Ministry will sponsor his study, Khunying Kalaya said.
"All Thais are proud of him and the ministry will offer him a scholarship to study for a doctorate," she said.
Mong's father, Yun, said that without the scholarship he could send the boy only to Prathom 6(Grade 6) because he and his wife earn just 190 baht each a day and they had a two-year-old daughter to take care of.
The boy now studies at Prathom 4 in Chiang Mai. He has no nationality because he was born to the ethnic Burmese construction workers in Thailand.
Mong yesterday returned to Thailand with the third prize in the individual contest for children and the first prize in the team contest in the Origami Airplane Contest in Chiba at the weekend.
Prasert Chalermkannon and Surin Intarachot won the second and third places in the men's individual category and Fongfon Sriswat came first in the wom-en's individual contest. Mong's paper airplane stayed in the air for 10.53 seconds, which was enough to win him third place in the individual category.
"I am so delighted, and this award will be given to His Majesty the King,"said the boy after alighting from the real aircraft at Suvarnabhumi airport.
"My technique to make the plane stay aloft longer was to fold its wings in equal parts. When I grow up I would like to be a pilot."
Mong nearly lost his chance to participate in the contest after the Interior Ministry refused to issue him a document to apply for travel papers because of his statelessness.
The ministry's decision was overturned.
Science and Technology Minister Kalaya Sophonpanich yesterday led officials to greet Mong at Suvarnabhumi airport and said the boy had been rewarded for encouraging other children to study the sciences.
The Science and Technology Ministry will sponsor his study, Khunying Kalaya said.
"All Thais are proud of him and the ministry will offer him a scholarship to study for a doctorate," she said.
Mong's father, Yun, said that without the scholarship he could send the boy only to Prathom 6(Grade 6) because he and his wife earn just 190 baht each a day and they had a two-year-old daughter to take care of.
The boy now studies at Prathom 4 in Chiang Mai. He has no nationality because he was born to the ethnic Burmese construction workers in Thailand.
Mong yesterday returned to Thailand with the third prize in the individual contest for children and the first prize in the team contest in the Origami Airplane Contest in Chiba at the weekend.
Prasert Chalermkannon and Surin Intarachot won the second and third places in the men's individual category and Fongfon Sriswat came first in the wom-en's individual contest. Mong's paper airplane stayed in the air for 10.53 seconds, which was enough to win him third place in the individual category.
"I am so delighted, and this award will be given to His Majesty the King,"said the boy after alighting from the real aircraft at Suvarnabhumi airport.
"My technique to make the plane stay aloft longer was to fold its wings in equal parts. When I grow up I would like to be a pilot."
Mong nearly lost his chance to participate in the contest after the Interior Ministry refused to issue him a document to apply for travel papers because of his statelessness.
The ministry's decision was overturned.
Mong's right at home
Stateless 12-year-old is feted by govt after winning contest for Thailand
The Science Ministry will appoint Mong Thongdee, a Thaiborn but stateless boy, as its youth ambassador.
Mong, 12, is just back from the Origami Airplane Contest in Japan where he won third prize for Thailand in the individual category but bagged first in the team competition.
Scholarships awarded
"We will offer him scholarships too," Science Minister Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich said yesterday.
She said the scholarships would enable Mong to get a degree and even a doctorate if he wanted.
"He deserves the scholarships because he bolstered the country's reputation and has become an inspiration for other children to learn more about science," Kalaya said.
His dream
Mong says his dream is to become either a pilot or a scientist. Born to Burmese migrant workers, Mong does not qualify for Thai nationality even though this is where he was born, lives and goes to school.
"I feel like a Thai," he says.
Mong was invited to participate in Japan as a local champion, but with no Thai nationality, his requests for a passport fell on deaf ears. Just as his monthslong quest seemed to have hit a dead end, his plight came to the attention of the media. After meeting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, he got his passport in time to travel and compete.
Win dedicated to HM
Returning with his prizes, Mong headed straight to Siriraj Hospital to wish His Majesty the King, who was admitted on Saturday, a quick recovery.
"I love the King. I'm glad to have the chance to sign a getwell message for him," he said, adding that he hoped one day to get an audience with His Majesty.
"What I'm doing is for the country and for His Majesty."
He also plans to get ordained as a novice for 10 days in dedication to the King.
The Science Ministry will appoint Mong Thongdee, a Thaiborn but stateless boy, as its youth ambassador.
