THE NATIONAL Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday paved the way for a special tertiary institute to be set up to commemorate His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s contribution to the country’s education and knowledge base.

Named Bhumi Rajadhamma, the institute’s establishment was planned to mark the 70th anniversary of Accession to the Throne in June this year, Deputy Minister of Education Teerakiat Jareonsettasin said yesterday before the NLA.

The institute will gather His Majesty the King’s knowledge and disseminate it through education to students to honour his renowned capabilities in education as well as art and science, he added.

The institution would follow King Bhumibol in his proficiency, dedication and contribution to the people, and would also be a memorial for his kindness towards the people, the deputy minister said.

With a tentative first semester scheduled for 2018, the institute will be a public university, but neither an administrative agency nor a state enterprise, Teerakiat said.

It will be affiliated directly with the Crown Property Bureau and the education minister will be appointed as its keeper.

An act about the institute passed the NLA’s first reading yesterday with 217 votes and three abstentions. The NLA also agreed to set up a committee of 21 members to study the development. The act was proposed by the Cabinet, which approved the idea in September.

The goal of the institute is to seek new wisdom, be a source of knowledge, encourage academic development and foster research.

A budget from the Crown Property Bureau will be allocated to set up a Bhumi Rajahamma Fund to support the institute’s affairs. A committee will be responsible for setting rules and regulations as well as the budget allocation.

According to the initial plan by the Education Ministry, the Bhumi Rajadhamma Institution will provide both formal education as well as training and include inspiration, knowledge, and virtues of the late King in subjects.

Royal archive

In a related development, Culture Minister Vira Rojpojanarat has ordered that the National Archives of Thailand gather photos, works and biographies of the late King and exhibit them on its official website.

The contents are also available for download, he said, adding that photos and the stories of the King’s works have already been downloaded more than 100,000 times.

On the National Archives website, photos are categorised into five groups. They include photo chronicles of King Bhumibol’s royal funeral, photos showing his works, his biography, royal remarks and various musical compositions by the late King.

Vira also said the National Archives was collecting all news and reports regarding the passing of the King Bhumibol to form an archive. Staff have already collected nearly 1,500 reports and more than 8,500 photographs.

The complete archive will also include footage of 100 days of the royal funeral, Vira added.