The First Thai-Singapore Bilateral Cooperation Meeting
Sunday, June 16, 2002,
Sir James Lodge, Saraburi, Thailand

          H.E. Mr. Suwit Khunkitti, Minister of Education, Thailand and H.E. Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence Singapore agreed to review the past activities on the cooperation between the Ministries of Education of Singapore and Thailand. The meeting agreed that the cooperation under the educational framework has made excellent progress and responded to the needs of the two countries.

          H.E. Minister of Education, Thailand thanked the Government of Singapore for the kind generosity in providing 61 scholarships to Thai secondary school and pre-university students from 1999 to 2002. Both Ministers were satisfied with the development of partnership school program and the newly-established five partner schools in each respective country. In the area of information and communication technology (ICT), Thailand was gratified for Singapore's cooperation in training its staff members. Both sides also agreed that the teacher attachment program was very useful to both parties and that it was to be continued as an annual program.

          The two parties showed their willingness to extend their full support to the Students' Camp and agreed to take turn to organize the camp. The Minister of Education, Singapore expressed his appreciation for the hospitality and excellent programme that has been arranged for the participants and looked forward to the visit of the Thai students to Singapore for the Fourth Youth Camp in 2003.

          The meeting acknowledged the proposal of Thailand on the drafting of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Education Cooperation between the Ministries of Education of Singapore and Thailand, aiming to strengthen existing cooperation and to promote other possible areas of cooperation. In this regard, both parties agreed that the officials of the two countries would meet to discuss details of the MOU.