BANGKOK, THAILAND, March 4, 2003: A new project from Thailand’s Ministry of Education aimed at networking monastic communities in remote areas will bring 100 Buddhist monks to the capital next month for training in information technology and the internet. Apart from linking temples nationwide, the idea is to leverage on the teaching role that monks have traditionally played in Thai society, passing on the new skills that they acquire. After a week-long workshop, the monks will return to their monasteries and train others, the ministry’s Religious Affairs Department said. One in two temples from each province is slotted to join the pilot project, and each temple will be given between three and five computers. Free internet access would be provided via telephones or satellite. Currently only some monasteries in the major cities have internet access, while remote monasteries often do not. Many Thais believe this will be a boost for the religion, which is one of the pillars of the Thai state. The project finds favor with those who believe that education in Buddhism should be reoriented to be more in touch with the real world and that the clergy’s inertia and insularity are hurting Thai Buddhism.
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