The curriculum database was developed from the Office of the Education Council's research and development (R&D) project for gifted children and from quality lessons obtained from overseas institutes, Amrung said.

"Teachers can consult our websites. Such tools should allow us to reach gifted students across the country," he said.

Amrung called on teachers to distribute their lessons via the web¬sites if it proved effective in developing gifted students' skills.

"In addition to curricula, our websites also contain up to date news and other useful articles," he said.

In 2000, the Office of the Education Council launched its R&D project to develop curricula for gifted children at the primary and secondary levels.

The curricula were developed to fit with those being taught at general schools, with an emphasis on senior secondary students.

Amrung said the curricula were designed to reduce the number of hours that gifted students spend on the conventional academic content required of other students by the Education Ministry.

"This would give the gifted students more time for special activities that will boost their creativity, analytical ability, problem solving skills and rational thinking," he said.

He said participating secondary schools could also offer advanced placement programmes for gifted students, in which they are taught lessons from higher education courses.

"Those who study higher education material are eligible to claim credit for that work when they become university students," he said.

According to Amrung, 34 schools in 14 provinces have provided special courses for gifted students as a result of the Office of the Education Council's R&D project, which is now in its "pivotal" phase. These schools have provided such courses for more than 5,000 gifted students in various fields.

The Nation