Top students from Pattaya
schools were selected to speak at the special “What Thai Children Think
About the AEC” forum at the Town and Town Hotel.
Urasin Khantaraphan
Pattaya students told teachers and public officials that
improving English-language skills is the most-important thing the city
can do to prepare for the ASEAN Economic Community.
Speaking at a “What Thai Children Think About the AEC” forum at the Town
and Town Hotel Sept. 10, student participants in the Goodness & Genius
program spoke on the common market that begins next year and “the
direction of education in the area of standard tourism.”
With educators and Pattaya’s top politicians in the audience, Jirapreeya
Rathanan, a 12th-grade student at Pattaya School No. 11, who placed
second in the Pattaya Young Tourist Ambassadors contest, led off the
speeches.
She and other speakers talked on goals to improve the quality of
education and management. In addition to learning the interests and
skills of students, teachers must focus on training students better in
English.
They noted that Thailand lags its Southeast Asian neighbors in English
proficiency. With the AEC, Thailand will see a greater number of
ASEAN-region visitors who use English as a common language. If Thailand
wishes to compete, it has to do better in learning and speaking English.
Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome expressed his approval of all the
speeches, saying the day’s event showed Pattaya’s educational
preparation has progressed far in the past three years and, “Pattaya has
taken another big step toward the ASEAN Community.”
“We can clearly see that we have the potential to enter the ASEAN
community,” he said.