Mong, 12, is just back from the Origami Airplane Contest in Japan where he won third prize for Thailand in the individual category but bagged first in the team competition.
Scholarships awarded
"We will offer him scholarships too," Science Minister Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich said yesterday.
She said the scholarships would enable Mong to get a degree and even a doctorate if he wanted.
"He deserves the scholarships because he bolstered the country's reputation and has become an inspiration for other children to learn more about science," Kalaya said.
His dream
Mong says his dream is to become either a pilot or a scientist. Born to Burmese migrant workers, Mong does not qualify for Thai nationality even though this is where he was born, lives and goes to school.
"I feel like a Thai," he says.
Mong was invited to participate in Japan as a local champion, but with no Thai nationality, his requests for a passport fell on deaf ears. Just as his monthslong quest seemed to have hit a dead end, his plight came to the attention of the media. After meeting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, he got his passport in time to travel and compete.
Win dedicated to HM
Returning with his prizes, Mong headed straight to Siriraj Hospital to wish His Majesty the King, who was admitted on Saturday, a quick recovery.
"I love the King. I'm glad to have the chance to sign a getwell message for him," he said, adding that he hoped one day to get an audience with His Majesty.
"What I'm doing is for the country and for His Majesty."
He also plans to get ordained as a novice for 10 days in dedication to the King.
Minister to face lawsuit over "unfair" tests
The ParentYouth Network for Educational Reform is threatening to file a criminal lawsuit against Education Minister Jurin Laksanawisit for failing to revoke the current university admission system.
"The system is unfair," the network's president Kamolpan Cheewapansri said yesterday, adding that she planned to file a complaint against Jurin and the ministry with the Criminal Court on Friday.
"They are being negligent. They should have changed the system," she explained.
According to her, the current system requires students to be tested on 20 subjects, and the welloff end up having an advantage because they can afford tutorial courses.
"This means children from poor families and remote areas are at a disadvantage. This system is unfair and affects more than a billion children," Kamolpan said.
She also lamented that each student had to pay Bt200 to sit for the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and Professional Aptitude Test (PAT).
"It's a heavy burden for poor families," she added.
"The system is unfair," the network's president Kamolpan Cheewapansri said yesterday, adding that she planned to file a complaint against Jurin and the ministry with the Criminal Court on Friday.
"They are being negligent. They should have changed the system," she explained.
According to her, the current system requires students to be tested on 20 subjects, and the welloff end up having an advantage because they can afford tutorial courses.
"This means children from poor families and remote areas are at a disadvantage. This system is unfair and affects more than a billion children," Kamolpan said.
She also lamented that each student had to pay Bt200 to sit for the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and Professional Aptitude Test (PAT).
"It's a heavy burden for poor families," she added.
LOCAL TEAM MAKES VACCINE FOR SPASMS
KKU academic says success rate is 100% on some symptoms
After two decades of research, a Khon Kaen University academic has produced medication created with extracts of botulinum toxin that can be used to treat muscle spasms.
Prof Dr Sutthiphan Jitphimolmas said his work was based on relevant studies conducted in many countries and that medications extracted from botulinum toxin were already available in Europe at high prices.
"The research team has produced vaccines that are effective and, at prices as low as Bt3,000, easily affordable for Thai patients," he added.
Citing studies and research under his supervision, vaccines and medications can treat various kinds of muscle spasms, especially those on the face, eyelids, the back, migraine, heavy sweating and crossed eyes, said Sutthiphan, who is also dean of KKU's Faculty of Medicine.
"The success rate of treatment on these symptoms is 100 per cent," he added.
Patients given vaccines or medication via injections on affected muscles experience a drop of frequency of spasms within two weeks. The treatment takes about three months in severe cases.
"Of the 700 patients vaccinated or medicated, 90 per cent are on their way to recovery while 80 per cent have fully recovered," he added.
Sutthiphan said extensive research was underway on botulinum toxin in other countries for other uses such as cosmetic treatment for wrinkles or to reduce physical irritation during intercourse. Other symptoms that can possibly be cured with botulinum toxinbased medications include difficulty in urination, tension in the vocal cords and the treatment of congenitally distorted feet.
Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum that was discovered more than 200 years ago. It is the most toxic substance known to mankind, but can be used in very small doses to treat muscle spasms.
Outbreaks caused by botulinum toxin are not frequent in Thailand, with the most recent reported in 2006 in Nan, when more than 200 people became sick after eating food made of bamboo shoots. Canned foods and sausages that are not properly produced are the most common sources of contamination.
