Bangkok--4 Mar--AIT
The Pollution Control Department (PCD), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand, and the Asian Institute Technology (AIT) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for broad-based cooperation.
The agreements signed on 22 February 2013 by Mr. Wichien Jungrungruang, right, Director General, PCD, and Dr. Barbara Igel, Dean, AIT School of Management, on behalf of Acting AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, call for cooperation through a graduate continuing education and capacity building program for government officials, and joint activities in the field of decentralized wastewater management.
At the signing ceremony in Bangkok, Director General Mr. Wichien said the main activities under the MoA agreement consist of development of a master’s degree curriculum in urban and environmental management that has been tailor-designed for working civil servants. The agreement will see local PCD government officers enroll in AIT’s new Work-Based Executive Master’s Degree (WB-EM) Program in Urban Management and Development.
The specialized curriculum and flexible structure will be advantageous to busy PCD officers juggling work responsibilities. The WB-EM Program emphasizes experiential learning and immediate applicability of learning to employees’ professional circumstances and concerns.
The one-year program will start in June, with students expected from the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.
PCD and AIT also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will facilitate broad-based cooperation for the next five years, particularly in the field of decentralized wastewater management.
Decentralized wastewater management system work pioneered by Dr. Thammarat Koottatep of the Environmental Engineering and Management field of study at AIT’s School of Environment, Resources and Development is particularly attractive to the PDC, Mr. Wichien said at the signing ceremony in Bangkok. Dr. Thammarat attended the official event along with senior AIT officials.
“The purpose of this cooperation is to enhance capacity of the concerned government officials in controlling, protection, and solving problems of the water pollution, including coping with environmental problems in big cities,” Mr. Wichien said.
“The decentralized wastewater approach is very good and we hope our officers can learn and gain knowledge from AIT’s experts through this partnership,” Mr. Wichien added.