On 25-26 September 2019, H.E. Mr. Jesda Katavetin, Director-General of the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, led the members of the diplomatic corps in Thailand from 8 countries in the Middle East and Africa to Songkla and Pattani Provinces on a study visit on social and education dimensions in the southern part of Thailand. Ambassadors from the Kingdom of Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Chargé d' Affaires from the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Sudan as well as representatives from the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia participated in this programme. 

 

The representatives from the diplomatic corps visited the Old Town Songkla area, the original community of Songkla Province, where people of different ethnic backgrounds, religions and cultures co-exist in peace and harmony. Thai-Chinese, Buddhist-Thai, and Muslim-Thai make up the mixture of populations in Songkla and Pattani Provinces. The representatives from the diplomatic corps commended the solidarity of the local population that have co-existed peacefully for ages and reiterated the importance of mutual respect and tolerance among people with different identities and beliefs.  

 

The delegation visited the Islamic Studies Demonstration School at Prince Songkla University, Pattani Campus, and the Chongraksat Wittaya School in Pattani Province to exchange views with both teachers and students and receive first-hand experience on how secular curriculum is being taught in a Muslim environment in the former and how the dual curriculum of both secular and religious studies are being taught in the latter. The delegation reiterated the importance of secular studies, in particular sciences and mathematics, as important elements that can help expand world views and employment opportunity for youths in the future as well as form a strong foundation of understanding on development. 

 

Presently, there are many Thai youths studying in the Middle East and Africa. The delegation reiterated their readiness to consider granting scholarships for Thai youths in other areas of study apart from religious studies and Arabic, such as business administration, sciences, mathematics, linguistics and medicine so that they can apply their knowledge to contribute to the development of their respective communities and country. 

 

Students in both schools expressed their keen interest in learning about school curriculums in Middle Eastern countries and procedures relating to obtaining scholarships to further their studies. The students also shared their views on their learning experience both in terms of secular studies and the preservation of Islamic values.