Thai students to be handed out tablet computers this year

BANGKOK, March 17 (TNA) - After concluding her weekly address at Baan Pitsanulok in Bangkok Saturday morning, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra called a meeting with concerned Cabinet members to follow up the government’s plan to distribute tablet computers to Thailand's first-year primary school students in the 2012 academic year. The ministers attending the meeting included Education Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Minister Group Captain Anudith Nakornthap and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul. Premier Yingluck earlier expressed her concerns that the distribution could not be held within the upcoming academic year while she wants the country's young students to use tablet computers efficiently. Meanwhile, the Thai government, through the Ministry of Education, has announced the "All for Education Declaration", under which access to education for all Thai children, including some three million underprivileged youths, will be ensured, aimed to achieve a national goal of “Education for All” and a UN millennium development goal. Thai Education Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech on Friday presided over the “Inclusive Education, Inclusive Thailand” event, jointly held by his ministry, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Quality Learning Foundation Governing Dynamics (QLF) at Bangkok's Government House. Speaking on behalf of the Thai government, Suchart reiterated that all children born in Thailand will receive good treatment both from parents and relevant agencies starting from unborn up to two years old, while children from newborns to five year olds and primary students will gain better access to qualified childcare and educational institutes with sufficient learning materials. (TNA)