Thai PM observes National Teachers' Day

BANGKOK, January 16 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinnawatra on Monday joined an event at the Ministry of Education in Bangkok held to observe the National Teachers' Day, which annually falls on January 16. Yingluck paid respect to her childhood teachers and also presented awards to selected teachers with honorary role models and outstanding performances. The premier highlighted the importance of teachers in her message on the occasion of the National Teachers' Day 2012, acknowledging that her government will implement a reform under which the status of Thai teachers will be raised to become high professionals with developed quality meeting internationally-recognized standards and under which qualified graduates, in terms of spiritual intelligence and ethical morals, will be always motivated to become teachers. Thai Education Minister Woravat Auapinyakul, meanwhile, said in his message that Thai teachers play significant roles in ensuring national education continually developed to keep pace with regional and global changes and standards, as a single community of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is to be established by 2015. The National Teachers' Day 2012 was observed with an official motto praising His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej as the Kingdom's royal idol teacher and philosopher, whose footsteps should be honourably followed by all Thai teachers. (TNA)