Education government’s greatest failure – Abhisit

PHUKET TOWN: The current government’s education policy is hindering the country’s development, says Democrat Party Deputy Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva. Following Saturday’s meeting of three top Democrat Party leaders at the Phuket Merlin Hotel, K. Abhisit told the Gazette that he had been assigned to discuss details of the party’s education policy, an issue the opposition Democrats intend to highlight in the next parliamentary elections. He said the ruling Thai Rak Thai party’s education policy was a failure because it had not worked toward implementing constitutionally-mandated reforms, including extending free education from six years of primary education through to six years of secondary school study. Describing the government’s policy as “confused”, he said it went only half-way, by providing only the first three years of secondary education – and that even in this the education wasn’t truly free. “I am concerned. Education is this government’s greatest and most clearly visible failure, especially in carrying out the reforms required by the constitution for free education, along with other reforms. This affects the future development of the country. “Phuket is a good example, because it naturally has great potential. But without improved human resource development, it won’t be able to live up to this potential,” he said. K. Abhisit also said that the plan to introduce CEO-style governorships throughout the country was moving in a direction opposite to the global trend of decentralization and devolution of power to local authorities.