Mother Language Education in Thailand

A shout-out to Mother Language Education by the Prime Minister of Thailand:

Opening Speech by Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva at "International Conference of Language, Education, and the Millenium Development Goals"

"We firmly believe that the inclusion of local languages in schools helps students improve their academic performance and strengthen their aptitude in the Thai language, while preserving the individual languages and cultures that make us unique...


... students in pilot schools learn to read and write in their native tongue, Pattani Malay, and then use that as a bridge to the national language of Thai. The children are doing very well – in fact, they are seldom absent, they participate enthusiastically, their self-confidence is growing, and their Thai language abilities are already 35% higher than similar students in monolingual Thai control schools. In addition to improved language abilities, we’ve also seen increased performance in science, mathematics, and other subjects..."