After two decades of research, a Khon Kaen University academic has produced medication created with extracts of botulinum toxin that can be used to treat muscle spasms.
Prof Dr Sutthiphan Jitphimolmas said his work was based on relevant studies conducted in many countries and that medications extracted from botulinum toxin were already available in Europe at high prices.
"The research team has produced vaccines that are effective and, at prices as low as Bt3,000, easily affordable for Thai patients," he added.
Citing studies and research under his supervision, vaccines and medications can treat various kinds of muscle spasms, especially those on the face, eyelids, the back, migraine, heavy sweating and crossed eyes, said Sutthiphan, who is also dean of KKU's Faculty of Medicine.
"The success rate of treatment on these symptoms is 100 per cent," he added.
Patients given vaccines or medication via injections on affected muscles experience a drop of frequency of spasms within two weeks. The treatment takes about three months in severe cases.
"Of the 700 patients vaccinated or medicated, 90 per cent are on their way to recovery while 80 per cent have fully recovered," he added.
Sutthiphan said extensive research was underway on botulinum toxin in other countries for other uses such as cosmetic treatment for wrinkles or to reduce physical irritation during intercourse. Other symptoms that can possibly be cured with botulinum toxinbased medications include difficulty in urination, tension in the vocal cords and the treatment of congenitally distorted feet.
Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum that was discovered more than 200 years ago. It is the most toxic substance known to mankind, but can be used in very small doses to treat muscle spasms.
Outbreaks caused by botulinum toxin are not frequent in Thailand, with the most recent reported in 2006 in Nan, when more than 200 people became sick after eating food made of bamboo shoots. Canned foods and sausages that are not properly produced are the most common sources of contamination.
BEC'S KASAMA HANDS IN HER RESIGNATION
Education Minister Jurin Laksanawisit yesterday admitted that Basic Education Commission secretarygeneral Kunyhing Kasama Varawan Na Ayuthya had submitted her resignation.
He declined to comment on Kasam's reason for quitting, saying out of courtesy Kasama should be the one who explained it.
Jurin claimed there was no work conflict or pressure and that he had worked with Kasam harmoniously.
His comments were made yesterday while explaining a proposal to find replacements for level10 officials retiring next month. He said the plan would miss Cabinet's meeting today because of PM Abhisit Vejjajiva's absence.
Kasama admitted she had submitted the resignation letter but not because of any work conflict or pressure from others. She had intended for a long time to retire when she became 60 because she had worked for so long.
Since secondround educational reform was at a turning point and the Thai Khemkaeng stimulus package had begun, she wanted to give an opportunity to others to work in full swing and with continuity, she said.
"Even though I quit the post, I won't be out of the education circle because I still work as an educational committee member," she said, adding she would hold a press conference after her resignation was approved.
Kasama said she would remain in the post until October 26, which was also her 60th birthday anniversary.
He declined to comment on Kasam's reason for quitting, saying out of courtesy Kasama should be the one who explained it.
Jurin claimed there was no work conflict or pressure and that he had worked with Kasam harmoniously.
His comments were made yesterday while explaining a proposal to find replacements for level10 officials retiring next month. He said the plan would miss Cabinet's meeting today because of PM Abhisit Vejjajiva's absence.
Kasama admitted she had submitted the resignation letter but not because of any work conflict or pressure from others. She had intended for a long time to retire when she became 60 because she had worked for so long.
Since secondround educational reform was at a turning point and the Thai Khemkaeng stimulus package had begun, she wanted to give an opportunity to others to work in full swing and with continuity, she said.
"Even though I quit the post, I won't be out of the education circle because I still work as an educational committee member," she said, adding she would hold a press conference after her resignation was approved.
Kasama said she would remain in the post until October 26, which was also her 60th birthday anniversary.
JUST LOG OUT, TURN OFF AND EXPERIENCE LIFE
Online preoccupation in a virtual world is denying today's youth the real thing Today's youth and some adults may be spending too much time online and ending up losing opportunities to develop other skills and have meaningful off-line experience and face-to-face relationships. In Bangkok, schoolchildren and some adults spend an inordinate amount of the time at Internet cafes or in front of their notebook computers playing online games, checking out Facebook or literally Twittering their life away on their mobile phones.
A more balanced approach is needed lest these people end up treating their online virtual life as more important or a substitute to their off-line real life.
