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Phublished on August 27,2007

hopes to create excellence in the teaching of science and mathematics, the Basic Education Commission says.

The science project involves Mahidol Wittayanusorn School and the 12 Princess Chulaporn Schools for Science.

Mahidol Wittayanusorn is the country's first specialised science school for the "full development of exceptionally gifted and talented students". The Chulaporn schools for gifted students mentor junior researchers for national science and technology development.

Together they aim to improve the quality of science teaching. Starting soon, the Nakhon Pathombased school will open classrooms at each of the Chulaporn schools.

Class sizes will be limited to 24, according to commission deputy secretarygeneral Somkiat Chobphol. Each class will receive Bt600,000 a year.

"Mahidol Wittayanusorn will provide muchneeded teaching personnel. This should help the Chulaporn schools advance more quickly in science teaching," Somkiat said.

The schools are for Mathayom 1 to Mathayom 6 students and are located in 12 upcountry provinces.

Mahidol Wittayanusorn will recruit the students, who will receive scholarships for the duration of their studies.

They will be taught the same curriculum as Mahidol Wittayanusorn and sit similar exams.

"Gifted students in the provinces do not need to come to Bangkok. We hope to mentor these students to further their studies in science for national science and technology development," said commission secretarygeneral Khunying Kasama Varavarn na Ayudhya.

The classrooms will receive new Information Technology equipment. Teachers fresh from scholarship study will be appointed, too.

In mathematics, the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology Institute will take 1,750 schools under its wing.

Teachers will be trained and provided with handbooks.

The commission is promoting techniques such as "brainbased learning" - or teaching with an awareness of how the brain learns - and methods employed at schools that uses the Montessori concept for teaching and learning

Montessori techniques are now applied in 60 state schools. A fewer number is trying brainbased techniques and the widely praised practices of the Kumon privatetuition institute.

"We have observed differ¬ent techniques and we are open to other initiatives. Tests at the end of the school year will tell us which are the better," Kasama said.

The commission is emphasising language teaching, too. More schools are now offering English as the medium of instruction.

This means there is less need for classes in learning to speak English and more time for other subjects.

About 500 schools offer Chinese and China has sent 1,000 teachers here.

"It's global education. We need to know who we are in the global community," Kasama said.

Chularat Saengpassa,

 Achara Deboonme

 The Nation