The Education Ministry is joining forces with the Canadian embassy in Thailand to source native-speaking English teachers for 300 local schools nationwide.
Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan said the cabinet has approved an MoU between the ministry, embassy, and the Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce to source the teachers.
The teachers will be stationed in schools after the COVID-19 pandemic has eased.
He said the sourcing is projected to be completed in May to improve the English proficiency of Thai students and improve their speaking skills over the next three to five years.
It is part of the cabinet’s move to recruit 10,000 English speaking teachers and 10,000 Chinese teachers with the help of embassies. The recruitment was delayed due to the COVID-19 infection surge but has become active again after vaccines arrived in the country.
Mr Teepsuwan said the ministry is targeting young children as these students are at a learning age suitable for building communication skills.
The plan is to teach children to learn English from native speakers and Thai teachers with English degrees. Alongside the students, teachers will be trained in languages and education courses to improve children’s abilities.
Teachers and school executives must be developed constantly. Teachers also need to have skills to source online platforms to extend and update their knowledge which can be combined with the curriculum, he said.