2-+Thailand's+Education+&+Technology

**In this section we will take a look at Thailand’s education system and their approach to technology.**
In Thailand, the education system has one main goal: to prepare youth for a vocation. The children begin school at age 3 where they learn social skills, basic art skills, and life skills. There is an emphasis on respect. After Kindergarten the children attend school through grade six. If they perform well in 6th grade they are enrolled “secondary” school, which goes through 12th grade. They also have the option to choose a career which targets their learning experience to that career field. At the end of 6th grade they can get a vocational certificate online, which is equivalent to completing high school.

Technology-wise, Thailand students have computers available, but the student-computer ratio is 40:1. There is a focus on the global community and Thailand’s impact on it. Through technology, Thailand has become competitive in both domestic and international trade, so there is a movement to focus on how the students will perform globally when they become part of Thailand’s workforce. There is a country-wide technology plan that is looking to increase the amount of computers available to students, teachers, and the general public. They are looking at increasing their connectivity infrastructure and want to expand their adult education programs and distance learning programs as well. media type="youtube" key="AViQte8KVOA" height="315" width="420"

About 60% of Thai teachers have been given professional training to use the technology available to them, but there is a need for more, especially as the availability of technology increases in the schools. They have been looking at mobile technology and what it can provide, with hopes that it can achieve a 1:1 student-computer ratio. “Mobiles can also supposedly facilitate knowledge-centered learning by providing efficient and inventive methods by which students can learn with understanding.” (Valk, Rashid, & Elder, 2010)