Border students asked to learn more languages

CHIANG RAI, January 22 (TNA) - School students, especially those in remote areas along the Thai border, may have to learn more languages besides Thai as the kingdom and nine other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are to form an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. The instruction was made following a visit by Prakob Rattanapan, chairman of the House Education Committee, to a public school in Mae Sai district of Thailand's northernmost province of Chiang Rai. Senior Education Ministry officials also accompanied him during the visit to the school which has a total of 921 students. Out of the total students, 183 are Thais while the remainder is hilltribes and Myanmar. There are 40 teachers at the school. Although situated in remote area, the Wat Wiang Pang Kum School has opened the ASEAN Study Centre which teaches about ASEAN affairs to the students. Foreign teachers offer English language teaching to them in preparations for the AEC. After listening to the briefing, Prakob said he would request the government to provide more budget to schools in remote areas to enable them developing education. He said students at schools situated near the border like those in Chiang Rai should learn other languages such as Lao, Myanmar and most importantly Chinese as free trade will prevail among ASEAN after AEC is formed. Already, people from those three countries are already communicating with Thais at the Chiang Rai border. (TNA)