The seminar at Provincial Hall was part of the agreement signed
between AIT and central Nakhon Nayok Province on 26 June 2012 to
develop “Smart Province”. The “Smart Province” project is one of Thai
Government’s initiatives aimed at improving the quality of
life of the people of the provinces. The project is expected to enhance
the efficiency of public administration and public services to support
the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and sustainable development.
At the seminar, AIT expert Dr. Vilas Nitivattananon from Urban
Environmental Management Program, School of Environment, Resources and
Development, gave a lecture on “Planning for Sustainable Urban and
Infrastructure Development” while Mr. Voravate Chonlasin, Senior
Program Specialist and Head of Public Sector Capacity Building, AIT
Extension, lectured on “Project Management and Achievement
Cycle”.
Over 50 senior-level participants attended. Attendees
included heads of government agencies, state enterprises, chief
district officers, educational administrators, local administrators,
and staff of related government agencies of Nakhon Nayok
Province.
Dr. Surachai Srisaracam explained why AIT was chosen as a partner for
the project: “We see that AIT is at the center of ASEAN. What we are
planning to do will be beneficial to all people, especially those in
ASEAN and this is one of Thailand’s strategies to prepare for entering
AEC. Importantly, AIT has expert knowledge and appropriate studies
which can push Nakhon Nayok forward. These are the two dimensions of
our working together.”
Dr. Surachai added that from listening to the lectures by AIT experts,
he realized that they were quite in line with Nakhon Nayok’s overall
ambitions. The province is moving in the right direction with
principles supported by leading academics, such as those from AIT, he
said.
According to Dr. Surachai, in the future there will be many more
activities under the project between AIT and Nakhon Nayok, particularly
the relationship between ASEAN and Nakhon Nayok’s Smart Province drive,
and the Thai government. First, an office will be jointly established
by both parties for technology transfer. Second, students of AIT can
use the province as the location of their laboratories for their
related research in different dimensions. Since the “Smart Province”
idea is related to people’s quality of life and enhancing the wisdom of
society, it can be a case study for AIT students, he said. Through
various fields of study, AIT can offer specialized knowledge and
complimentary skills in organizing the projects for “Smart Province,”
he explained.
Prof. Kanchana Kanchanasut, Vice President for Research, said “Smart
Province” is a good project for AIT, owing to its strengths as source
of abundant and appropriate technologies.
