DOST-SEI 2025

Advancing STEM and STEAM Education through the BCG Economy Model:

Thailand’s National Implementation toward Sustainable and Innovation-Driven Learning (2023–2025)

By Eakasit Piyasangtong, Director, Gifted Education Development Unit
Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), Ministry of Education, Thailand

Thailand is undergoing a significant transformation in STEM and STEAM education, driven by the national ambition to build a future-ready generation equipped with scientific literacy, technological fluency, and innovation capability. Amid rapid global shifts - especially in artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, and digital skills - the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) has implemented a systemic reform integrating the BCG Economy Model (Bio–Circular–Green) with STEM and STEAM education, spanning the years 2023–2025.

This article presents Thailand’s national direction, key initiatives, and emerging innovations that highlight the country’s commitment to building sustainable, inclusive, and innovation-driven learning ecosystems for all students.

1. Educational Challenges and Emerging Global Pressures

Over the past decade, Thailand has faced familiar systemic challenges: uneven teacher capacity, fragmented professional development, gaps in assessment practices, and disparities in access to equipment and digital tools—especially in rural schools. Many teachers remain unsure about implementing integrated STEM/STEAM, while many students lack strong foundations in computational thinking, a competency now essential worldwide.

Meanwhile, the global landscape continues to evolve rapidly. China declared 2025 as the “Smart Education Year”, embedding AI across all subjects. OECD’s PISA 2029 introduces Media and AI Literacy as new core components. These changes signal that Thailand must accelerate reform not after challenges are solved, but while transformation is underway.

2. National Direction: Responding to PISA and Future Competencies

To meet the national expectations associated with PISA 2025 and 2029, OBEC has adopted a comprehensive approach focusing on four pillars:

• Curriculum modernization

• Competency-based learning

• Teacher development

• Assessment transformation

This whole-system improvement aims to ensure Thai learners are equipped with the competencies necessary for a highly competitive and interconnected world—particularly in scientific reasoning, mathematical problem-solving, digital citizenship, and AI literacy.

3. Curriculum Foundations: STEM, Design & Technology, and Computer Science

Thailand’s Basic Education Core Curriculum (2008) underwent major updates in 2017–2018, especially in Computer Science and Design & Technology (D&T). These updates positioned computational thinking, engineering design processes, and real-world problem solving as essential components of learning from primary to upper secondary education.

Thailand adopts the Smithsonian Institution’s definition of STEM:

STEM is an interdisciplinary integration that applies computational thinking to explain phenomena and solve real-world problems.

Computational thinking is explicit in the Computer Science curriculum and embedded across many subjects. The inclusion of ART into STEAM is influenced by Thailand’s strong cultural capital and biodiversity capital—recognizing that innovation grows from cultural identity, creativity, and local wisdom.

4. STEAM BCG: Thailand’s Unique Framework for Sustainable Innovation

One of Thailand’s most distinctive reforms is the STEAM BCG model, which integrates:

• Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, with

• Bio-economy, Circular economy, and Green economy

The model is implemented through six stages:

1. Identify real community or environmental problems

2. Explore information, local knowledge, and scientific data

3. Design solutions grounded in STEAM and sustainability

4. Develop prototypes using renewable or recycled resources

5. Test usability, environmental impact, and economic value

6. Present innovations to communities and stakeholders

This approach strengthens students’ ability to apply STEAM to real-life sustainability challenges, linking learning directly to local contexts and the national BCG strategy.

5. Five-Pillar National Strategy for Implementation

OBEC advances STEM/STEAM BCG through a five-pillar national strategy:

1. Policy formulation and alignment

2. System-wide implementation

3. Human resource and teacher development

4. Network-building and stakeholder participation

5. Monitoring, evaluation, and continuous improvement

This strategy emphasizes practical tools and classroom-ready models, ensuring that innovation is not confined to policy documents but reaches real schools and real learners.

6. Personalizing Learning through Multiple Intelligences

In parallel with STEM and BCG reforms, Thailand has embraced a Multiple Intelligences (MI) approach to personalize learning. OBEC has assessed the competencies and interests of over 3.7 million students nationwide, producing rich data that supports schools in tailoring instruction.

The findings reveal that Thai learners show strengths across diverse domains:

• Arts and design

• Sports and physical skills

• Languages

• Science and mathematics

• Electronics and engineering

• Social interaction and leadership

This underscores the principle that education must help every child “become who they were meant to be,” nurturing their natural talents while expanding opportunities for growth.

7. AI Development for Teachers and Schools

Thailand is also emerging as a regional leader in integrating AI in education. Two major policy documents—AI Guideline and AI Guidance—provide a national framework addressing:

• Learning about AI

• Learning with AI

• Creating AI responsibly

These initiatives have reached more than 1,900 schools and tens of thousands of educators, promoting ethical, safe, and effective adoption of AI tools. The goal is to transform classrooms into environments where AI supports inquiry, creativity, assessment, and personalized learning.

8. Flagship National Projects Driving Change

Several large-scale projects illustrate Thailand’s commitment to accessible, environmentally responsible, and innovative education:

1) Miniature Chemistry Lab

A collaboration with Dow Thailand Group, Chulalongkorn University, and the Chemical Society of Thailand.
The project trains teachers to conduct laboratory experiments using 100 times less chemical material, enhancing safety, affordability, and eco-friendliness while expanding hands-on STEM access to students across 29,000 schools.

2) Demonstration School Program (DSP) with CASIO Japan

This initiative develops mathematics teachers to apply inquiry-based learning with real-world contexts, supported by ClassWiz calculators and EdTech tools.
Over 310 teachers from 117 schools have participated, with nationwide expansion underway.

3) AIxSTEAM – Kid Rangers Project

This program trains science and mathematics teachers to use AI as a design partner in developing STEAM projects that address community issues.
Selected student teams have the opportunity to join study visits in Shanghai, fostering global exposure and deeper innovation mindsets.

10. A New Culture of Learning: From “Do” to “Play”

A unique aspect of Thai educational culture is the belief that learning grows best from joy and curiosity. In Thailand, people often use the word “play” rather than “do” when starting new experiences.

This mindset drives OBEC to create learning ecosystems—such as Gifted OBEC online platforms, communities, and social media channels—that encourage students and teachers to learn through exploration, creativity, and fun.

Conclusion

Thailand is advancing toward a future where STEM, STEAM, BCG, AI, and personalized learning come together to create meaningful and sustainable educational transformation. The nation is committed to supporting every child to grow with confidence, competence, and compassion—ready to innovate, collaborate, and thrive on the global stage.

As Thailand continues to expand these initiatives, collaboration with global partners will be essential. We welcome dialogue, partnerships, and shared learning to shape a brighter future for all learners.