Moves on to create a Research and Higher Education Ministry

[webfact]

Moves on to create a Research and Higher Education Ministry

By The Nation

 

 

THAILAND is planning to create a new Research and Higher Education Ministry by merging the current Science and Technology Ministry with the Office of Higher Education Commission so as to better manage human and other resources to achieve the objectives of the “Thailand 4.0” initiative.

 

Science and Technology Minister Suvit Maesincee expressed hope that the merger would be completed by the end of this government’s term but the Education Ministry suggested the process may take more time due to the need for more public hearings.

 

Suvit said the new Research and Higher Education Ministry would be responsible for the consolidation of all research universities and related institutes in order to better prepare human resources for the country’s future development programmes, while helping tech start-ups and small and medium enterprises to leverage the use of new technologies.

 

The new ministry would also be responsible for helping Thai farmers use new technologies so that they become “smart farmers”, he said, adding that the country was also promoting the new growth or S-Curve industries so manpower and technology were crucial factors of success.

 

Previously, there were rumours that the Science and Technology Ministry would be dissolved but Suvit said the ministry would instead be merged with the Higher Education Commission and other agencies such as the National Research Council of Thailand and Thailand Research Fund.

 

The restructuring of these agencies is part of the government’s bureaucratic reform agenda covering the next 20 years and its “Thailand 4.0” initiative.

 

In the meantime, the Education Ministry is preparing to split the Office of Higher Education Commission as a separate entity so that the country’s higher-educational institutes can deliver better results on facilitating the “Thailand 4.0” initiative.

 

Under the proposed Research and Higher Education Ministry, all budgets for social and natural scientific research will be integrated in connection with foreign countries’ cooperation, while a new model similar to that of the Chinese Academy of Sciences will be adopted to focus on research and development for satellites, astronomy, nuclear physics and other crucial fields.

 

The National Science and Technology Development Agency, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand and; Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency will be under the new ministry’s umbrella.

 

In addition, research universities and other higher educational institutes will be supervised by the new ministry, which will also oversee nationwide campuses of Rajabhat University.

 

Suvit said he would discuss with PM’s Office Minister Kobsak Pootrakul to set up a working group on merging the Science and Technology Ministry with the Office of Higher Education Commission and related agencies.

 

Deputy Education Minister Udom Kachintorn said there had been discussions on the merger but it would likely take more time to create an understanding among all stakeholders concerned. As a result, it remained unclear if the merger could be completed within the next eight months before the election, which would take place early next year.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30345873

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-21

 

[Cadbury]

53 minutes ago, webfact said:

THAILAND is planning to create a new Research and Higher Education Ministry by merging the current Science and Technology Ministry with the Office of Higher Education

More deckchair shuffling to cover up the decline in higher education which stems from the serious and ongoing decay in primary and secondary education. The future for Thailand 4.0 looks bleak. 

 

57 minutes ago, webfact said:

Education Ministry suggested the process may take more time due to the need for more public hearings.

So the Education Ministry typically goes into "dither" mode while it has more public hearings which will presumably give rise to more committee meetings, forums and seminars. Anything to give themselves the feeling of self-importance and self-conviction they are actually achieving something.

Regardless, Thailand's 4.0 has virtually been given the "kiss of death" because it is part of PM Prayut's inflexible Master Plan and reform agenda covering the next 20 years. 

Therefore failure has been locked-in simply because it has his name on it. 

[Get Real]

For the creation of a higher education ministry, there must be a substance of higher educated individuals, right? Just saying, don´t blame me when it all turns to that kinda "Impossible Mission" again.

[Odysseus123]

I look forward to a very pretty cascade of brochures,pie charts,awards,overseas junkets and stunning pronouncements when this new ministry kicks off..

 

All aboard the newest gravy train!

[RichardColeman]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Moves on to create a Research and Higher Education Ministry

With an even more super duper paid staff !

[shady86]

Great. This creates additional 500 jobs, YouTube and Facebook will be happy with additional advertisement income by these new jobs created.

[Artisi]

Just simply speed read these articles, note the usual BS nonsense, shrug your shoulders and move onto the next comedy article - save your time for more useful pursuits like tiddly winks, blocks, or even a good comic. 

[Lupatria]

Higher Education - except for satisfying some egomaniacs, why create a ministry for something non existing? Research? Good idea, maybe they will find out that Glyphosat and Paraquat is not quite as unobjectionable as convenience 'academic' surveyors propagate.

[mok199]

next years headline ''Probe Launched Into Missing Funds''

[Bill Miller]

There are existing models for higher education, and nations that lead the world in research accomplishments.
The US does not remotely apply anymore. They are aggresively recruiting from abroad.
Why does Thailand feel the need to re-invent the wheel? Recruit some well qualified instructors from wherever they are to be found, and in due course Thailand WILL have the qualified native instructors to effectively train the students.
I get the colly wobbles every time I hear of efforts to curtail "foreign" teachers of English, for example.
Get a cadre of Thais who can really speak English before trying to make it a protected position. 
Same with engineering. I do not know anywhere else that buildings simply fall down. Various excuses given for them, but proper engineering tends to minimize or obviate such happenings.
Just take a walk around any construction site and count how many of the builders have tape measures, levels, or squares. Relatively few.

