Though Thailand now offers 981 international programs, in the Thai curriculum at any level there is little coverage of developing crosscultural communication skills and intercultural competency. Such skills are essential to interact effectively with those from other AEC countries. Teachers (both preservice and inservice) need special training to teach this important new and challenging subject matter.
Thus, in terms of preparation for the AEC era, foremost is the critical need to improve the language proficiency of Thais both in English and in the languages of the ASEAN countries. All Thai college students should be developing proficiency in one Western language (normally English but it could be French, German, or another language) and one language of the ASEAN region.