Varsity’s move ‘may damage’ Thai credibility

By The Nation

 

 

Giving failed students second chance risks hurting reputation of universities: expert
 

STUDENTS WHO flunked their courses are being given a second chance by Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT).

 

Those dismissed because of poor grades will have the opportunity to re-enrol on Bachelor degree programmes this academic year, says Prasert Pinpathomrat, rector of the Pathum Thani-based institution

 

RMUTT expects up to 1,500 of 2,000 students who have been dismissed over the past four academic years (2014-2017) to apply for admissions interviews by the deadline of May 28.

 

Many were dismissed because they couldn’t adjust to the environment or came unprepared, so if they got another chance to resume their study, they could still graduate, get good jobs and join the workforce to benefit the country, Prasert said. 

 

Explaining that the institute had to adjust to a trend of fewer people going to university, the rector insisted the move wasn’t an attempt simply to boost student numbers. “Our student intake each year has exceeded targets,” he said, adding that the re-enrolment move followed a successful pilot project two years ago when 20 reinstated engineering students went on to achieve good grades and job prospects. 

 

Nuchtiphong U-thong, head of RMUTT Academic Promotion and Registration, backed the offer of a second chance. He said 4,800 new students had enrolled via the central admission system’s first two rounds so far this academic year, with 900 more having applied in the ongoing third round. 

 

He said the re-enrolment scheme was permitted under existing rules that allowed recent graduates or students who had quit to transfer credits and thus meet course registration requirements for Bachelor’s degrees. 

 

He affirmed the scheme would screen out those who had been dismissed for bad behaviour.

 

Sompong Jitradap, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of education, said the RMUTT initiative was unprecedented and that it might be difficult to explain to society why the institute was recruiting disqualified students. But he added he could understand the motivation for the move since Rajabhat universities and universities of technology faced fierce competition for student enrolments under the central admissions system. 

 

If this were a move to tackle a student shortage, it could backfire in damaging the credibility and reputation of RMUTT and Thai universities in the long term, he said, urging the Office of Higher Education Commission to check whether current regulations permitted re-enrolment.

 

Last Thursday, Deputy Education Minister Udom Kachintorn commented that the RMUTT initiative for dismissed students was workable in principle as long as it didn’t violate the university’s own regulations. But the screening must prevent those dismissed over serious breaches from getting back in, he added. 

 

“I don’t want to view this in a negative light as an attempt to boost student intake. I think the university wants to help the youths. ... I’ve never seen any Thai institute do this before. Should others follow their example? It depends on each institute’s discretion and regulations, provided that the quality of education is in consideration,” he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30345556

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-17

58 minutes ago, webfact said:

Sompong Jitradap, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of education, said the RMUTT initiative was unprecedented and that it might be difficult to explain to society why the institute was recruiting disqualified students. But he added he could understand the motivation for the move since Rajabhat universities and universities of technology faced fierce competition for student enrolments under the central admissions system.

Of course it is difficult to explain to society; it would be difficult to explain to a 10 year old as even they have a basic understanding of morals, ethics, and proper behaviour.

 

"...But he added he could understand the motivation..."

 

Of course he understood the motivation; it is money. It is NOT hard to understand.

 

This is why Thai universities rank so badly relative to their counterparts. This is why the Thai education system is universally regarded as a 'joke'. And this is why Thailand will face a slow or fast decline; it is the inability to meet basic standards without cheating.

 

Educational facilities that don't actually educate yet still issue degrees. Welcome to Thailand.

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Many were dismissed because they couldn’t adjust to the environment or came unprepared, so if they got another chance to resume their study, they could still graduate, get good jobs and join the workforce to benefit the country, Prasert said. 

if this is the mindset of education administrators, then they are in the wrong jobs;

and it contributes to accurately, realistically assessing the current state of the thai education system; 

those students who couldn't even pass their classes, now given a free pass, will contribute exactly what to thailand ? just another, latest, bunch of incompetents holding down largely useless jobs

"... if they got another chance to resume their study, they could still graduate, get good jobs and join the workforce to benefit the country..."

 

Perhaps if the universities in question had high academic standards to begin with. However, what he is talking about are students who were unable to meet the universally low standards of Thai "higher education".  Making it easy for them to graduate will not benefit them, the university or the country. 

 

What needs to be done is raise the standards throughout the entire education system, starting from kindergarten, and not make it easy for unqualified students to be promoted and handed degrees due to family status or by the fact that they took up space in a classroom for a specified period of time. 

"Many were dismissed because they couldn’t adjust to the environment or came unprepared..."

 

And the flawed innate mindset continues to prevail - when students fail it must be their fault. How long will it be before the smallest introspection reveals that when the educational bus fails to reach its destination, it could be the fault of the bus rather than that of its passengers?

3 hours ago, webfact said:

they could still graduate, get good jobs and join the workforce to benefit the country, Prasert said.

mapped it all out, follow the arrow

Better go Khao San Road and buy degree.

Same Same

No fail alive and kicking I see .

