Curriculum shake-up puts focus on unity

Curriculum shake-up puts focus on unity

Permanent secretary for education Suthasri Wongsaman has ordered the Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) to shake up the national curriculum by assigning more importance to "citizens' duties" and history subjects.

Ms Suthasri yesterday said she has also told the Obec to produce new textbooks on the two subjects.

She said the change in the curriculum should be completed within a month.

The citizens' duties subject aims to help encourage students to learn their duties and responsibilities for the sake of the nation and to bring about reconciliation and unity in the country.

Ms Suthasri yesterday briefed about 1,100 executives of non-formal education centres nationwide on her national curriculum change, which is being made in line with the National Council for Peace and Order's (NCPO) policy to promote reconciliation and unity among Thais across the country.

The meeting which was held in Pattaya, Chon Buri, was aimed at encouraging the non-formal education centre executives to follow the NCPO's policies because they work closely with local communities. 

She said once the curriculum change for the two subjects is complete, she wants to see the non-formal education centre executives adopt the revisions their areas.

Ms Suthasri has requested each non-formal education centre executive to report on activities to foster reconciliation and their achievements to the Education Ministry every week.

The ministry has also been ordered to report a summary of what it has done to promote unity and reconciliation to the NCPO every week.

Ms Suthasri said her ministry is devising a plan to help in the development of the country.

The plan is expected to be completed within three months, she said.

Under the proposed plan, a special committee of the ministry will be set up to draft ways to reform education, Ms Suthasri said.

"Previous rounds of education reform focused more on structural reform of the education system. They did not focus on reform of the people involved," she said.

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