The Thai Education Ministry plans to distribute electronic devices, such as tablets and laptops, to 600,000 high school students this year as part of a project designed to facilitate learning from any location at any time.
Deputy Education Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said on Wednesday that the cabinet has approved two initiatives proposed by the ministry: the Digital Skill/Credit Portfolio: Empowering Educations project, worth over 4.21 billion baht, and the second phase (2026-2031) of the electronic device distribution project, worth over 29.76 billion baht.
Mr. Surasak stated that the ministry has secured electronic devices, including tablets, laptops, and Chromebooks, for 600,000 high school students at community schools and opportunity expansion schools for this year.
He also mentioned that his ministry has requested an additional 29 billion baht for next year to buy devices for another 1.2 million high school students.
The Comptroller General’s Department has proposed changes to some of the procurement conditions set by the ministry, particularly concerning the specifications required from device suppliers.
The deputy minister emphasized the ministry’s dedication to maintaining high standards for device quality and functionality to ensure students receive well-equipped devices with the appropriate software.
Mr. Surasak said, “We understand the concerns surrounding procurement, but our priority is to ensure students receive high-standard devices. Lowering suppliers’ specifications could compromise the quality of the equipment.”
He noted that the ministry intends to expedite the procurement process and aims to distribute the first batch of 600,000 devices by the start of the first semester in May.
However, he added that if there are any delays, the distribution might be pushed to the second semester, and he mentioned that vocational students would also benefit from this initiative.