How smart classrooms are helping transform education in northeast Thailand

With its gossamer chambers and gleaming blue veins, the model heart that biology teacher Pimdao Nudklanarongrit placed on a metal tray did not look plastic as it filled the smart screen behind her. And despite the suits worn by the teachers and officials gathered in the smart classroom at Buriram Pittayakom School for a professional training session, they momentarily resembled students as they inclined toward the board and watched her demonstration. 

For Anasaya Boorapa, an English instructor at Siriket Nomklao School in Si Sa Ket province, the captivating display confirmed something she has witnessed in her own classroom in recent months. Before new digital tools were introduced late last year, 'learning was more passive, and students didn’t often volunteer answers to questions,' she said. Now, 'lessons are more interactive and students are more confident about sharing their ideas.’

Boorapa's school is one of ten pilot institutions across northeast Thailand taking part in the Technology-enabled Open Schools for All (TEOSA) initiative, led by UNESCO's Regional Office in Bangkok and Office for UN Coordination for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO Bangkok) in partnership with Huawei Technologies and Thailand's Ministry of Education. In December 2025, the initiative equipped one 'mother' school each in Buriram and Si Sa Ket provinces with Smart Classroom infrastructure — interactive displays, document cameras, table-level computers and high-speed internet — each linked to four surrounding 'child schools' able to receive and participate in lessons in real time.

The need it addresses is acute. According to a 2022 national assessment by the World Bank and Thailand's Equitable Education Fund, 74.1% of Thai youth and working-age adults lack essential digital skills.

TEOSA, also active in Brazil and Egypt, is part of UNESCO's broader effort to narrow digital divides and promote equitable access to quality education, a cornerstone of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4. On 19 March 2026, the International Day for Digital Learning will see UNESCO and UNICEF co-launch the Charter for Public Digital Learning Platforms, a framework to extend public education into digital environments equitably and sustainably.

'The International Day for Digital Learning is a reminder that access to technology in schools is increasingly a key element for equal opportunities,' says Marina Patrier, UNESCO Bangkok's Deputy Director and Chief of Education.  'But technology alone has never been enough. What we are trying to support in Thailand is a model where teachers’ and learners’ capacity to use digital tools to enhance learning outcomes and inclusivity grows together.'

That pairing was visible in Buriram on March 4 and 5, 2026, when 45 teachers from the pilot schools gathered for professional development and training on Smart Classroom tools, informed by the UNESCO's AI Competency Framework for Teachers. UNESCO's AI Competency Framework for Students was also presented, as teachers discussed their practical experience of using AI in class. Currently, only half of the countries around the world have standards for developing teacher ICT skills, according to UNESCO's 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report, a gap the TEOSA Initiative was designed to address.

The day before the biology demonstration, a mathematics class offered a preview of what that looks like in practice. Around 20 students competed to raise their hands to demonstrate the solution to a math challenge. When one was chosen, the document camera captured his worksheet and projected it onto the screen behind him. 

'When I invite them to come to the front and write or solve problems on the board, they enjoy it even more,' says Woranitipat Worakaensai, a mathematics teacher at Khuean Chang Phittayakharn School. 'They are eager to come up and participate.'

For Siravit Koram, a Grade 11 student at Buriram Pittayakom School, the effect extends beyond enthusiasm. 'The large screen helps us understand the laws of physics much better,' he says. 'It makes me want to explore and learn along with the technology.'

The classroom-level change reflects broader policy developments. The UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Teachers, translated into Thai through the TESOA initiative, has informed the development of Thailand's Digital Safety and Literacy Curriculum, a Ministry of Education programme to strengthen digital skills across all age groups. A training programme targeting an estimated 200 master teachers is planned for later in 2026, to be cascaded nationwide. In neighbouring Lao PDR, UNESCO has supported all 16 of the country’s Education Training Institutions to adopt a reformed digital curriculum to enhance teacher ICT and AI competencies at scale.

Because Pimdao Nudklanarongrit’s biology session at the mother school was broadcast live and recorded, teachers at surrounding child schools had access to the same demonstration. In previous years, she says, the same lesson would have required a pig's heart and a room small enough for every student to see.

‘The role of teachers is changing,’ says Anasaya Boorapa, ‘we can’t just be instructors, we have to use technology to facilitate learning.’

Originally published by UNESCO Bangkok