#ThailandEducation

A recent review of North Carolina school districts found that a substantial number lack written policies on classroom use of artificial intelligence, raising fresh questions about preparedness, equity and academic integrity that resonate far beyond the United States. The review examined 26 districts and found 17 had formal policies guiding AI use in classrooms while eight districts reported no policy and one district did not respond, highlighting inconsistent district-level responses to a technology which educators say is already reshaping teaching and learning. At the same time, controlled trials from U.S. universities show measurable academic benefits when chatbots and AI tools are integrated thoughtfully, suggesting that absence of policy does not mean absence of potential. For Thai educators, policymakers and parents, the North Carolina snapshot offers a cautionary example: without coordinated guidance and teacher training, schools risk both missed opportunities and harms related to cheating, bias, and widened digital divides.

A major new study of secondary schools in England finds that banning smartphones on school grounds or at break times does not, by itself, produce better grades, healthier sleep or improved mental wellbeing among pupils — a result that shifts the debate from banning devices to reducing total screen time and reshaping how young people use digital technology. Researchers compared student outcomes across schools with different phone rules and found that the single strongest predictor of worse academic and health measures was the amount of time pupils spent on smartphones and social media, rather than whether schools imposed on-site bans. The finding matters for Thai educators and parents because it suggests policy and cultural interventions beyond simple exclusion are needed to protect learning, mental health and social development in a country where young people are highly connected.

A brief, classroom-friendly burst of high-intensity exercise — nine minutes of high-knee marching, jumping jacks, lunges and squats performed as 30-second activity/30-second rest intervals — improved children’s scores on a standardized verbal comprehension test and reduced brain signals linked to fixation on mistakes, according to a new pilot study. (Psychology of Sport & Exercise abstract) (Newsmax report). The findings suggest a low-cost, low-disruption strategy that Thai teachers could embed in classrooms to sharpen attention before high-stakes testing.

Groundbreaking study reveals brief classroom movement breaks improve verbal comprehension and reduce anxiety-related brain patterns

In Thailand’s intensely competitive educational environment, where O-NET scores determine student futures and school reputations, teachers constantly seek advantages that might boost academic performance. New research from the University of North Carolina provides a surprisingly simple solution: nine minutes of classroom-friendly exercise before testing can significantly improve student performance while reducing brain patterns associated with test anxiety.

A wave of displacements in the U.S. tech sector — driven by mass layoffs and the rapid adoption of A.I. coding tools — has left many recent computer science graduates without the high-paying offers that once seemed guaranteed. New reporting shows students who trained for six-figure software jobs are now applying for service-sector work, while universities and employers scramble to redefine the skills young people need. The shift has immediate lessons for Thailand’s education planners, employers and graduates as Bangkok and provincial colleges expand computing programmes amid a national push to develop an A.I.-ready workforce (The New York Times).

The golden promise of computer science education—guaranteed six-figure salaries upon graduation—has crumbled across American universities, sending shockwaves through Thailand’s rapidly expanding tech education sector. Mass layoffs at major technology companies, combined with artificial intelligence tools that can now write complex code in seconds, have fundamentally altered the employment landscape for new graduates who once commanded premium starting salaries.

Recent investigative reporting reveals a stark reality: computer science students who invested years preparing for lucrative software development careers now find themselves competing for service industry positions, while university career centers struggle to place graduates in their chosen fields. This dramatic shift carries profound implications for Thailand’s educational infrastructure, where government initiatives and private institutions have heavily promoted coding bootcamps and computer science programs as pathways to economic mobility.

Japanese students are increasingly turning their sights to Asian study destinations such as Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines as inflation and a weakened yen make traditional Western options more costly. This shift is visible in recent outbound volumes and agent surveys showing both a rebound in overall numbers and a marked rise in short- to mid-term programmes in Asia, a change that creates new opportunities — and new responsibilities — for Thai universities and the broader education and service sectors in Thailand (Japan Times report).

Economic pressures drive historic shift from Western universities

A silent revolution is transforming Japan’s education landscape. As living costs soar and the yen weakens, thousands of Japanese students are abandoning dreams of studying in America, Australia, and Britain. Instead, they’re choosing Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and Taiwan — destinations that promise quality education without financial devastation.

