School in Prakhon Chai

[Vombatus]

Perhaps if they cut out all the Buddhist teachings (leaving that to the wats), there would be significantly more time to teach the kids a whole range of additional (and interesting) subjects. There might just be time to teach them some of the rules of the road pertaining to driving motorbikes, which will ensure a few more reach adulthood!

Oh My Buddha!   -  Don't get me started on driving ability !!!


I would use the extra time to teach English (properly, and in line with ASEAN objectives) and stuff like geography that shows that there are places in the world other than Thailand.

[RichardH]

I have observed many classes only to find it extremely rare to see a student raise their hand to participate in a discussion in a classroom. Rarely do the students input their thoughts in any issue or topic nor do they participate in subject matter from a young age thru their college years and that usually applies if they attend a government or a private school.

It is a fact that student-achievement levels in Thai schools have declined and Thai administrators are not heeding the example they could easily have learned from countries that have excelled, like Korea. As in most fingers of the government, corruption and a lack of money generated plays a part of the scenario. According to data presented at a recent United Nations seminar in Bangkok, entitled "Quality Education: For some, or For All?" figures from a study conducted in 2009 by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed that the learning level of 15-year old Thai children was ranked at 50th for reading and mathematics and was ranked 49th for science, out of the 65 participating countries.

Thailand Education Council secretary-general Professor Tongthong Chandransu told the seminar "The Thai education system reflects itself in a dual image: it moves towards the universalisation of 15 years of basic education for all, but falls short on its quality improvement." I guess that is a very polite way of saying that the educational system basically stinks & doesn’t appear to be getting any better.

“We need to first look inside the black-box of the classroom and carefully observe and analyze what is going on in terms of student-teacher interaction and real teaching and learning and then come up with measures to facilitate positive changes.”

After all that, it sounds to me as if these people have never been in a Thai classroom because it really wouldn’t be necessary to "come up with measures to facilitate positive changes". First of all, students that fail in a particular subject should get a failing grade and not be passed as is done in the schools, both public and private. Parents should know the real performance of their child and the notion about "losing face" should be removed as this is only a cover-up for the child’s real learning experience. Teachers should teach more than the few students in the front of the class that are interested in the topic/subject by involving all the students in the class while students should be called upon in class to participate in the subject matter. Teachers should become more involved in their own classroom to view what the students are writing/or not writing in class. This means that teachers will have to get up off their ass in the classroom and walk around the class to review the students so the teacher can see if the student actually understands the subject matter. Schools should get parents more involved in their children’s education by answering letters sent home by the teacher regarding report cards, individual performance and attending Teacher/Parent conferences. Many provinces outside the capital have a ridiculous absenteeism rate. The number of holidays should be reduced so the school year is similar to that of other countries like Singapore or Korea.
Unfortunately most Thai children have a lack of goals or direction. After 15 years of free education they often have no idea what they’ve studied for. Their studies often are a result of trends or family pressure to get a degree while they may leave college with a bachelor’s degree just to receive a low paying mediocre job in a field which they have little or no interest. It is no doubt that I will have to make provisions for my own daughter to be able to go to a good University since I have seen the performance that has come out of many of the students that attended government schools. Usually it isn’t the students fault, it’s the institution that just doesn’t offer a quality atmosphere or learning experience for the student to learn what they should have known before graduating and this starts at an early level. The University and the teachers are there for only one reason and that is to assure the students learn. Unfortunately, the institutions sometimes seem to serve the purpose of those in charge which obviously creates an imbalance that sacrifices the rights of the students. Teachers must break from the old mold of being dictatorial and allow changes to occur that enables students to be more creative and able to express their position or feelings about subject matter while allowing the class to be strayed sometimes from a course syllabus is not a bad thing.

[RichardH]

As I rambled on in  my last comments I did forget something that I would like to add regarding your comments...

The Ministry of Education in Thailand mandates that all primary school pupils should study Buddhist ethics and should be trained to be morally good in their own traditions. (Sirikanchana, 1998). On the surface, this sounds like a reasonable thing for the children to learn except for the fact that the impact of the major amount of Buddhist ethics being taught causes a lack of studies that the students should be learning, which in turn, is more detrimental to their education. It is worthy of note that the government is making an effort to enhance education by adopting a Western approach to education, namely Constructivism, while maintaining the national customs and traditions by promoting the study of Buddhism throughout all educational institutions. Unfortunately, schools already have shorter terms and much less days of attendance than most countries in the region and when the students are in class, their experience is often less rewarding. Studies often are dismissed or forgotten so students can participate in scouting, football, religious holidays, national holidays, miscellaneous school events, teachers meetings, test dates, seminars or outings and more. Not only are the schools not geared to offer the students a serious education, the priority all the way thru the high school level is that the students have "fun". This is mostly a result of the school thinking the place the kids learn should be fun over anything else and this is often equally important in the private schools that can lose students and the tuition paid by their parents. I have seen more than one instance when a foreign English teacher scolded a student for either misbehavior or some other type of problem, only to find the end result was the English teacher being dismissed just to make sure the student and his parents are happy.

Kids are taught to sit and listen rather than participate or use their brains to figure, analyze or question. They, of course, are never to question what the teacher says and  this applies in both public and private school thru the University levels.

[Prakhonchai Nick]

Richard

I have been in Thailand for 25 years and I can tell you that nothing changes, nor is it likely to in my lifetime.

We basically have 2 choices.  Either accept things as they are or take ourselves and our families elsewhere, where things may be better! This is Thailand..TIT...and like every country, its citizens resent being told that what they do or do not do is unsatisfactory.

[Vombatus]

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[Vombatus]

As I rambled on in  my last comments I did forget something that I would like to add regarding your comments...

