Mr. Sanon Wangsrangboon, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, chaired the press conference for Bangkok Learning City: Learning for Life Opportunities for All.
Bangkok has been selected to participate as one of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities at the BKK Read & Learn Festival at Chamchuri Plaza, Benjakiti Forest Park, Khlong Toei District.
He said that a livable city for everyone cannot exist if we do not learn, adapt, and develop. Therefore, the key is that everyone must work together. Today, I would like to share with you the policies that we have implemented and will continue to pursue: Learning for Life, Opportunities for All, and what our vision is for a city of lifelong learning for all.
Bangkok has a vision of being a city of lifelong learning for everyone, focusing on care from early childhood, and the development of compulsory education for school-aged children, to the development of vocational skills for teenagers, working-age people, and the elderly. We aim to increase care for preschool children (0-6 years). Currently, there are 284,677 preschool children on the civil registration system in Bangkok, 83,264 of whom are under the care of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. An additional 20,000 people will be added through kindergarten classes at 429 BMA schools, 271 preschool child development centers, 12 daycare centers, and 8 breastfeeding child care centers.
As for compulsory education, it has evolved from the traditional classroom into a digital classroom that is modern and meets the needs of learners, has fun, and stimulates academic development and creativity for children. It can raise the quality of education through Active and PBL education such as Unplug Coding, Blockly, Scratch, Data Science, AI, Robotics, and competency-based courses that emphasize self-management, communication, teamwork, advanced thinking, strong citizenship, and sustainable coexistence with nature.
As for the development of career skills, Bangkok is interested in reskilling or opening up to learn new and different career skills to create a new career, upskilling or learning to increase skills to work more efficiently, and NEW Skills or learning to create a career that is in demand in the labor market.
Importantly, Lifelong learning for all, anywhere, anytime does not limit learning to only school-age children in the classroom, but it also includes learning that can happen anywhere, whether it be youth centers, recreation centers, child development centers, libraries, book houses, museums, galleries, parks, and within all forms of communities. Currently, there is a pilot project in the Khlong Toei, Pathumwan, and Phra Nakhon districts, with cooperation from the government, private sector, academics, and civil society in pushing for concrete activities and development.
“Being a learning city involves many dimensions such as early childhood care, compulsory school learning, vocational skills development, and lifelong learning anywhere and anytime. All of these are the main factors for moving forward with this policy. This is just the beginning. We still have a long way to go. Thank you UNESCO, network partners and stakeholders and let’s move forward together for Bangkok,” he said.