The numbers tell a compelling story. More than 70,000 Japanese students ventured abroad in 2024, marking a robust recovery to 90% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Japan Association of Overseas Studies. Yet the destinations have fundamentally changed. Asian countries now capture unprecedented market share, growing faster than traditional Western powerhouses since 2020.

Thai families celebrating their children’s excellent high school grades may be unprepared for what awaits at university level, according to alarming new educational research from the United States. A comprehensive investigation by leading parenting experts reveals that record numbers of high-achieving high school graduates are arriving at universities academically unprepared, despite earning mostly A’s and B’s throughout secondary education. These students face scholarship losses, academic probation, and course repetition at unprecedented rates, creating financial strain and emotional devastation for unprepared families.

A Slate parenting column this week captured a growing concern for families: more recent high school graduates are arriving at college underprepared for the academic demands they face, losing scholarships, ending up on academic probation, or needing to repeat introductory courses — even when they left high school with mostly A’s and B’s (Slate parenting column). New research from U.S. education organizations confirms the columnist’s anecdote and shows a wider pattern: high school grades have risen while standardized test scores and some measures of college performance have dropped, leaving many students — and their families — shocked by the rigour of college-level work (College Board report; ACT/EdWeek coverage). For Thai parents planning university paths for their children, these findings underline practical steps families and schools must take now to avoid similar shocks when Thai students transfer to provincial, private, or overseas universities.

Comprehensive new research examining academic performance across public and private educational institutions reveals a nuanced landscape that challenges conventional assumptions about school choice effectiveness, with findings that carry significant implications for Thailand’s ongoing education reform debates. This groundbreaking analysis of standardized test results demonstrates that private school advantages vary dramatically based on the quality and resources of surrounding public education systems, suggesting that simplistic comparisons between school types may mislead policymakers and families making crucial educational decisions.

A newly released investigation analyzing standardized test scores from Ohio’s schools reveals sharp contrasts between public and private institutions—findings that may influence similar policy discussions and education choices in Thailand. Amid a massive expansion of Ohio’s school voucher program, the study presents key insights on how private schools perform compared to their public counterparts, prompting questions about the value of “school choice” and its implications for educational equity.

Recent changes by Ohio lawmakers have dramatically broadened the eligibility of families to receive publicly funded vouchers, enabling more students to enroll in private schools at the state’s expense. This legislative shift has driven voucher spending to nearly $1 billion annually according to Dayton Daily News. The effect is twofold: families now enjoy greater school choice, but clear, comparative data guiding these pivotal decisions remains limited.

Thailand’s students and educators grapple with a fundamental question as artificial intelligence transforms software development: Do traditional computer science degrees retain their value when AI tools can generate code automatically? Recent statements from OpenAI’s leadership provide decisive clarity on this debate, emphasizing that formal computer science education becomes more crucial, not less relevant, as AI reshapes the technology landscape. These insights carry particular significance for Thailand’s digital economy ambitions and the thousands of students considering technology careers in an AI-dominated future.

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries around the world, many students and parents in Thailand and beyond wonder if traditional computer science (CS) degrees remain relevant. Recent remarks by the chairman of OpenAI, one of the leading players in the global AI revolution, offer a reassuring perspective: formal computer science education is still crucial—even as AI tools increasingly automate much of the coding process (Business Insider).

The debate centers on a major change in the way software is built. AI-assisted coding tools such as OpenAI’s Codex, Anthropic’s Claude Code, Cursor, and Replit are designed to let engineers write less code by simply instructing AI systems with prompts and then reviewing the generated output. The vision of a “vibe-coding” future, where coding is driven by natural language rather than technical syntax, is advancing rapidly. At Google, for example, chief executive Sundar Pichai recently revealed that AI now writes 30% of the company’s new code.

The increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in workplaces around the globe is reshaping the job market for recent graduates, raising concerns among students, educators, and policymakers alike. While some had hoped AI would open new fields and boost productivity, mounting evidence suggests it is rapidly limiting traditional entry-level opportunities for graduates, particularly in white-collar roles, and is sparking a growing debate over the future of work for the next generation (FT.com, WSJ, Business Report).