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Those dismissed because of poor grades will have the opportunity to re-enrol on Bachelor degree programmes this academic year RMUTT expects up to 1,500 of 2,000 students who have been dismissed over the past four academic years

With just two more letters in front, the could create a much more meaningful logo like this one:

                                                       

2 hours ago, sandbox said:

"Many were dismissed because they couldn’t adjust to the environment or came unprepared..."

 

And the flawed innate mindset continues to prevail - when students fail it must be their fault. How long will it be before the smallest introspection reveals that when the educational bus fails to reach its destination, it could be the fault of the bus rather than that of its passengers?

Not just simply the fault of the bus. If Thai bus drivers are anything to go by I suspect the education bus drivers, from rectors to lecturers, also play a big part in the bus not getting there.

The whole education system is an accident in slow-motion

4 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Of course it is difficult to explain to society; it would be difficult to explain to a 10 year old as even they have a basic understanding of morals, ethics, and proper behaviour.

 

"...But he added he could understand the motivation..."

 

Of course he understood the motivation; it is money. It is NOT hard to understand.

 

This is why Thai universities rank so badly relative to their counterparts. This is why the Thai education system is universally regarded as a 'joke'. And this is why Thailand will face a slow or fast decline; it is the inability to meet basic standards without cheating.

 

Educational facilities that don't actually educate yet still issue degrees. Welcome to Thailand.

 

"This is why the Thai education system is universally regarded as a 'joke'. "

 

Not by the British, American, French, German, Australian, Hong Kong, Korean, and Japanese universities I know that have tie ups with universities, colleges, and research here it's not.

 

I would criticize the bureaucracy, variability and some cultural aspects. But certainly not a "joke". 

 

As to the myth no one fails - another bar stool imagined fact. I know Thai and foreign students who have failed at Bachelor, Master and PhD level. 

 

Many neighboring country students choose to come here to study. Assumption and Bangkok University have large international student bodies for two.

 

What do you base your comment on? 

 

 

 

19 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

Not just simply the fault of the bus. If Thai bus drivers are anything to go by I suspect the education bus drivers, from rectors to lecturers, also play a big part in the bus not getting there.

The whole education system is an accident in slow-motion

 

Rubbish.

Edited May 17, 20188 yr by Baerboxer

1 hour ago, Khun Paul said:

No fail alive and kicking I see .

 

Nonsense. This is about people who fail being allowed to do re-takes. Guess what, that happens in many countries, in many colleges and courses too. What is needed is a robust system that stops those who fail with zero chance of passing another attempt wasting time and money, whilst ensuring those who should pass are encouraged to try again and address the reasons for failure.

2 hours ago, sandbox said:

"Many were dismissed because they couldn’t adjust to the environment or came unprepared..."

 

And the flawed innate mindset continues to prevail - when students fail it must be their fault. How long will it be before the smallest introspection reveals that when the educational bus fails to reach its destination, it could be the fault of the bus rather than that of its passengers?

 

There are different reasons for failure. Some students don't help themselves, some lecturers are poor, some courses assessment criteria poor etc etc.

 

 

2 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

Many neighboring country students choose to come here to study. Assumption and Bangkok University have large international student bodies for two.

Within Thailand Assumption and Bangkok University rank 9th and 13th respectively.

https://www.4icu.org/th/bangkok/

Or in the alternative 21st and 24th respectively.

In world ranking #3309 and #3346 respectively.

Malaysia has twenty-six universities that rank higher than Thailand on a world scale compared to Assumption.

http://www.webometrics.info/en/Asia/thailand

Maybe Assumption and Bangkok Universities are not the best comparisons for international quality education.

 

 

Many were dismissed because they couldn’t adjust to the environment or came unprepared

 

And quite right, too. This is precisely what would happen in the real world of work, for which higher education is supposed to prepare the next batch of graduates.

 

The lessons one never forgets, at school or doing a job, are those learned the hard way.

 

 

Another nail in the coffin 

19 hours ago, webfact said:

'Explaining that the institute had to adjust to a trend of fewer people going to university ... the rector insisted “Our student intake each year has exceeded targets,” ...'

Something of a contradiction in terms. 

I think this is a very good thing. If the students want to have another go, fair play to them.

 

Most people deserve a second chance, especially youngsters who made poor life choices that got them kicked out of university.

 

Perhaps they didn't apply themselves the first time round. I would imagine working for 300 baht a day as unqualified labour would have helped them reconsider their position.

22 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

"This is why the Thai education system is universally regarded as a 'joke'. "

 

Not by the British, American, French, German, Australian, Hong Kong, Korean, and Japanese universities I know that have tie ups with universities, colleges, and research here it's not.

 

I would criticize the bureaucracy, variability and some cultural aspects. But certainly not a "joke". 

 

As to the myth no one fails - another bar stool imagined fact. I know Thai and foreign students who have failed at Bachelor, Master and PhD level. 

 

Many neighboring country students choose to come here to study. Assumption and Bangkok University have large international student bodies for two.

 

What do you base your comment on? 

 

 

 

Try looking at the world rankings of Thai 'universities ' and even more damning,the county’s performance in the PISA tables for evidence of the joke that is the education system.