Another step in national digital propulsion when Miss Suppamas Issarapakdee, Minister of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, reported about the good news in the use of electronic documents and digital signature under the under the Thai University Consortium (TUC)’s digital certification system, which was developed by Khon Kaen University. The system will allow departments and universities under MHESI to perform electronic operations and communication free of charge.
Before the TUC system is available according to the MHESI announcement, as explained by Asst. Prof. Denpong Soodphakdee, Ph.D., Vice President for Digital of Khon Kaen University; during Covid-19 pandemic, KKU administrators, lecturers and staff had to work from home. It turned out necessary to find certain tools to make the work go on smoothly. Moreover, the University’s Digital Transformation policy accented reduction of paper-based dispatch of documents. These led to the development and use of digital documents that are reliable and can be proved of the owners, in accordance with the 2001 Act of Electronics Transaction. All personnel were then asked to use Digital Signature. There is the system that certifies the signature called Certification Authority (CA).
“During the development stage, we knew that we were making an electronic document system, not only for use in Khon Kaen University, but in other organizations at the national level. After the use in Khon Kaen University, there were other 7-8 universities using the system, which was certified by the Thai University Consortium (TUC). The system was well accepted by users.”
It is not only the reliability, convenience, and rapidness of use, but digital signing under TUC digital certification also lessens the cost of purchase of digital signatures that have been accepted internationally and known in general. The said digital signature costs 1,500 baht/person. Now, Khon Kaen University has issued over 12,000 digital signatures, reducing at least 15 million baht annually. In addition, the use of this system for documentation also lessens the use of paper in Khon Kaen University at 40% from the beginning. Thus, the system has been used for 4 years now.
With the success at Khon Kaen University and the Consortium, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation saw the importance of the system and moved forward to establish the Thai University Consortium Certification Authority (TUC-CA), for proceeding with the digital signature system and electronics transaction in 114 organizations and universities in June, 2023. Lately, MHESI Minister has set the e-Document policy and announced TUC-CA as the ministerial regulations for more widespread use of the system.
“It is our pleasure that the system developed by Khon Kaen University is not used within the University, but in other organizations until it is well accepted as a big-scale digital system, with MHESI acting as the leader.”
Dr. Kit Tiantanopajai, Assistant to the President for Digital added about the steps in developing TUC system that the query received was building reliability among unknown people. There was the framework of thought that there should be a reliable organization acting as the mediator. It is similar to citizen identification card that has to be certified by the Governing Department. TUC is comparable to a Trusted Third Party that is the mediator certifying a sub-organization that in turn certifies a person under its affiliation. This system uses the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) that has emerged for a long time and used widely abroad. In Thailand before now, it hasn’t been concretely used.
“The advantage of TUC is that it can be used with all PDF Readers, including Adobe or Foxit that help certifying and auditing the identification. This lessens the problem in forgery of signatures and documents and management of different electronics documents. It reduces working steps and manpower in sending documents. The use abroad is widespread, while some countries have begun to use it for making contracts.”
In the future, the TUC system will be extended widely, but users have to take into account their own personal information. Digital ID of a person should not be distributed to others, and personal Password should not be disclosed. In the near future, it is expected that the Application for TUC, both Adobe and Foxit will be developed so that it can be used on I-pad, tablet or smart phone, making things more convenient and fast in the digital age.
News: Phanit Khatnak