The teachers are Ratchadaporn Sriprueksachat of the College of Fine Arts, Nipon Srinarumon from Triam Udom Suksa School, Pranom Taweekan of Prayamonthatratchpichit School and Ratchanee Sirobophit of Nimmannoradee School. All the schools are in Bangkok.

Ratchadaporn has been teaching at the College of Fine Arts for 15 years and is being honoured for her attempts to encourage "any place and any time learning" among her students. Her outstanding work includes her creative-art instructional media and her campaign to fight drugs among youth through the use of art.

"Teachers should love and be good counsellors to their students, who spend more of their time at school than at home. If teachers can lead them right, they will grow up to be good people," Ratchadaporn said.

Nipon is a biology teacher and emphasises practical learning over theory in teaching his students.

"The practical part helps students to understand better and never forget what they learn," he said. "I am confident that my students are not inferior to students in other countries."

Pranom said she received the honour thanks to the support of the students, parents, community and other teachers at the school.

"To be a good teacher, you have to love what you are doing and love your students as if they were your own children," she said. "Teaching is an honourable career. However, whether teachers should be honoured by society depends on the sacrifices of each teacher."

Teacher Ratchanee said the honour made her feel her work was worthwhile and had rejuvenated her enthusiasm for teaching.

"I also have to thank my own teachers. Without them, I would never have come to this point," she said. The Teachers' Council of Thailand will this year also honour the 60 teachers who have lost their lives in violence in the restive three southernmost provinces since January 2004.

They include Juling Pangamoon, a teacher at Ban Kuching Reupah School in Narathiwat's Rangae district who died last Monday after eight months in a coma after being brutally beaten by locals, and Prasan Makchu, who was shot dead while teaching a class in Narathiwat last July.