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Thai governments like to talk about how they plan to turn the country into hubs for many things - from car production to medical service. The current government has floated an idea to turn Thailand into an international educational centre.

The aim is admirable, but there are many things to be done.

First of all, Thailand will not be able to become an education centre if the national education system fails to produce qualified human resources for the nation.

Education Minister Jurin Laksanawisit earlier this month said the ministry planned to spend Bt3 billion to turn Thailand into an educational centre by increasing the number of foreign students at home.

Jurin said the ministry would also take part in promoting international schools and colleges to bring these institutions up to international standards.

Thailand is an ideal location to become an educational centre. Apart from its location, the country has been home to several thousand expatriates, who would have to send their children to schools here. Besides, thanks to the history and background, students who are interested in Southeast Asian or Asian studies would naturally prefer to spend a few years in Thailand to enable them to understand the background better than studying from afar.

Jurin said the ministry plans to help promote international educational units in several schools, vocational colleges and universities to encourage foreign students to study in Thailand. The ministry would help schools and colleges to screen international students and set a curriculum to meet the demands of foreign students.

However, the plan will not be effective if the rest of the schools and colleges in Thailand fail to keep up with international standards.

After all, the underlying objective of the educational centre plan is to improve the quality of Thai students by increasing their exposure to international students studying here. By promoting an international environment, the ministry hopes to inspire local students to be more eager to learn and to think in a world where everything is becoming closely connected.

The fundamental issue to be addressed is not school buildings or modern equipment. Instead, much effort must be put on the content side of our education. Modern buildings cannot guarantee quality of students, if the classroom teaching is still below par.

The massive budget for this purpose will be a waste if the money is aimed mostly at materials, instead of the quality of teachers, library resources and an effective curriculum. And these things take time. For instance, schools should inspire the students by providing books and access to information for students to research on their own, and promote the reading habit in students. Unfortunately, libraries in several schools and colleges do not have sufficient resources to respond to the students' needs.

The monolithic Education Ministry should also be reformed to ensure the curriculum responds to the changing world. While the students will have more international exposure, the students should be aware and appreciative of their background to enable them to progress based on their unique character.

It will not be a wise idea for Thai schools to copy the entire curriculum from other countries with different social and economic environment. An effective education system should develop the students based on their strengths and backgrounds. For instance, Thailand is an agricultural based country and many Thais live close to nature. Thus schools should help instil environmental awareness among students, and resource management should be included in the school textbook. Or, the study of history or the languages of our neighbouring countries should be promoted to enable students to better understand their backgrounds and others and to live peacefully in a multiracial world.

Finally, the aim should be to prepare students to become good global citizens. Therefore, the software side of this learning process should be enhanced. Otherwise, students would just learn how to memorise and they would not be equipped with sufficient knowledge to make good judgements.

Thai governments, over the years, have striven to develop education by extending compulsory education, expanding higher education, reorganising the Ministry of Education and promoting international cooperation.

However, Thai students are still performing lower in international testing. But more importantly, the education system does not effectively encourage students to adapt what they have learned from the class and develop their own thinking.

The right combination of a Thai educational system with an international curriculum would help improve the quality of schools and students and make Thailand an attractive destination for international students.

If the latest project from the Education Ministry reflects the current government's intention to place education high on its agenda, then it is a welcome sign.

The key question is how to ensure the project will be continued as this is a process that will take many years. Past experience shows that many of the efforts have been fraught with problems, economic and political. Let's hope that this time around, the educational reform will be continued by future governments.