Schools in northern Thailand are promoting belief in "Ancestor Ghosts" in order to discourage children from taking drugs and engaging in premarital sex.

Under a pilot scheme introduced by the government of Thailand in Lampang province, 560 kilometers north of Bangkok, educators hope to revive an ancient Thai system of ghost worship that has fading out over the past 50 years.

"Before we introduced the ghost education system, the generation gap was very wide," The Nation newspaper quoted Lampang ghost expert Khun Adul Dunagdeethaweerat as saying.

"Old people in Thailand were unable to teach the younger generation, who thought they were much more clever because of their formal school education.

"Since we reintroduced the "Ancestor Ghost Tradition" in the schools, the gap has closed significantly. Families have grown closer together. They find they can talk more easily about each other's problems and help each other solve them."

By instilling a fear of retribution by the ghosts of dead ancestors, he said, children in Thailand will tend to follow better rules such as "no drugs" and "no sex before marriage", out of fear of reprisal by the ghosts of their ancestors.

Adul Dunagdeethaweerat further said that teaching about ghosts in schools of Thailand, including holding "Ghost Ceremonies" to apologize to the ghosts of angry ancestors, had initially encountered some resistance from student and teachers.

"At first many teachers opposed the idea but later, after they opened their hearts to learn about the important old Thai tradition of ancestor ghosts, they became fully supportive," Dunagdeethaweerat said. "Now they also assign their children to learn about it and practice the ancient ceremonies."