Thailand, June 7, 2024 - Garena has launched its Esports Classroom 2024 program in Thailand, with the goal of equipping students with digital skills and empowering them to thrive in the digital economy.
The program is a part of the Garena Academy initiative, first introduced in 2022 to support the development of technical and soft skills in students interested in joining the game and esports industries. This year, the program seeks to reach over 400 students and teachers across the country, as well as partner with universities to provide scholarships for participating students and include university-level education in the program’s curriculum.
Students and teachers enrolled in Esports Classroom will first receive training through hands-on activities from esports competition coordinators, esports coaches, commentators, game media teams, and media and live broadcast control teams. Participants will then organize intra- and inter-school esports competitions, with the final tournament to be held at the Garena Esports Studio for them to gain real-world experience and insights from Garena staff.
At the program’s launch, representatives from the education and esports sectors were invited to speak in a panel discussion titled “E-sports and extracurricular activities for Thai education." Dr. Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, graced the event as its keynote speaker. Noting how rapid digitalization has given rise to a multitude of new professions, Dr. Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok observed that this requires education curricula to adapt and evolve continuously. He stated, “Preparing students for the future goes beyond just providing them with a basic education. Creating an environment that allows them to learn in a wider range of aspects leads to analysis, internalization, and practical applications, which is crucial for life, their studies and self-management outside the classroom. Extracurricular courses like Esports Classrooms are a great opportunity for students to learn new things and get to know themselves better, which will be beneficial in helping them choose their future career paths.”
During the panel, Dr. Nattaphol Tancharoenthrap, Director of Special Projects Group (Sports Project), Office of Academic Affairs and Educational Standards, Office of the Basic Education Commission, shared how extracurricular courses are beneficial for nurturing students' knowledge each profession or industry, an experience that is hard to find at the secondary school level. Assistant Professor Bunyapon Poolsawat, College of Creative Design and Entertainment Technology, Bangkok Business Administration University (ANT DPU), further highlighted how the program better prepares the younger generation for entering specific labor markets, adding that the university will be offering 12 scholarships to participating students. Mr. Kittipol Kitklang (Teacher Beer), a teacher at Jangron Wittaya School, shared his experience at the previous interaction of Esports Classroom, while Mr. Dolpraphob Thiankam (SunWatlz), a professional shoutcaster, gave advice about working in the esports industry.
This year, Garena also collaborated with the School of Communication Arts, Bangkok University, to use the Esports Classroom curriculum as a part of an eSport Event Production course under the university’s Bachelor of Communication Arts program.
Noting that games and esports continue to drive the digital content industry in Thailand, Mrs. Puttawan Suphataranant, Director, Corporate Communications, Sea (Thailand) said, “We see an opportunity to work with teachers to use games and esports as a medium to develop work-relevant skills and life skills that enable Thai students to be more prepared in the digital age. We hope to continue bringing and expanding the curriculum across Thailand as a beneficial teaching tool for schools.”