There is no debate about the merits and marvels of the Internet. Wikipedia and Google have opened access to a treasure trove of information in ways unimaginable to people two decades ago. Twitter has changed the face of revolt in Iran and will likely play a more crucial role in future political struggles elsewhere. And the seemingly less-hi-tech e-mail has managed to make inter-continental relationships possible as well as affordable. Facebook and MySpace have also reinvented virtual social networking. Today, one can also play online games with multiple others from various parts of the globe in real time.
Nevertheless, despite the obvious merit of these technological innovations, one must recognise that too much of anything is always harmful. Some people have ended up becoming addicted to online life and relations and fail to nurture their off-line life as a result. Others have ended up having less time for serious book reading and contemplation, preferring the easier way to google up everything.
The virtual world, to some, has become a replacement for the real world's face-to-face interaction and relations. No one should doubt that no matter how hi-tech and dazzling these new Internet technologies are, they can never replace the real-life experience of our five senses. Looking at any number of pages of snow online can never replace the real-life experience of being physically exposed to snowy winter. Google as many maps as you like about different parts of Rome but it cannot compensate for taking a leisurely stroll in that majestic old imperial capital by foot. Also, none of the sweet words online sent through e-mail can ever replace a real embrace and kiss of lovers or the joy of having a real face-to-face chat with friends while having lunch or dinner together.
Parents should spend more time with their children, face-to-face and enjoy the here and now. Often time, online activity distracts people from the present. Their minds drift far away and unfortunately are no longer rooted to the present, not mindful and contemplative about the moment.
In the US, a string of books have been written about the possible adverse effects of spending too much time online. Mark Bauerlein, a professor of English at Emory University and author of the 2008 best-selling book "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardises Our Future", asks if digital diversion of the young has cut kids off from history, civics, literature and fine art.
Bauerlein answers in the affirmative.
"Teenagers live in the present and the immediate. What happened long ago and far away doesn't impress them. They care about what occurred last week in the cafeteria, not what took place during the Great Depression. They heed the words of Facebook, not the Gettysburg Address. They focus on other kids in the English class, not leaders in Congress," the author wrote. "These young people are uninterested in world realities. They are actively cut off from them. Or a better way to put it is to say that they are encased in more immediate realities that shut out conditions beyond - friends, work, clothes, cars, pop music, sitcoms, Facebook."
His suggested remedy is that children need a reprieve and a retreat. "For them to grow up into mindful citizens and discerning consumers, then, adolescents must break the social circuit and think beyond the clique and the schoolyard. But they can't do it themselves - peer pressure is too strong - and so adults must help draw them away."
Do some people see a parallel of sorts to some youth (and even some adults) in Thailand? One may not need to totally agree with Bauerlein to appreciate his concerns.
Some Thai parents and adults may do well to think about the issue. In fact, teenagers and young adults should be encouraged to discuss and debate the pros and cons of their digital dependency, if not addiction, in the hope that they may eventually develop a less euphoric and more realistic view of what an online-dependent life really entails and what repercussions it has for not just themselves but society as a whole.
A more balanced approach is needed lest these people end up treating their online virtual life as more important or a substitute to their off-line real life.
There is no debate about the merits and marvels of the Internet. Wikipedia and Google have opened access to a treasure trove of information in ways unimaginable to people two decades ago. Twitter has changed the face of revolt in Iran and will likely play a more crucial role in future political struggles elsewhere. And the seemingly less-hi-tech e-mail has managed to make inter-continental relationships possible as well as affordable. Facebook and MySpace have also reinvented virtual social networking. Today, one can also play online games with multiple others from various parts of the globe in real time.
Nevertheless, despite the obvious merit of these technological innovations, one must recognise that too much of anything is always harmful. Some people have ended up becoming addicted to online life and relations and fail to nurture their off-line life as a result. Others have ended up having less time for serious book reading and contemplation, preferring the easier way to google up everything.
The virtual world, to some, has become a replacement for the real world's face-to-face interaction and relations. No one should doubt that no matter how hi-tech and dazzling these new Internet technologies are, they can never replace the real-life experience of our five senses. Looking at any number of pages of snow online can never replace the real-life experience of being physically exposed to snowy winter. Google as many maps as you like about different parts of Rome but it cannot compensate for taking a leisurely stroll in that majestic old imperial capital by foot. Also, none of the sweet words online sent through e-mail can ever replace a real embrace and kiss of lovers or the joy of having a real face-to-face chat with friends while having lunch or dinner together.
Parents should spend more time with their children, face-to-face and enjoy the here and now. Often time, online activity distracts people from the present. Their minds drift far away and unfortunately are no longer rooted to the present, not mindful and contemplative about the moment.
