Govt blinded by scienceThe government's axeing of two science and math projects, despite a total cost for both of only 700 million baht, raises doubts about how serious it is about improving science and technology education. Last week, the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) announced it would suspend its 25th Junior Science Talent Project (JSTP) programme due to a lack of budget. It has been reported that the project requires 300 million baht a year to educate 200 researchers in the science and technology fields. Meanwhile, the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST) said last week it would suspend grants under its Promotion of Science and Mathematics Talented Teachers (PSMT) project, likewise due to budget constraints. The amounts required for these teacher development projects should not be an issue if the government is serious about improving the country's science and technology ability.

Source: Bangkok Post January 23, 2022 23:09 UTC