Wichit Srisa-an
Wijit Srisa-arn วิจิตร ศรีสอ้าน | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 9 October 2006 – 6 February 2008 | |
| Prime Minister | Surayud Chulanont |
| Preceded by | Chaturon Chaisang |
| Succeeded by | Somchai Wongsawat |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 22, 1934 Chachoengsao, Thailand |
| Political party | Democrat Party |
| Spouse | Sukon Srisa-arn |
| Alma mater | Chulalongkorn University |
| Profession | Politician |
Wijit Srisa-arn (Thai: วิจิตร ศรีสอ้าน, born 22 December 1934) is a former Thai politician and was appointed Minister of Education in 2006 by a military junta following a successful military coup. As Education Minister, he has cancelled several key Thai Rak Thai-government policies like Thailand's participation in the One Laptop Per Child program and plans to install broadband internet connections in all Thai schools.
Democrat MP
Wijit was a Democrat MP following the 2001 general election which the Thai Rak Thai party won in a landslide. He became head of the Democrat Party’s committee on educational issues.[1]
Minister of Education
On 19 September 2006, the Thai military overthrew the elected government in a coup. The junta appointed Surayud Chulanont as Prime Minister and Wijit Srisa-arn as Education Minister. Key policies Wijit enacted included:
- The cancellation of Thailand's participation in the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program.[2]
- The cancellation of plans to install personal computers and broadband internet connections in every public and secondary school in Thailand.[2]
- Forcing 430 prestigious schools across the country to accept half of their students from the local neighborhood. All other schools would be required to accept all applicants; if applicants exceeded seats, a random draw would choose which applicants would be accepted.[3]
Due to escalating violence in the South, all schools in Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat provinces were shut down indefinitely from 27 November 2006. Over 1,000 schools were closed.[4][5]
See also
References
- ^ The Nation, Opposition slams PM's U-turn, 10 October 2001
- ^ a b Bangkok Post, Education Ministry axes 3 schemes, 28 November 2006
- ^ The Nation, Famous schools ordered to take in half of new students from neighbourhood, 14 November 2006
- ^ The Nation, All schools in restive south to be closed, 27 November 2006
- ^ The Nation, Over 1,000 schools closed, 28 November 2006