In the US, a string of books have been written about the possible adverse effects of spending too much time online. Mark Bauerlein, a professor of English at Emory University and author of the 2008 best-selling book "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardises Our Future", asks if digital diversion of the young has cut kids off from history, civics, literature and fine art.
Bauerlein answers in the affirmative.
"Teenagers live in the present and the immediate. What happened long ago and far away doesn't impress them. They care about what occurred last week in the cafeteria, not what took place during the Great Depression. They heed the words of Facebook, not the Gettysburg Address. They focus on other kids in the English class, not leaders in Congress," the author wrote. "These young people are uninterested in world realities. They are actively cut off from them. Or a better way to put it is to say that they are encased in more immediate realities that shut out conditions beyond - friends, work, clothes, cars, pop music, sitcoms, Facebook."
His suggested remedy is that children need a reprieve and a retreat. "For them to grow up into mindful citizens and discerning consumers, then, adolescents must break the social circuit and think beyond the clique and the schoolyard. But they can't do it themselves - peer pressure is too strong - and so adults must help draw them away."
Do some people see a parallel of sorts to some youth (and even some adults) in Thailand? One may not need to totally agree with Bauerlein to appreciate his concerns.
Some Thai parents and adults may do well to think about the issue. In fact, teenagers and young adults should be encouraged to discuss and debate the pros and cons of their digital dependency, if not addiction, in the hope that they may eventually develop a less euphoric and more realistic view of what an online-dependent life really entails and what repercussions it has for not just themselves but society as a whole.
Top medical award goes to Thai teacher
A Thai medical science teacher has won an Association for Medical Education in Europe award.
Paphan Musikawat, a medical science teacher at Maharaj Hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat, won the Amee award in recognition of her assessment of medical science students under the hospital's project to produce doctors for rural people.
Dr Paphan was among a group of medical science educators who attended the annual Amee conference where the award was presented. The conference was held in Malaga, Spain, from August 29 to Sept 2.
There were five award categories: curriculum planning, assessment, teaching and learning, student issues and research in medical education. There were 450 entries for the awards, seven from Thailand.
Dr Paphan has been granted Amee membership and issued with free copies of Medical Teacher , an international journal of education in the health sciences,for one year.
Amee is a worldwide organisation with members in 90 countries on five continents. Members include educators, researchers, administrators, curriculum developers, assessors and students in medicine and healthcare professions.
It organises an annual conference and delivers courses on teaching, assessment and research skills for teachers in medicine and healthcare professions.
Paphan Musikawat, a medical science teacher at Maharaj Hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat, won the Amee award in recognition of her assessment of medical science students under the hospital's project to produce doctors for rural people.
Dr Paphan was among a group of medical science educators who attended the annual Amee conference where the award was presented. The conference was held in Malaga, Spain, from August 29 to Sept 2.
There were five award categories: curriculum planning, assessment, teaching and learning, student issues and research in medical education. There were 450 entries for the awards, seven from Thailand.
Dr Paphan has been granted Amee membership and issued with free copies of Medical Teacher , an international journal of education in the health sciences,for one year.
Amee is a worldwide organisation with members in 90 countries on five continents. Members include educators, researchers, administrators, curriculum developers, assessors and students in medicine and healthcare professions.
It organises an annual conference and delivers courses on teaching, assessment and research skills for teachers in medicine and healthcare professions.
Mong gets third place in new event
Mong Thongdee, the stateless boy representing Thailand at the Japanese paper airplane contest, has captured third place in the individual event.
It was the second achievement in two days for the boy. On Saturday, Mong,12, and his three-member Thai team won the group competition.
Contestants quickly fold their planes,then throw them into the air.
Mong won a national paper airplane championship in Thailand in August 2008 after he threw a plane that flew for 12 seconds, and was later chosen to attend the Japanese contest in Chiba,near Tokyo.
But Mong, who lives in Chiang Mai,is the son of Burmese migrants who are stateless and so have no legal right to travel abroad.
His first application to leave Thailand was denied, but after media coverage of his plight the government granted him a temporary passport.
Mong yesterday appeared in a white T-shirt decorated with the Thai flag, whipping his carefully folded airplanes high into the air during the competition in front of hundreds of spectators.
He placed third in the division for elementary school students with a time of 10.53 seconds.
After the event he said he wanted his family back home to know he won third place, and that he was grateful to the people who supported him.
