Special lessons for gifted students are now available on two websites, www.onec.go.th and www.thaigifted.org.

"This serves as a 'curricula bank'. Teachers can choose from various levels and fields to suit each of their gifted students," Education Council secretary-general Dr Amrung Jantawanich said yesterday.

There are more than 600 lessons in the bank, he said.

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 lessons via the websites if they prove 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 conventional academic content the Education Ministry requires most students to do.

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

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.

Some 34 schools in 14 provinces have provided special courses for gifted students as a result of the Education Council's R&D project, which he said was now in a "pivotal" phase. These schools have provided courses for more than 5,000 gifted students in various fields.