The blog - or Web log - will discuss Her Royal Highness' views about the teaching and learning of English in Thailand.

Visitors to the site will be able to post comments and messages. The Royal blog can be accessed at www.accessenglish.com within the next few days.

Her Royal Highness presided over a forum yesterday developing strategies to address long-term language-education needs in Thailand.

Called "Future Perfect: English-language policy for global transition", it attracted more than 400 language professionals and policy makers from all over Southeast Asia.

Organised by the council and the Education Ministry, it ex-plored key developments re-quired for Thailand to success-fully develop critical language skills in the next quarter century.

It mapped out an 18-month research project to develop a long-term language strategy.

The council's director of English-language services in Thailand, James Shipton, said teacher supply was one of many challenges.

Other themes discussed included optimum ages for language learning, the role of technology and curriculum design.

Shipton noted the ministry had recently identified a need for 10,000 native English speakers to work in state schools and the public sector.

"Is this a viable option given that number and the expense of importing teachers? Should we perhaps be looking at developing local teachers?" he asked.

Keynote speaker David Graddol presented his research. It explores the position of English as a global language and the extraordinary speed of demographic and social change that affects its development as the lingua franca.

"The key to understanding the impact of global English probably lies in how well and how strategically its implementation is managed in each country. There is scope for great success, but also great disaster," he said.

Chatrarat Kaewmorakot

The Nation