It was the second achievement in two days for the boy. On Saturday, Mong,12, and his three-member Thai team won the group competition.
Contestants quickly fold their planes,then throw them into the air.
Mong won a national paper airplane championship in Thailand in August 2008 after he threw a plane that flew for 12 seconds, and was later chosen to attend the Japanese contest in Chiba,near Tokyo.
But Mong, who lives in Chiang Mai,is the son of Burmese migrants who are stateless and so have no legal right to travel abroad.
His first application to leave Thailand was denied, but after media coverage of his plight the government granted him a temporary passport.
Mong yesterday appeared in a white T-shirt decorated with the Thai flag, whipping his carefully folded airplanes high into the air during the competition in front of hundreds of spectators.
He placed third in the division for elementary school students with a time of 10.53 seconds.
After the event he said he wanted his family back home to know he won third place, and that he was grateful to the people who supported him.
Monday, September 21, 2009
WII GOES TO COLLEGE, GRADUATES
Imagine a world in which college students can play Wii Fit and receive course credit for it. If you're enrolled at the University of Houston in the US state of Texas, you don't have to imagine it. You can do it.
Chuck Layne is the forward-thinking chairman of the university's health-and-human-performance department who was partly responsible for brianstorming the idea of introducing Wii Fit as part of the elective physical-education curriculum.
It made sense, he says, considering the campus' diversity and the department's affinity for using cutting-edge technology.
"About five years ago we began to add a number of non-traditional physical-activity courses, such as tai chi and judo, because we have a lot of people here who didn't grow up playing basketball or tennis or volleyball.
"Since they're electives, we made the decision to make it more customer-friendly."
The innovative classes have been popular, but when Layne heard about the Wii Fit, he thought it would be - well - a good fit for the department.
"It made sense, especially for people who aren't normally into exercise," he says.
Layne says the for-credit pilot course, which he believes is the first of its kind, could be a gateway exercise programme for those who feel uncomfortable in a traditional class setting or uneasy about trying something new, like yoga.
Depending on the programme, the Wii can be a good workout, elevating the heart rate and producing a sweat.
A racquetball court was converted into a Wii studio with 10 systems that can be played simultaneously. The class filled up in who days despite it not being on the course schedule (it was conceived too late) and having no advertising.
After three weeks, Layne says, student feedback is positive, and estimates that about half probably had some Wii Fit experience before taking this class. The class also inclused course work on nutrition and exercise.
One thing Layne particularly likes about the Wii Fit is its ability to track things such as physical activity and body-mass index, making users more aware of their progress.
Layne and his colleagues are already eyeing the programme as a source for research studies, and he's thaning of other applications as well, such as having families exercise together.
"There's no reason why we can't use the studio almost all day. We're hoping the students have a positive experience with it."
Chuck Layne is the forward-thinking chairman of the university's health-and-human-performance department who was partly responsible for brianstorming the idea of introducing Wii Fit as part of the elective physical-education curriculum.
It made sense, he says, considering the campus' diversity and the department's affinity for using cutting-edge technology.
"About five years ago we began to add a number of non-traditional physical-activity courses, such as tai chi and judo, because we have a lot of people here who didn't grow up playing basketball or tennis or volleyball.
"Since they're electives, we made the decision to make it more customer-friendly."
The innovative classes have been popular, but when Layne heard about the Wii Fit, he thought it would be - well - a good fit for the department.
"It made sense, especially for people who aren't normally into exercise," he says.
Layne says the for-credit pilot course, which he believes is the first of its kind, could be a gateway exercise programme for those who feel uncomfortable in a traditional class setting or uneasy about trying something new, like yoga.
Depending on the programme, the Wii can be a good workout, elevating the heart rate and producing a sweat.
A racquetball court was converted into a Wii studio with 10 systems that can be played simultaneously. The class filled up in who days despite it not being on the course schedule (it was conceived too late) and having no advertising.
After three weeks, Layne says, student feedback is positive, and estimates that about half probably had some Wii Fit experience before taking this class. The class also inclused course work on nutrition and exercise.
One thing Layne particularly likes about the Wii Fit is its ability to track things such as physical activity and body-mass index, making users more aware of their progress.
Layne and his colleagues are already eyeing the programme as a source for research studies, and he's thaning of other applications as well, such as having families exercise together.
"There's no reason why we can't use the studio almost all day. We're hoping the students have a positive experience with it."
