Remarks of Resident Coordinator Thailand for National Consultation on Digital Divide Mapping Study with focus on school education in Thailand

I am so very pleased to join you today to learn about the recommendations emerging from the Mapping of Digital Divide analysis that is being jointly led by ITU, UNICEF and UNESCO while working in close partnership with the MOE, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, NBTC and NSO.

Joined up working of the Government and the UN, like today, is critical for breaking new frontiers to position Thailand on the pathway of leading the digital transformation for Thailand 4.0.

Mapping the digital divide for schools is new for the UN.

The pandemic made it imperative for the UN to undertake this analysis along with the government to ensure that no schools, community or students were left behind in accessing education services given that in the years ahead e-learning methodologies will be the new normal.

The findings emerging from the study will inform the CCA and as part of the UNSDCF the UN will seek to extend this analysis to other basic services with an immediate focus on understanding the status of connectivity for hospitals across the country.

I look forward to understanding the key findings from the study with a specific focus on three issues:

• Schools, provinces, and communities that remain unconnected.
• Schools and students who do not have access to devices
• Schools and students that do not have the skills to benefit from e-learning platforms.

Many thanks once again to our government counterparts for engaging closely with the UN to undertake this analysis.

You have supported the ITU to set a trend for the UNCT across the Asia Pacific as the Thailand example is inspiring other countries to undertake similar assessments to bridge the digital divide.