How About Another Crackdown?

[PeaceBlondie]

If your children were going to school in the USA, UK or Oz ,would you expected that their teachers were properly qualified - i.e degree and teachers traning college. Why should Thai familys or expats paying good money expect anything less?

Good questions, Philosopher. If I may just add a personal opinion. My six kids went to accredited state schools, and I knew the teachers were properly qualified because the schools and the rest of the govt. did their jobs diligently. Families in Thailand, regardless of citizenship, do NOT expect the same degree of governmental oversight. This is Thailand, where the government.....saying it politely....does things differently. I have no idea how poorly the Thai teachers are 'qualified,' or how many Caucasians, Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Singaporean, etc., teachers are qualified here. I doubt that 2% of the people in Thailand have any idea on the qualifications.

It isn't a question of degrees or no degrees. Well qualified foreign teachers come from places like Australia where a degree often took only three years (especially, long ago, for teachers). The USA, decades ago, had normal schools ('teacher training colleges) like Thai rajabats. Way too many varieties for the Thais to easily figure out, if they even bothered to check.

I'm going to try to change the title of this thread to something more politically correct.

[Ijustwannateach]

^Probably a wise idea, PB.

I'd like to remind everyone that the degree-no degree issue is restricted in the Teacher's Forum, as it only leads to teacher slagging and comes to no conclusion. Please stay strictly on the topic of a crackdown on FAKE degrees, or you may run afoul of the subforum guidelines, which you can check in the pinned thread in this subforum.

[Stephen Cleary]

Allow me to bring up the bit about Thai teachers.

I wouldn't go as far as saying that a lot of Thai teachers are gliding along on fake credentials, but a lot are - on quite useless qualifications.

Now, being a freelance translator of Thai>Eng, I have had to translate stacks of Masters Degree research papers for Thai teachers. Of course, i have realised that most of these documents weren't actually written by the teacher himself, but someone else who had been paid to do the job.

I'd like to ask - just how many of the foreign teachers here, have had to put up with Thai teachers boasting of their Masters degrees etc.... When in fact, the only thing they had to do to get it, was 'take the exams' (If they fail, try again!)

Another thing, wanna-be Thai teachers doing their Education degrees, have to spend like three months at a school - training. At a couple of schools i was at, the only thing they did was pick up the phone and do the photocopying! Now, what kind of training is that?

And another matter.

It is kinda unfair to single out male Farang criminals posing as teachers here in the Land of Mangosteen. Most of you wouldn't have noticed, but being an avid readers of Thai newspapers, i read every month stories of Thai male teachers being investigated for raping students etc.....

As they are civil servants and not Farangs, it is much more difficult to simply throw them behind bars to await trial.

Edited February 4, 2007 by stevesuphan

[bannork]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but an American who had been working as a teacher in a Thai school was arrested in Nan province 2 days ago and is to be deported to the US to face charges of rape and murder of a child there.

The FBI had notified the Thai authorities. I don't know if he had a work permit, I doubt it though as he looked well over 60 and had been at the school only 6 months.

[aussiestyle1983]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but an American who had been working as a teacher in a Thai school was arrested in Nan province 2 days ago and is to be deported to the US to face charges of rape and murder of a child there.

The FBI had notified the Thai authorities. I don't know if he had a work permit, I doubt it though as he looked well over 60 and had been at the school only 6 months.

What was the bad news? If what he did was true then he will deservie the punishment he gets...............

Now, you are also going to inform us the next time a Thai teacher gets busted for doing something similar, right................?

[PeaceBlondie]

The bad news about this latest arrest is posted elsewhere on ThaiVisa, probably in the news clippings forum. As for another crackdown on teachers, this latest arrest may just encourage the Thai authorities and schools into doing their job. Another bad news is that even for perfectly non-criminal and technically qualified farang teachers, this is still more reason not to have "Taught in Thailand, 2007" on their professional resume.

[Ijustwannateach]

Oh, please don't remind me.

[Jookster]

The bad news about this latest arrest is posted elsewhere on ThaiVisa, probably in the news clippings forum. As for another crackdown on teachers, this latest arrest may just encourage the Thai authorities and schools into doing their job. Another bad news is that even for perfectly non-criminal and technically qualified farang teachers, this is still more reason not to have "Taught in Thailand, 2007" on their professional resume.

Could you go into more detail on the resume point.

Thanks