All BMA kids to join ‘Google Classroom’

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has announced plans to expand its Google Classroom project to cover all 437 schools under its administration within the next three years.

Deputy Bangkok governor Sanon Wangsrangboon yesterday said the BMA, in collaboration with Google, had piloted the project at Thainiyomsongkroa School in Bang Khen district over a full term and saw positive results.

Under the project, every student receives a reconditioned laptop to use at home and in class, with the project placing emphasis on “learning connectivity and data accessibility”.

The laptops are installed with Google Classroom, an application which is free for schools and allows teachers and students to access and collaborate on documents and projects online.

Google has been testing the system for years, with 9 million students already enrolled in Japan. Google Classroom has already been adopted in Indonesia and now Thailand is being invited to participate.

Mr Sanon said the BMA had accepted the donation of old notebooks, which are reconditioned before being allocated to students.

The notebooks are then installed with a new operating system which runs largely from the cloud and enables old computers to perform a wider variety of tasks while also saving on hardware costs. The project also involves training teachers.

“There has been positive feedback from students who want the project to continue, and the BMA is preparing to expand the system to more schools,” Mr Sanon said.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the project will cover all 437 BMA-run schools by 2026. The system, which has been widely adopted in some other countries, is also designed to shield students from accessing improper websites and online content.