Three well-known private schools have partnered with the Academic Quality Development Institute to revolutionize Thai classrooms, promoting students as innovators and global citizens using GPAS 5 Steps, shifting from rote memorization to critical thinking, analytical skills, and self-driven innovation.
On 18 May, reporters noted that three leading private schools in Sriracha District, Chonburi Province—Dara Samut Sriracha School, Prechanusart School, and Prasertsuk School—joined with the Academic Quality Development Institute (AQDI) to sign a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at transforming Thai classrooms through innovation.“GPAS 5 Steps”This method develops Thai students to think critically, perform skills, and create innovatively, preparing them to become global citizens in the 21st century. This collaboration is not merely a document signing but a declaration of war against education systems focused on memorization. It signals a crucial shift toward future classrooms where students learn not to pass exams but to live real lives.
Mr. Saksin Rojanaranrom, Chairman of the Academic Quality Development Institute, said private schools have high potential to drive change due to their flexibility and genuine focus on quality. This partnership will center on the GPAS 5 Steps higher-order thinking process to develop both teachers and students. The goal is not children who memorize well but those who can think critically, analyze, and innovate independently.
GPAS 5 Steps will transform classrooms from places of listening into spaces for active thinking, doing, and creating, through Active Learning, Backward Design learning frameworks, and Authentic Assessment that recognizes learners' diverse potentials beyond exam scores. It also promotes multiple intelligences, enabling children to discover themselves, appreciate their value, and apply their abilities to benefit society genuinely.
Mr. Pichet Pho-phakdee, Secretary-General of the Basic Education Commission at the Ministry of Education, stated that modern Thai education must shift from teaching to memorize toward cultivating thinking habits through innovative learning. Thai students need more than exam answers; they need lifelong thinking skills. GPAS 5 Steps is a key tool to nurture observation, analytical thinking, planning, and self-regulation—foundations for quality people in the future world. It also encourages teacher innovators to become coaches who help students create real work and innovations.
Father Luechai Janpo, Director of Dara Samut Sriracha School, said this collaboration demonstrates that Thailand has academics capable of developing learning processes suited to Thai children's contexts. He believes that using Thai methods for Thai children will empower them to think and act independently, taking pride in their work and leading to new innovations. When children think and do for themselves, they will not feel left behind but will feel valuable and able to create new things for the world. The modern teacher's role will shift from mere instructor to coach, encouraging children to think boldly, act confidently, and express themselves, eventually developing real work and innovations.
This collaboration will continue for three years, focusing on developing educational personnel across the three schools to create sustainable, deep changes at the classroom level. It is being watched closely as a potential model for Thai education reform, building a strong academic network that connects government and private sectors.