 

[BEngBKK]

Maybe they should invest more in "Ministry of Education".

Why aim high when the biggest problem in Thailand is the low qualifications of the elementary school system and teachers......

[gandalf12]

56 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Just simply speed read these articles, note the usual BS nonsense, shrug your shoulders and move onto the next comedy article - save your time for more useful pursuits like tiddly winks, blocks, or even a good comic. 

Do you have a tiddly wink license?

[Artisi]

52 minutes ago, gandalf12 said:

Do you have a tiddly wink license?

Of course, available from the Thai Government Department of April Fools Stories. You need 5 copies of every page of your passport, 5 copies of, house registration, driver's licence, bank statements, medical certificate, police clearance, all countersigned by the local village head and witnessed by the local police superintendent. 

 

Edited May 21, 2018 by Artisi

[Eligius]

Part of the focus of this (obviously pretend and bogus) new super-duper 'ministry' will be on  'astronomy, satellites, and nuclear physics', so we are told.

 

Well, the problems that are urgently afflicting Thai society are not out there in stellar space (or at the subatomic level): they are far, far closer to everyday life on earth - and you don't need a telescope or microscope to see them! They are called: smashing a nation's freedom and refusing to allow the people genuine democracy. No need for a Hubble telescope to view that one.

 

Astronomy and nuclear physics - what a joke - when the Thai Powers That Be don't even wish to see what is really happening on their own patch of terrestrial land. Talk about Thai 'governments' never getting the nation's priorities straight!

 

Edited May 21, 2018 by Eligius

[KiwiKiwi]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Moves on to create a Research and Higher Education Ministry

 

Good luck, but the track record is not good. Seems to me getting the pass rate in Thai language, mathematics and history over 50% might be a more useful thing to do, but hey, it's your dog and pony show...

 

Still, I await the inevitable news splash that Thais have solved the dark energy conundrum.

Edited May 21, 2018 by KiwiKiwi

[KiwiKiwi]

1 hour ago, Bill Miller said:

There are existing models for higher education, and nations that lead the world in research accomplishments.
The US does not remotely apply anymore. They are aggresively recruiting from abroad.
Why does Thailand feel the need to re-invent the wheel? Recruit some well qualified instructors from wherever they are to be found, and in due course Thailand WILL have the qualified native instructors to effectively train the students.
I get the colly wobbles every time I hear of efforts to curtail "foreign" teachers of English, for example.
Get a cadre of Thais who can really speak English before trying to make it a protected position. 
Same with engineering. I do not know anywhere else that buildings simply fall down. Various excuses given for them, but proper engineering tends to minimize or obviate such happenings.
Just take a walk around any construction site and count how many of the builders have tape measures, levels, or squares. Relatively few.

 

 

I went to a noted public school a while back. They proclaimed their expertise in English language from the rafters, and in a curious 'mission statement' prominently displayed but in almost unintelligible English.

 

On the basis of that alone, plus the large picture outside, I decided not to send my daughter there. If I want to give her a poor education, I won't pay xyz baht to some mickey mouse school, I'll teach her myself. Couldn't to a worse job that the Thai education system would do, and at least I can say "Sorry, I don't have any of those" rather than "Solly, no hab".

 

Pity though, she would have learned how to march in goose-step - always useful when growing up.

Edited May 21, 2018 by KiwiKiwi

[gandalf12]

3 hours ago, Artisi said:

Of course, available from the Thai Government Department of April Fools Stories. You need 5 copies of every page of your passport, 5 copies of, house registration, driver's licence, bank statements, medical certificate, police clearance, all countersigned by the local village head and witnessed by the local police superintendent. 

 

So glad to hear it. I was getting worried about you

[KiwiKiwi]

1 hour ago, gandalf12 said:

So glad to hear it. I was getting worried about you

 

As were others of us.

[scorecard]

 

INteresting but many questions; The headline:

 

"..... create a Research and Higher Education Ministry"

 

But later in the article there's mention of merger.

 

Science certainly needs to ramped up but putting it under 'the wing' of higher education as it IMHO will just reduce science to a dead duck.

 

IMHO there is a case to create a completely new higher education ministry. Let's face it the current higher education policies etc., are going backwards.

 

If there was a new ministry it would need to have all new faces, none of the current staff who seem to be incapable of understanding higher education and how to achieve it with impressive results, from every aspect. 

 

 

 

 

[Bill Miller]

On 5/21/2018 at 9:59 AM, BEngBKK said:

Maybe they should invest more in "Ministry of Education".

Why aim high when the biggest problem in Thailand is the low qualifications of the elementary school system and teachers......

I agree. I regularly see people who presumably have been through the elementary system, at least, using their fingers to perform arithmetic operations, and coming up with incorrect totals. This is not a good basis for learning trigonometry or calculus, which the higher disciplines in science, engineering, and research depend upon.

Pressure on the educational administrations to produce additional "qualified" individuals can lead to a surplus of people with certificates but little competence.
This is not a strictly Thai situation by any means, but I feel it is rampant here where appearance seems to be often taken as a substitute for reality. 

