Thai PM tells children to be prepared for AC

BANGKOK, Jan 12 (TNA) - On the occasion of the National Children's Day on Saturday, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told children to obey their parents and teachers and to study hard to be well-prepared for the ASEAN Community (AC), set to be established by 2015. Yingluck made the suggestion during her weekly TV and radio programme, in which youths from across the country who won prizes from the government-sponsored essay competition particiapted. Yingluck took the opportunity to ask the youths on the ways they study, gain knowledge and advantages they have received from computer tablets given by her government to primary school students nationwide. Many of the youths said that they want to see Thais living in happiness, love each other and in harmonious way and asked the prime minister to provide students with more extra books outside classes. The prime minister acknowledged although the Thai Ministry of Education has kept improving curricula for students, there is still a lack of educational equipment, especially in science subject, insisting that the problems need to be solved immediately through cooperation between teachers, schools and parents. The Thai premier also expressed her concerns over drug taking by youths and an early pregnancy, vowing that her government is solving the problems from their root causes, in parallel with providing equal education opportunities for children of all groups, including handicapped children, as her administration believes that every child has potential.(TNA)