BANGKOK, 8 August 2011 -Council of University Presidents of Thailand President Prasart Suebkha has proposed that Thai universities adopt a new semester calendar, which corresponds to most of the ASEAN nations, for the benefits of Thai education.
According to Mr. Prasart, Thailand is the only country in this region with a unique academic calendar. The move was said to synchronize college semesters in Thailand with the rest of the ASEAN community before all the ten nations merge under the economic framework in 2015.
The new academic year will still consist of two semesters but instead of starting the 1st semester from May to October, it will be from September to December. Meanwhile, the 2nd term will begin from January to May.
However, further assessments will be carried out to study the impact on the Thai education system before anything could be done. It is expected that student and teacher exchange programs will be facilitated with ease under the new calendar.
Not only Thailand will have similar academic year as the rest of 9 ASEAN countries, but it will also match those in Europe and the United States. Mr. Prasert is set to propose the plan to the new Education Minister and higher education institutions around the country for consideration.
