Students should not be discouraged from looking at something else besides textbooks. Even golf magazines, Chinese martial art novels or women's journals have their merit, he said. Teachers should let students explain their selection of reading material and report what it is about, so as to improve their skill in catching the gist of the contents.

Reading comprehension was said to be lacking among university students due to limited practice at lower educational levels.

Chaturon was addressing teachers and students from 2,000 schools at the Education Ministry's seminar on education reform at this seaside resort in Chon Buri.

He said schooling must infuse students with a love of reading for lifelong learning, sharpen their critical and analytical thinking instead of focusing on rote learning, and instil morals and a sense of responsibility in them as a full member of society.

The Thai curriculum needs to be updated to keep up with the changing world, which constantly spews out new knowledge. Educational agencies, before they change anything, should thoroughly study the possibilities and consequences and inform other parties.

On Monday, the evaluation of the ministry's work regarding ONet and ANet (Ordinary and Advanced National Educational Tests) exams would be wrapped up, Chaturon said.

The ministry's operations team was working hard, handling students' complaints on a casebycase basis, because another acrosstheboard review would interfere with the students and their applications to their universities of choice, he said.

The ministry plans to add more openended questions to the O and ANet exams, not reduce or do away with them, he said. Many countries had changed their exams from multiple choice to having more shortanswer questions because multiple choice was said to restrict the authority's analysis of students' learning abilities.

The Nation