[Artisi]

32 minutes ago, Bill Miller said:

I agree. I regularly see people who presumably have been through the elementary system, at least, using their fingers to perform arithmetic operations, and coming up with incorrect totals. This is not a good basis for learning trigonometry or calculus, which the higher disciplines in science, engineering, and research depend upon.

Pressure on the educational administrations to produce additional "qualified" individuals can lead to a surplus of people with certificates but little competence.
This is not a strictly Thai situation by any means, but I feel it is rampant here where appearance seems to be often taken as a substitute for reality. 

Expect no major change while job for life, under educated and under performing government employee's are at the helm. And don't even think about suggesting qualified Farangs be invited to help -  Thailand is different and Farangs don't understand. 

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, Artisi said:

Expect no major change while job for life, under educated and under performing government employee's are at the helm. And don't even think about suggesting qualified Farangs be invited to help -  Thailand is different and Farangs don't understand. 

 

And expect no change while the current mob are at the top of the Ed. ministry because they strongly refuse to acknowledge that there is anything wrong in any factor of education at any level.  

 

Plus there is a history of previous PMs and Ed. ministers requesting / demanding change, all totally ignored.

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2018 by scorecard

[tomta]

A ministry for Research and Higher Education. Great news. They'll surely be seeking to promote the expansion of historical, political and cultural knowledge by abolishing the laws that inhibit research into these areas - that is to say, defamation and lese majeste

[Sir Dude]

The problem with Thai education is all regarding high school...that's where it all goes wrong. They spend 6 years of doing meaningless and brainwashing BS dreamed up by seriously lacking elementary standard teachers that are asked to teach their class every subject as if he/she is some all knowing omni-directional educational touchstone that knows everything about all subjects. These teachers themselves have been through the brain washing machine system and are pretty much treated like factory worker slaves too.

 

That's were the problem is...the universities can't do much with morons that don't know the present simple, present perfect or can't react to the question "What did you do at the weekend?" having supposedly studied English for 13 years before they even get to university. It's high school that needs the most urgent reform out of all of it. Surprised they are still struggling to see this...or maybe they are just in denial and don't want to admit it due to face concerns and needing to have a compliant section of the society that obeys and doesn't think too much.

Edited May 22, 2018 by Sir Dude

[scorecard]

11 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

The problem with Thai education is all regarding high school...that's where it all goes wrong. They spend 6 years of doing meaningless and brainwashing BS dreamed up by seriously lacking elementary standard teachers that are asked to teach their class every subject as if he/she is some all knowing omni-directional educational touchstone that knows everything about all subjects. These teachers themselves have been through the brain washing machine system and are pretty much treated like factory worker slaves too.

 

That's were the problem is...the universities can't do much with morons that don't know the present simple, present perfect or can't react to the question "What did you do at the weekend?" having supposedly studied English for 13 years before they even get to university. It's high school that needs the most urgent reform out of all of it. Surprised they are still struggling to see this...or maybe they are just in denial and don't want to admit it due to face concerns and needing to have a compliant section of the society that obeys and doesn't think too much.

 

Add, a consequence of primary and secondary education (99% of government schools) is that the kids are not allowed to asked questions, they are told that whatever the teacher says is correct and cannot be challenged,  and therefore they have never learned to anslyse anything, a step needed before the realization they want to ask a question for clarity of the subject matter etc.

 

All of this is locked into place before they enter uni., and it continues, again they don't ask questions, mostly because they are so locked into what they have experienced in Primary and Secondary school and the belief that asking  questions is rude. 

 

 

 

[jaltsc]

"THAILAND is planning to create a new Research and Higher Education Ministry by merging the current Science and Technology Ministry with the Office of Higher Education Commission..."

 

Rearranging the chairs on the Titanic, are they?

Edited May 22, 2018 by jaltsc

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

 

Add, a consequence of primary and secondary education (99% of government schools) is that the kids are not allowed to asked questions, they are told that whatever the teacher says is correct and cannot be challenged,  and therefore they have never learned to anslyse anything, a step needed before the realization they want to ask a question for clarity of the subject matter etc.

 

All of this is locked into place before they enter uni., and it continues, again they don't ask questions, mostly because they are so locked into what they have experienced in Primary and Secondary school and the belief that asking  questions is rude. 

 

 

Further, many times I've given case studies to final year MBA students, where they have to develop a long-term business strategy. Many times students have asked me to give them a hit what the correct answer is. They are expecting that there is one perfect answer.

 

When this has happened I've said many times  'there is no perfect answer', with instant looks of confusion and wonder. But professor how can we know if we did OK if we don't (eventually) get the correct answer.

 

My response is - in MBA studies (most masters studies) the role of the professor / the course is to give you lots of concepts and approaches and ensure you understand them well and when they would be valuable or not appropriate, so that your well prepared to develop / create a good policy / a good strategy case by case, circumstance by circumstance.

 

This brings bewilderment - 'so we will never know the perfect answer to the xxx case study.' 

 

Where does this all come from?

 

Easy answer - primary and high school teaching and learning methods.

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2018 by scorecard

[JAG]

Ooh good oh, a new budget...