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“The Role of Education and Innovation in Thailand’s Future”

The British Embassy and the British Council, hosted a panel discussion on “The Role of Education and Innovation in Thailand’s Future”.

Education and Innovation

H.E. Mark Kent, British Ambassador to Thailand welcomed the panellists: Dr Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, Education Deputy Minister; Dr Jingjai Hanchanlash, Vice Chairman, Thai Chamber of Commerce; Ms Heather Suksem OBE, Regional Chief Executive for OCS Group; and Mr Simon Landy, Vice Chairman, British Chamber of Commerce Thailand and the moderator Dr Wit Sittivaekin.

The British Embassy, in cooperation with the British Council, hosted a panel discussion on “The Role of Education and Innovation in Thailand’s Future” at the British Ambassador’s Residence at the British Embassy. H.E. Mark Kent, British Ambassador to Thailand welcomed the panellists: Dr Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, Education Deputy Minister; Dr Jingjai Hanchanlash, Vice Chairman, Thai Chamber of Commerce; Ms Heather Suksem OBE, Regional Chief Executive for OCS Group; and Mr Simon Landy, Vice Chairman, British Chamber of Commerce Thailand and the moderator Dr Wit Sittivaekin.

Mark Kent, British Ambassador to Thailand, said:

Education is one of the foundation stones for strong, sustainable development and continued economic success. The UK is proud of its strong and innovative education partnership with Thailand. The British Government’s prestigious Chevening Scholarships have been offered to Thai future leaders for the last 32 years. Many of them are now using this knowledge and experience for the benefit of Thai society. I am similarly proud of another recent major area of cooperation, the Newton UK-Thailand Research and Innovation Partnership Fund which is supporting activities with up to 1 billion baht over the next 5 years. The UK is strongly committed to our education partnership with Thailand and intend to develop still further in the coming years.

Dr Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, Education Deputy Minister, said during his opening speech:

Thailand is entering the ASEAN Economic Community soon. Education will play an increasingly important role in preparing our people to be ready for this competitive environment. The UK is a longstanding partner for Thailand in education, research, and innovation. We collaborate at many levels from government to business and society.

About British Embassy Talk Series

British Embassy Talk Series invites Chevening and UK alumni as well as representatives from leading UK businesses in Thailand to discuss various interesting topics and to share views.

About Chevening Scholarships

Chevening is the British Government’s prestigious global scholarships programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), aimed at future leaders. The programme makes awards to outstanding scholars with leadership potential from around the world to study Master’s degree at universities in the UK for a year. The scheme has just finished its application round for 2016/17 receiving about 40,000 applications worldwide. In Thailand we give 30 scholarships per year and have about 350 alumni. Application will next open in September 2016.

Published 13 November 2015