Against the backdrop of the increased role of robots and automation in the labour markets, our educators and policy-makers are trying to catch up with the future of work.
But are they on the right track?
Lately, they have launched a multitude of initiatives to enhance the quality of students, teachers and the curriculum.
Anchalee Kongrut writes about the environment in the Life section, Bangkok Post.
For example, Chulalongkorn University and King Mongkut's Institute of Technology University Ladkrabang have kicked off a joint study course on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics engineering.
This is understandable as the need for AI and robotics engineers is skyrocketing -- the country produced just 2,000 graduates in this nascent field last year while the demand in the labour market has surged to 10,000 annually.
The government, for its part, seems to be trying to ensure the employability of future graduates.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Education announced plans to cooperate with the Office of the Higher Education, the National Economic and Social Development Board and universities to offer further two-year educational programmes for new university or vocational college graduates.
Students enrolled in these courses are to be taught skill sets that meet changing demand in the labour market.
The courses will be offered in eight key industries including railways, aviation, mechatronics, tourism and logistics.
In the long run, the government plans to subsidise study programmes that correspond with its 20-year national development policy. In short, it looks like the government is applying a market-driven approach to educational development.
Earlier this year, the government's education policy and development committee circulated a letter to universities delivering messages from Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha about subsidy cuts for certain fields of study which do not meet labour market demand.
This government's new direction makes me worried, not because I am a Liberal Arts graduate but because such a market-driven education policy seems archaic.
Obviously, our policy-makers still need to come up with plans to prepare students for menial factory jobs or clerical tasks even though we are in a new industrial era which is supposed to enshrine critical thinking, reading and writing skills, arithmetic and science.
Of course, the country needs more graduates in the fields of science and technology. But we need to avoid producing graduates with the same skills that robots have, or will have.
Robotics innovation and AI will bring about a major disruption to the country's workforce. They will not only take over menial, repetitive jobs from humans but also those particular functions which require specific expertise such as data analysis, computer programming and even basic medial surgery.
According to research by McKinsey, machines will take over half of humans' jobs in 20 years.
Information released at the latest World Economic Forum reveals that 800 million jobs will be done by robots and AI by 2030.
So the questions remain: What jobs will the labour markets really need in 20 years and beyond? For Thailand, how can our government ensure that the fields of jobs that it encourages and promotes will survive further invasion by robots and automation?
Which fields of study can guarantee our graduates that they can compete with machines?
One man I think our government should listen to is Jack Ma, the Chinese investment magnate and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a conglomerate of internet-based, technology and AI businesses. At the latest World Economic Forum, he urged policy-makers to reform education policy before it is too late.
"If we do not change the way we teach, 30 years later we will be in trouble because the way we teach and things we teach our kids are things from 200 years ago," he said.
Mr Ma stressed that pursuing only a knowledge-based approach will make it very difficult for graduates to compete with "smarter machines".
"We have to teach something unique that machines cannot catch up with. These are soft skills we need to be teaching our children. Values. Believing. Independent thinking. Teamwork. Care for others," he added.
"If machines can do better, you need to think about it," Mr Ma said.
I only hope that our government has been paying close attention to his words of wisdom.
