BURI RAM - The Ministry of Education is calling on schools nationwide to improve the quality of their teaching to align with the latest technology including artificial intelligence, according to Deputy Education Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul.
He said more AI-enabled technology will be used next year, which should help create a more level playing field for students.
Speaking during a day of inspection visits to schools in Buri Ram province on Thursday, Mr Surasak said the ministry would develop an AI platform to reduce educational gaps, especially targeting schools in remote areas.
Through the use of AI, high-quality teachers from well-known schools will be able to teach students elsewhere to provide them with more equal opportunities, he said.
“We believe all students have the ability [to succeed](#), but some lack the opportunity,” said Mr Surasak.
“AI technology has already changed the world, and we will use it to help students in less affluent areas access education on an equal basis. They will be free to learn anywhere and anytime.”
The ministry has initiated a project to improve the standard of teaching based on the results of an assessment conducted by the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA). It is in charge of assessing 3,020 schools, from kindergarten to high-school level, as well as 2,055 nursery development centres.
As part of the project, teams from universities and regional education centres provided training on how to improve teaching quality at schools identified as needing assistance.
Mr Surasak cited one successful case dubbed the “Palad Puk Model”, referring to Wat Ban Palad Puk School in Ban Dan district of Buri Ram. The school has adopted an innovative approach to improve teaching and learning among its students.
The school allows all relevant parties to get involved in planning, practising and evaluating curricula in a bid to improve the system. As a result, its Pathom 6 (grade 6) and Matthayom 3 (grade 9) students scored higher on the Ordinary National Educational Test (O-Net), he said. It has now become a role model for other schools.
“It shows how the quality of education can be improved with very limited financial resources if there is strong cooperation from all stakeholders,” Mr Surasak said.
Satuek School in Satuk district, meanwhile, has developed a “firearms detection system” to alert people in the community to the presence of firearms and other weapons, he said, citing this as another model school.
The project was proposed in response to security concerns arising from the 2020 shooting rampage at a mall in Nakhon Ratchasima that left 27 dead.