Mong lands gold in team event
Mong Thongdee, a stateless child from Chiang Mai province representing Thailand in an international paper airplane flying contest in Japan, yesterday emerged the champion in the team event.
MONG GOES FOR GOLD: Mong Thongdee prepares to throw his paper plane in Japan yesterday.
The 12-year-old boy was part of a three-man team which included two adults at the All-Japan Origami Airplane competition being held at the Makuhari Complex in Chiba, Japan, according to Japanese newspaper Mainichi.
Mong's paper plane stayed in the air for 11 seconds, which was good enough for victory, but not good enough to break the record of 12.50 seconds set last year.
Mong was wearing a yellow shirt and a pair of jeans when he made his throw.
After the team victory, in which only the best throw is counted out of the three throws, he smiled and shook hands with members of the rival teams.
Mong said he wanted to thank all the people who supported him and said he would tell his parents he was proud to have represented Thailand and won.
He will be competing Sunday in the individual event.
Mong is a Prathom 4 (grade 4) student at the Ban Huay Sai School in Chiang Mai province.
Mong almost didn't make it to Japan for the competition as he is a stateless person in Thailand - his parents are Burmese - and he has no ID card and didn't qualify for a Thai passport.
But after the story of his plight first broke in the Bangkok Post Sunday, senior government officials stepped in.
Mong was then given the all-clear to travel to Japan after PM Abhisit Vejjajiva stepped in. A certificate and temporary passport were issued to the boy, allowing him to travel to Japan.
MONG GOES FOR GOLD: Mong Thongdee prepares to throw his paper plane in Japan yesterday.
The 12-year-old boy was part of a three-man team which included two adults at the All-Japan Origami Airplane competition being held at the Makuhari Complex in Chiba, Japan, according to Japanese newspaper Mainichi.
Mong's paper plane stayed in the air for 11 seconds, which was good enough for victory, but not good enough to break the record of 12.50 seconds set last year.
Mong was wearing a yellow shirt and a pair of jeans when he made his throw.
After the team victory, in which only the best throw is counted out of the three throws, he smiled and shook hands with members of the rival teams.
Mong said he wanted to thank all the people who supported him and said he would tell his parents he was proud to have represented Thailand and won.
He will be competing Sunday in the individual event.
Mong is a Prathom 4 (grade 4) student at the Ban Huay Sai School in Chiang Mai province.
Mong almost didn't make it to Japan for the competition as he is a stateless person in Thailand - his parents are Burmese - and he has no ID card and didn't qualify for a Thai passport.
But after the story of his plight first broke in the Bangkok Post Sunday, senior government officials stepped in.
Mong was then given the all-clear to travel to Japan after PM Abhisit Vejjajiva stepped in. A certificate and temporary passport were issued to the boy, allowing him to travel to Japan.
Training quality nurses
For some time, the southern border provinces have experienced the effects of violence and unrest. The events, which have caused untold loss and destruction to infrastructure and people, to many innocent people and this has been exacerbated by the fact that now there are fewer trained doctors and nurses returning to work in the troubled area to help the people affected by such events.
Presently, the entire country has a shortfall of around 30,000 nurses, with the universities of the Ministry of Public Health only able to produce 2,500 nurses per year. In the southern border provinces, there are currently around 3,000 trained nurses - around 600 per provinced. It is estimated that around 6,000 nurses are needed to meet the needs of the people in the south, meaning that another 3,000 are desperately needed.
It must also be realized that due to the unrest, doctors and nurses in the south have a greatly increased workload. Faced with such frightening and unsafe conditions, many of these medical professional have resettled in other parts of the country.
In light of this, the "Project to Produce Professional Nurses to Solve the Problems of the Southern Border Princes" has been initiated. The projects is the product of cooperation between associated state departments, including the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Education, the Southern Border Province Administration Centre, the Office of the Civil Service Commission, the Budget Bureau, the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), the National Intelligence Agency, the governors of the respective southern provinces, and the Thailand Nursing and Midwidfery Council.
The project is a focused effort to restore the numbers of trained nurses and medical professionals back to sufficient levels. The brainchild of ISOC, the project is now truly underway, wich each department involved in the initiative aware of and ready to carry out their responsibilities under the project.
Since the beginnings of the unrest in the south, ISOC has carried out its duties in the area and has witnessed first-hand the effects the shortage of nurses has had on the local community. ISOC says that the shortage gas added to the instability of the situation, with locals feeling as if they have been abandoned by the government as there have simply not been enough medical staff to treat the injured. It is vital for this situation to be remedied. The professional nurse training program will help to do this, restoring confidence in the authorities and quality of life to the local community.
