Southern schools go bilingual : Thai-Malay
Public schools in the three southernmost provinces would be first to allow to be taught in both Thai and Malay languages, Caretaker Education Minister Jaturon Chaisaeng said on Saturday.
Officials are on the verge of completing a plan that will allow the schools to be taught in both Thai and Malay languages.Chaturon said the government has selected 12 public schools that are situated in both urban and remote areas in the Malay-speaking provinces. Chaturon said the idea is to instill a sense of confidence between the youngsters through the use of language in which they are comfortable. The ministry is hoping to strengthen relations with the families of the local residents through the use of Malay language in public school. The minister said about 100 primary and 40 secondary schools have informed the ministry of their interest in using the bilingual system. About 80 per cent of the residents in the region are Muslims of Malay ethnicity. The region, which happens to be Thailand's least developed, has been hit with a spate of separatists violent that so far claimed more than 1200 lives. The Nation
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