Published on May 13, 2005

Prime Minister Thaksin Shina-watra launched the National Insti-tute for Brain-based Learning yesterday as part of efforts to raise Thai children’s IQ levels.

Thaksin officially launched the institute during a ceremony at Government House. The prime minister has personally championed the launch of such an institution as a means of developing and popularising intelligence-stimulating teaching techniques to replace traditional rote-learning methods.

Brain-teasing teaching techniques propagated by the institute will be compatible with the appropriate stages of brain development in various age groups, Thaksin said. He added that attempts at intelligence boosting in children will start from the day they are born.

Accordingly, all babies born after July 28 – the birthday of HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralong-korn – will receive a gift bag from the government containing toys designed to stimulate the brain development of infants, Thaksin said during his address.

“Babies must be given adequate intellectual stimulation even while they are in the womb,” he said.

The gifts include a colourful multipurpose cloth bag that can be turned into a blanket; a floatable cartoon book about baby clothes as well as one with different surface material on each page; little toys and mobiles for infants to observe and experiment with; a CD containing lullabies; and a how-to manual for parents on the intellectual development of children.

Thaksin also unveiled a caravan that will promote learning materials for young children, including books and cartoons. It will hit the road in Chiang Mai on June 1 and in Si Sa Ket later this year.

The government also expects to increase the number of high-school and vocational-school students who go on to study at colleges and universities. Today, fewer than a third of these students continue their education. The government wants to boost that number to 50 per cent in an effort to develop a better-educated and skilled work force.

The just-opened institute is one of eight newly established agencies under the aegis of the Office of Knowledge Management and Development, the innovative know-ledge-management hub set up by the Thaksin administration. It is headed by Chanpen Choprapawon, a veteran advocate of brain-based learning who is well-known for her expertise in the intellectual development of children.

Thammarat Kitchalong, Phermsak Lilakul

The Nation

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