KKU encourages the last group of civil servants from the South of 2014 through activities with the OCSC.

       Assoc. Prof. Rangsan Niomsanit, Vice President of Khon Kaen University for Strategic Planning and Mrs. Chutima Hanpachern, Director of the Civil Servants Development Department and Advisor to the OCSC, presided over the opening ceremony of the project to develop effectiveness and quality of life of civil servants of Southen boder provinces, batch 20 and the last group for Khon Kaen University on the 1st of April 2014 at the Si Chan room 2, Charoen Thani Hotel, Khon Kaen.

       Assoc. Prof. Dr. Amnouy Kamtuo, Director of the Center for Academic Services, chairman of the organizing committee presented the event, said: “The project is held from the 31st of March until the 1st of April 2014 at the Si Chan room 2 of Charoen Thani Hotel Kho Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai provinces. There are 106 participants from Naratiwat 41 people, from Pattani 21, from Yala 37 from Songkla 7. The project has the aims to 1) relax from the pressing work environment of civil servants in the southern border provinces for a short time, 2) to offer knowledge and skills needed to work in the area, 3) to offer knowledge and practice related to healthcare as a method to alleviate stress from work to improve the quality of life and 4) to create good relations between civil servants.

       The training includes lectures to create better relations and to relax and reduce stress, education and field trips to study the culture in Khon Kaen, a visit to the Sufficiency Economy Village, Ubon Rat, Khon Kaen, the Cooperatives Village in Muang district, Udon Thani, a study of the way of life and the state of the economy in Nong Khai, the 7th most livable city in the world, a boat trip on the Mekong river to see the economy on the Thai and Laos border, undergoing health checks at the Sinakarin Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, and to look at the tourism sector of Khon Kaen.

        Mrs. Chutima Hanpachern, Director of the Civil Servants Development Department, and advisor on the civil servants system, said in her opening speech: “The OCSC cares and looks after the work environment and the lives of civil servants working in the southern border provinces who are working in a dangerous environment. It is also responsible for the daily work and the difficulties faced in by the unrest in the area. The OCSC aims to build encouragement for civil servants and it is proud to organize this project on continual basis as a way to appreciate the devotion of civil servants. I admire the work of civil servants and I am proud of your devotion. Since 2007, the government has placed much importance on this project and today it has been carried out for 6 to 7 years and more than 20,000 civil servants have underwent the training of a total of 53,000. There are still many people who did not get the chance to take the training and the OCSC will try to continue the project so everyone in the area gets the chance to relax and work on mental health for a period so they have the strength to work in the South. The OCSC has designed this training with activities of different nature in the same way each year. The training focuses on different departments from different locations. It hopes that in the coming 5 days you will have friends from close areas as a network of work. There are diverse activities and we want everyone to enjoy them. We use the abbreviation, H for happiness, S for strength, S for the south. We hope that you gain good experiences in the coming period.

       The hopes are that the project will give participants encouragement and energy to work in the area, offer knowledge and experience under the project which benefit everyone. And we hope to offer knowledge about healthcare and adapting to the workplace in the south. Thank you all for coming and we hope to give you good memories.”

       Assoc. Prof. Rangsan Niomsanit, Vice President of Khon Kaen University for Strategic Planning said in his opening speech: “Every day we follow the news about colleagues in the south and the problems they face. Activities today are a way to life with a goal and to let you relax in different environments in the region. The OCSC has given different universities the duty to organize these activities and we are happy that the Northeast has 20 provinces with a huge variety of products from the south like rubber, fruit etc. The Northeast has developed different roads and rural areas and different important crops. The region is developing into international scale. The biggest provinces driving the Northeast are Nakorn Ratchasima, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen and Ubon Ratchathani. And there is a large group of small provinces which offer labor with their large populations. This is good because there is a 1 in 3 lack of laborers. There is a new agricultural industry and the ASEAN economic community will cause the Northeast to be the center for mobility. Khon Kaen is the center for development in the Northeast and there are 10 universities in the province so it is the center for education sending people to different regions. Khon Kaen University has the Sinakarin Hospital which is the medical hub with capacity of more than 3,000 patients a day which accepts 1,000,000 outpatients per year with 1,500 beds. The university is offering education to 40,000 students by 2,000 lecturers and 9,000 staff members on an area of 5,000 rai. There are 25 faculties which do research to add value and offer academic services as part of the mission of the university. The university feels happy to work with the OCSC and is happy to support activities to create happiness in the Northeast as a friend and to create opportunities to exchange ideas and to disseminate caring and to let everyone go on study trips to see the changes from different regions. We welcome everyone into Khon Kaen and the Northeast.”

Author: PR.
Photography: Audiovisual Department, Academic Services Center.