ENG
Members of the Czech Rectors Conference (CRC) met with representatives from universities across Thailand, associated with the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT). On 27 January, the joint meeting took place at the Small Hall of the Carolinum, moderated by CRC President and then CU Rector Milena Králíčková.
After a brief introduction of the attendees, a presentation followed on why ‘studying in Czechia is a smart choice’– in short, it is a safe, beautiful country with rich culture, quality public transport, plentiful opportunities and a lot of international students. Thailand’s representatives also learned about summer schools offered not only by CU ILPS, but also numerous CU faculties; micro-credentials; foundation programmes, as well as the palette of English-language study programmes offered at CU.
Conversely, the chairman of the delegation, Secretary-General of CUPT, Assistant Professor Pomthong Malakul Na Ayudhaya, PhD, held a comprehensive presentation on Thailand’s education system, opening on a truly heartfelt note: “We come from warm weather, and here is the coldest month – but the warmth comes from you, the people.” Less delightedly, however, he also outlined the Thai demographic cliff, where population decline affects the country’s education system as a whole and the numbers of graduates and applicants drop. Mr Malakul Na Ayudhaya then outlined the system of education in Thailand, its admission process, governing bodies and shared some of the challenges for Thailand such as near-future workforce demands, the AI disruption, and demographic projections.
In the light of historical facts about CU, it is notable that Thailand’s first universities have only been established “only” in the 20th century, however with all the stronger growth – today counting more than 300 higher education institutions across the country.
In a brief discussion, CU faculties representatives spoke about their ongoing cooperations with Thai universities resulting for example in a recent accreditation of CU 2ND MED by the Thai Medical Council. Aside from medicine, such as the fields of travel and tropical medicine, opportunities of fostering new collaborations and student or teacher exchange also range from MATHPHYS’ AI-focused programmes to physiotherapy at CU SPORT or East and Central European Studies at CU ARTS.
After this initial exchange, the Czech Rectors Conference, celebrating 33 years, met with the Thai delegation for an exceptional meeting. The centrepiece being presentations on Czechia’s higher education institutions and the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (DZS)’s Study in Czechia initiative or the Czechia Alumni programme, which is active in Thailand as well. Rectors, Vice-Rectors and other representatives then offered brief presentations of Czech universities, with a lot of them listing their current cooperations with Thai institutions.
The day before, the esteemed delegation visited Brno and its university, later on Tuesday’s afternoon the programme led them to various Prague’s institutions and allowed for more networking. This rare visit will hopefully lead to new cooperations as well as the strengthening of ongoing collaborations and partnerships between Thai and Czech institutions.
Text by: Jan Borek
Photos by: Veronika Vachule Nehasilová