Obec reassures parents over 40-student classroom goal

By THE NATION

 

File photo

 

THE POLICY to have schools limit classroom sizes to 40 students is flexible, and more classrooms could be opened up to ensure children get taught, Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) chief Boonrak Yodphetch said yesterday, as he sought to soothe worries expressed by both parents and administrators.

 

The new policy has been praised by academics and teachers as a boost to learning quality. But Boonrak acknowledged that school administrators might face some issues in implementing it, especially at the in-demand “famous” schools, which are 10 per cent of all schools under Obec.

 

Boonrak urged all sides to contribute to the discussion and to recommend solutions.

 

He was addressing a crowd of school directors from 300 primary and secondary schools at a Bangkok seminar about student recruitment for the 2018 academic year. 

 

Boonrak conceded that the policy worried school executives and parents, especially those whose Mathayom 3 children (from larger-size classes) would head to the 40-per-class Mathayom 4. Mayathom 4 is the level where students will either continue at their old schools via quotas or compete with others to get into new schools via exams. 

 

Some administrators and parents are wondering what would happen to additional eligible students once the per-class limit had been reached.

 

Citing a recent discussion with Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, he said the minister had instructed that implementation of the policy was to be flexible. He said he had personally prepared some measures such as allowing schools to open additional classrooms. 

 

Boonrak said he would gather possible solutions from the seminar for Teerakiat’s consideration and table them at a special meeting of the Obec board.

 

He advised against schools using the student recruiting period as an opportunity to raise funds for operations and development projects.

 

Boonrak also urged schools to be fair by calling in student applicants from the waiting list who had passed the entrance exams, in the event that successful candidates had given up their seats. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30339250

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-20

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The new policy has been praised by academics and teachers as a boost to learning quality

Oh yeah! Max 40 students per class. The goal of third world education.

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

more classrooms could be opened up to ensure children get taught

Not without more teachers.

Just teach them to copy and paste faster !

My smallest class has 63 students... no surprise that classroom discipline is problematic!!

On 2/20/2018 at 7:17 AM, dinsdale said:

Oh yeah! Max 40 students per class. The goal of third world education.

 

I know a few teachers back home in England with 34 in their class. Absolute madness. 

.....some university down under have....have had...will have classes with 500- 1000 students.. better bang for the buck in teaching... they are still doing this.. .

On 2/20/2018 at 8:19 AM, RichardColeman said:

Just teach them to copy and paste faster !

 

...stare out the window, use their cell phones in class, and twittle the time away training.

University classes and lectures are a little different from primary and secondary schools.  

 

At University, I had some large classes, maybe 250 - 300 students.   The lectures were held once or twice a week and then followed up with much smaller classes of maybe 20-25 students and a graduate assistant who then went over the lecture in more detailed and fielded questions.  

 

 

On 3/1/2018 at 6:11 AM, Scott said:

University classes and lectures are a little different from primary and secondary schools.  

 

At University, I had some large classes, maybe 250 - 300 students.   The lectures were held once or twice a week and then followed up with much smaller classes of maybe 20-25 students and a graduate assistant who then went over the lecture in more detailed and fielded questions.  

 

 

 At the other place, breakout sessions were still 100 plus students... no graduate assistants...    however for a language class, certainly this is not an effective  ELL...