3. Activities which provide educational opportunities
3.1 Project of distance education and development center prototype in the risk areas of the southern border provinces
Background: The government has designated urgent strategies for promoting and supporting the upgrade of quality of life and peace building for the southern border provinces. The many-year continuous unrest situation in the southern border provinces has caused a lower quality of life for people in the area and resulted in a lack of opportunity, especially for education. Students have not been able to fully attend school because some schools have been burned down and some teachers have been killed, forcing schools to close in order to treat their mental conditions. Teachers and specialists lack confidence in safety being in the area and thus move out. People living outside the area do not dare move in. As a result, problems in learning and teaching and in quality of life as well as other problems arise.
The Office of National Telecommunications Commission by the National Telecommunications commissioners and PSU realize the importance of operating according to the government strategies stated in the 10th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2007 – 2011) and have therefore cooperated in making a prototype for a Distance Education Center in the risk area of the southern border provinces. The purpose is to upgrade educational standards in the area and it has been conducted by offering a preparation for a foundation subjects project for students in the southern border provinces through e-learning.
Objectives:
1. To develop the infrastructure for information technology in response to the government policy stipulated in the 10th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2007-2011) to develop the quality of people and the Thai society to become an intelligent and learning society.
2. To provide opportunity to students and people in the risk areas of the southern border provinces to search and access information.
3. To spread opportunity for education and strengthen education in the risk areas of the southern border provinces.
4. To solve the problems of lacking educational specialists in the risk areas of the southern border provinces.
5. To upgrade the educational standards of students in the risk areas of the southern border provinces so that they are equal to those in other provinces of the country.
6. To make a prototype of a distance education center for students and the general public in the risk areas of the southern border provinces.
The results and usefulness gained from the project are seen to help students in the risk areas of the five southern border provinces, so they have more knowledge in addition to what they receive in class. The project also provides them with opportunities to learn from highly qualified teachers. Networks between educational institutions have been created to cooperate for benefits of the local areas. For the university, its role for the community has been increased as the project has solved the problem of the insufficient number of teachers in the risk areas. Moreover, the results of the ONET (Ordinary National Educational Test) been improved for students in the risk areas of the southern border provinces.