Push to boost learning via satellite

 to improve 12,000 small schools nationwide, Education Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said yesterday.

Jurin affirmed the ministry was focusing on IT to elevate the educational standard of the schools that often suffer teacher shortages.

HM the King had initiated distance learning via satellite which could be extended widely this year, he said. Top level teachers would be recruited for the satellite broadcasting from Wang Klai Kangwon School.

Jurin has also instructed the basic education commission survey how many small schools already have satellite dishes, for later consideration on whether the ministry should extend the project. Currently about 10,000 schools are equipped with satellite dishes for the project, he said.

Jurin reasoned that as the project was already in place and could be implemented right away, there would be a saving on budget. He said a study of Suphan Buri schools already in the project showed that students' O-Net scores had improved.

Jurin said the budget for such project development would be from the interactive e-learning scheme via MOE television that the ministry was scrapping. It had a Bt30 million budget from fiscal year 2009.

The e-learning project, initiated while Somchai Wongsawat was education minister, managed education via satellite and a high-speed Internet system from a head school to other schools in its network.

The four-year scheme to cover Prathom 4 to Mathayom 3 students in some 3,000 schools nationwide had its first phase last year as a pilot project to 12 schools with the collaboration of the ministry and Samart Corp.

The second phase this year expected 280 schools to join the scheme. A third phase would extend to 1,200 schools and another 1,300 schools would join in the fourth phase.