As Thailand and much of the world endure record-breaking temperatures, schools are intensifying efforts to shield student athletes from the dangerous effects of extreme heat—a challenge that has become a focal point in the start of new school terms and sports seasons. Recent research and policies reflect mounting concern over the health and safety of young athletes, particularly as climate change accelerates the incidence and intensity of heatwaves. The latest wave of research and new protocols adopted in 2025 underline an urgent reality: heat-related illnesses among student athletes are on the rise and demand robust preventive measures both internationally and within Thailand (local3news.com).

A growing wave of conservative-led interventions is reshaping American higher education far beyond Harvard University, provoking a national debate about the future of academic governance, academic freedom, and the boundaries between politics and the classroom. Recent research and news reports highlight a coordinated effort by conservative policymakers at both state and federal levels, aiming to exert greater control over public and private universities, particularly over issues such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, curriculum standards, and the tenure of teaching staff.

The number of students skipping school due to emotional distress—termed emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA)—has soared in recent years, raising alarms among educators, healthcare professionals, and parents worldwide. Recent research from the UK highlights a five-fold increase in children missing more than half of their school days over the past decade, with experts pointing to the lingering repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic as a key factor driving this concerning trend (BBC News).

A recent article in The Economist has cast a spotlight on an intensifying debate within the United Kingdom’s higher education sector: the pursuit by too many British universities of so-called “world-class” status. According to the Economist’s July 2025 leader, this fixation with international rankings comes at a cost—not just to individual institutions, but to the wider society those universities are supposed to serve. As Thailand continues to elevate its own higher education ambitions, the lessons emerging from British campuses are timely and relevant for policymakers, educators, and students across the kingdom.

A recent wave of parental advice circulating online has reignited a heated debate over whether children should hit back when provoked, challenging decades-old practices in child-rearing and school etiquette. The conversation has gained traction after a mother shared her controversial stance through a viral TikTok video, insisting that while her children should never hit first, they are encouraged to defend themselves physically if struck by another child. The issue has drawn fierce reactions—dividing parents, teachers, and child development experts—while raising important questions about conflict resolution and child safety in Thailand’s classrooms and playgrounds.

In a remarkable reversal of years-long decline, public confidence in higher education has risen among Americans for the first time in a decade, according to a new Lumina Foundation-Gallup survey published on July 16, 2025 by The Chronicle of Higher Education (chronicle.com). The survey found that 42 percent of Americans now say they have either “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in colleges — a six-point increase over the previous year’s levels and the highest reading since 2015.

A staggering 97% of young people aged 16–29 in the European Union now use the internet daily, according to the latest statistics released by Eurostat in July 2025. This near-universal connectivity among EU youths—an increase from 87% just a decade ago—carries important lessons for developing digital literacy and inclusivity in Thailand, where similar trends are emerging but at different rates and with different challenges. The findings reflect both how deeply digital technology has become embedded in young Europeans’ lives and how the gap between youth and the broader population is narrowing, raising questions about digital readiness in the wider Thai community as the kingdom embraces its own digital transformation.

The US Supreme Court has given the green light for former President Donald Trump’s administration to significantly downsize the federal Department of Education, a move that slashes the agency’s workforce by nearly half and could fundamentally reshape the American educational landscape. This landmark decision, permitting mass firings and large-scale buyouts, not only spotlights sharp ideological divides in US education policy, but also sends signals around the world about the future of government involvement in public education.

In a controversial move set to affect students, parents, and educators alike, Missouri has become the latest US state to introduce a sweeping cell phone ban across all public schools. Signed into law by the governor and effective from the upcoming academic year, Senate Bill 68 prohibits students from possessing their phones on campus during the entire school day—including lunch breaks and time between classes—except in emergencies or for medical needs. This new policy, already practiced by some districts, now becomes mandatory statewide, with school authorities tasked to ensure its enforcement and navigate its consequences for the educational ecosystem.