The "Project to Produce Professional Nurses to Fix the Problems in the Southern Border Provinces," has the objective to relieve the problems of unrest in the southern border area and to guarantee stable healthcare, 24 hours a day, for the local people of Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala, Satul and Songkla. The project had been given an initial budget of 1,269 million baht for four years - about 70,000 baht per student, per year, with involved universities already able to accept new students.
Other than helping with the shortage of professional nurses, the project will creat excellent educational opportunities for the youth of the south and help to solve the problems of violence and unrest in the area. Education is the key, as it will allow students to not only develop professional skills, but analytical thinking, which can be applied to all areas of life. Around 3,000 local students will be selected from Yala, Pattani, Satul, and the four districts of Songkla (Sabayoi, Jana, Natawi), who will be given a chance to study in the program. Stidents will be overseen by a professional management committee who will take care of the student's needs before, during, and after graduating from the program. The program will be open to both Buddhist and Muslim students.
Educational institutes will publicize the offer to participate in the programme through various universities, with places for around 100 students per institution. The program will give students and excellent chance to gain life experiences and further broaden their cultural horizons.
Presently, the nursing students of the southern border provinces already involved in the programme are committed to studying to their full potential in educational year 2009 and are focused on completing their studies so they may return to their native provinces and help. Rest assured that ISOC, the driving force behind the project, will continuously push for a sustained drive to produce professionals to help the people of the south.
Presently, the entire country has a shortfall of around 30,000 nurses, with the universities of the Ministry of Public Health only able to produce 2,500 nurses per year. In the southern border provinces, there are currently around 3,000 trained nurses - around 600 per provinced. It is estimated that around 6,000 nurses are needed to meet the needs of the people in the south, meaning that another 3,000 are desperately needed.
It must also be realized that due to the unrest, doctors and nurses in the south have a greatly increased workload. Faced with such frightening and unsafe conditions, many of these medical professional have resettled in other parts of the country.
In light of this, the "Project to Produce Professional Nurses to Solve the Problems of the Southern Border Princes" has been initiated. The projects is the product of cooperation between associated state departments, including the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Education, the Southern Border Province Administration Centre, the Office of the Civil Service Commission, the Budget Bureau, the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), the National Intelligence Agency, the governors of the respective southern provinces, and the Thailand Nursing and Midwidfery Council.
The project is a focused effort to restore the numbers of trained nurses and medical professionals back to sufficient levels. The brainchild of ISOC, the project is now truly underway, wich each department involved in the initiative aware of and ready to carry out their responsibilities under the project.
Since the beginnings of the unrest in the south, ISOC has carried out its duties in the area and has witnessed first-hand the effects the shortage of nurses has had on the local community. ISOC says that the shortage gas added to the instability of the situation, with locals feeling as if they have been abandoned by the government as there have simply not been enough medical staff to treat the injured. It is vital for this situation to be remedied. The professional nurse training program will help to do this, restoring confidence in the authorities and quality of life to the local community.
The "Project to Produce Professional Nurses to Fix the Problems in the Southern Border Provinces," has the objective to relieve the problems of unrest in the southern border area and to guarantee stable healthcare, 24 hours a day, for the local people of Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala, Satul and Songkla. The project had been given an initial budget of 1,269 million baht for four years - about 70,000 baht per student, per year, with involved universities already able to accept new students.
Other than helping with the shortage of professional nurses, the project will creat excellent educational opportunities for the youth of the south and help to solve the problems of violence and unrest in the area. Education is the key, as it will allow students to not only develop professional skills, but analytical thinking, which can be applied to all areas of life. Around 3,000 local students will be selected from Yala, Pattani, Satul, and the four districts of Songkla (Sabayoi, Jana, Natawi), who will be given a chance to study in the program. Stidents will be overseen by a professional management committee who will take care of the student's needs before, during, and after graduating from the program. The program will be open to both Buddhist and Muslim students.
Educational institutes will publicize the offer to participate in the programme through various universities, with places for around 100 students per institution. The program will give students and excellent chance to gain life experiences and further broaden their cultural horizons.
Presently, the nursing students of the southern border provinces already involved in the programme are committed to studying to their full potential in educational year 2009 and are focused on completing their studies so they may return to their native provinces and help. Rest assured that ISOC, the driving force behind the project, will continuously push for a sustained drive to produce professionals to help the people of the south.
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