The Ministry of Education in Thailand mandates that all primary school pupils should study Buddhist ethics and should be trained to be morally good in their own traditions. (Sirikanchana, 1998). On the surface, this sounds like a reasonable thing for the children to learn except for the fact that the impact of the major amount of Buddhist ethics being taught causes a lack of studies that the students should be learning, which in turn, is more detrimental to their education. It is worthy of note that the government is making an effort to enhance education by adopting a Western approach to education, namely Constructivism, while maintaining the national customs and traditions by promoting the study of Buddhism throughout all educational institutions. Unfortunately, schools already have shorter terms and much less days of attendance than most countries in the region and when the students are in class, their experience is often less rewarding. Studies often are dismissed or forgotten so students can participate in scouting, football, religious holidays, national holidays, miscellaneous school events, teachers meetings, test dates, seminars or outings and more. Not only are the schools not geared to offer the students a serious education, the priority all the way thru the high school level is that the students have "fun". This is mostly a result of the school thinking the place the kids learn should be fun over anything else and this is often equally important in the private schools that can lose students and the tuition paid by their parents. I have seen more than one instance when a foreign English teacher scolded a student for either misbehavior or some other type of problem, only to find the end result was the English teacher being dismissed just to make sure the student and his parents are happy.

Kids are taught to sit and listen rather than participate or use their brains to figure, analyze or question. They, of course, are never to question what the teacher says and  this applies in both public and private school thru the University levels.

Add all of what you have said to the parental inability to provide meaningful coaching/guidance and you have a recipe for failure.

[ivor]

As I rambled on in  my last comments I did forget something that I would like to add regarding your comments...

The Ministry of Education in Thailand mandates that all primary school pupils should study Buddhist ethics and should be trained to be morally good in their own traditions. (Sirikanchana, 1998). On the surface, this sounds like a reasonable thing for the children to learn except for the fact that the impact of the major amount of Buddhist ethics being taught causes a lack of studies that the students should be learning, which in turn, is more detrimental to their education. It is worthy of note that the government is making an effort to enhance education by adopting a Western approach to education, namely Constructivism, while maintaining the national customs and traditions by promoting the study of Buddhism throughout all educational institutions. Unfortunately, schools already have shorter terms and much less days of attendance than most countries in the region and when the students are in class, their experience is often less rewarding. Studies often are dismissed or forgotten so students can participate in scouting, football, religious holidays, national holidays, miscellaneous school events, teachers meetings, test dates, seminars or outings and more. Not only are the schools not geared to offer the students a serious education, the priority all the way thru the high school level is that the students have "fun". This is mostly a result of the school thinking the place the kids learn should be fun over anything else and this is often equally important in the private schools that can lose students and the tuition paid by their parents. I have seen more than one instance when a foreign English teacher scolded a student for either misbehavior or some other type of problem, only to find the end result was the English teacher being dismissed just to make sure the student and his parents are happy.

Kids are taught to sit and listen rather than participate or use their brains to figure, analyze or question. They, of course, are never to question what the teacher says and  this applies in both public and private school thru the University levels.

Add all of what you have said to the parental inability to provide meaningful coaching/guidance and you have a recipe for failure.

[ivor]

As I rambled on in  my last comments I did forget something that I would like to add regarding your comments...

The Ministry of Education in Thailand mandates that all primary school pupils should study Buddhist ethics and should be trained to be morally good in their own traditions. (Sirikanchana, 1998). On the surface, this sounds like a reasonable thing for the children to learn except for the fact that the impact of the major amount of Buddhist ethics being taught causes a lack of studies that the students should be learning, which in turn, is more detrimental to their education. It is worthy of note that the government is making an effort to enhance education by adopting a Western approach to education, namely Constructivism, while maintaining the national customs and traditions by promoting the study of Buddhism throughout all educational institutions. Unfortunately, schools already have shorter terms and much less days of attendance than most countries in the region and when the students are in class, their experience is often less rewarding. Studies often are dismissed or forgotten so students can participate in scouting, football, religious holidays, national holidays, miscellaneous school events, teachers meetings, test dates, seminars or outings and more. Not only are the schools not geared to offer the students a serious education, the priority all the way thru the high school level is that the students have "fun". This is mostly a result of the school thinking the place the kids learn should be fun over anything else and this is often equally important in the private schools that can lose students and the tuition paid by their parents. I have seen more than one instance when a foreign English teacher scolded a student for either misbehavior or some other type of problem, only to find the end result was the English teacher being dismissed just to make sure the student and his parents are happy.

Kids are taught to sit and listen rather than participate or use their brains to figure, analyze or question. They, of course, are never to question what the teacher says and  this applies in both public and private school thru the University levels.

Add all of what you have said to the parental inability to provide meaningful coaching/guidance and you have a recipe for failure.

[Jon Terry]

My Thai Daughter goes to Gamon luck school in Nang rong, it is a good school with Farang teachers and she is picked up everyday from Tapek so the mini bus would not have to make a huge detour to get your kids.
We are happy with it for now, but hopefully she will be with us in the UK next year.
Jon

[Prakhonchai Nick]

My Thai Daughter goes to Gamon luck school in Nang rong, it is a good school with Farang teachers and she is picked up everyday from Tapek so the mini bus would not have to make a huge detour to get your kids.
We are happy with it for now, but hopefully she will be with us in the UK next year.
Jon

Thought you were returning to Thailand later this year to settle Jon!

Change of plan?

[Jon Terry]

Sort of Nick our long term plan was always to settle back in Thailand, but we are going to try and get the girls a British education and papers etc to keep the rest of the world open to them when they grow up, but if we have too much trouble getting my step daughter here in the UK then we will have to seriously think about coming back sooner.
Jon