Thai universities brace for the challenges posed by technology, demographics

[Benmart]

21 hours ago, thequietman said:

As a lecturer in a Thai university, I can't tell the students about how the rest of the world does it and about how their text books are unsuitable for today's world. I can't tell them that if they don't work hard they will fail the course. because by doing so, I am rocking the boat. If too many students fail, my teaching methods are questioned, not the students work ethic.

 

The students get to assess me ! and so if I give them too much work to do, or I don't give them the grades they THINK they deserve, then I get punished via their poor review. I am then questioned as to my teaching abilities.

 

The Thai teachers play the game very well and give the students numerous opportunities to resit and redo everything. There is no downside to being a lazy student as they get to do it again and again until they get the desired result.

 

The strict defamation laws here don't allow a lecturer to teach about the real world and I always have to curb my lectures because of this. It is ridiculous.

So sad the hear this. Best wishes to you.

[mikebell]

20 hours ago, overherebc said:

My niece and her husband teach in UK, 15 and 16 year olds, and if students fail exams they have to write reports on how and why without trying to make the student look dense.

I once suggested that the report should be on the lines of, if this student was less intelligent he would be stood in the corner and watered daily.

At least students fail unlike here where as you say everyone gets a pass.

I wrote end of term reports for 38 years.  My favourite was 'He merely occupies space.'

[tingtong]

On 12/31/2018 at 6:11 AM, Fex Bluse said:

But, you will not be able to because as much as you Thai pseudo elites bang on about improving the education for all Thais, you are more concerned with making sure the Thai Caste system does not change. 

 

How do you educate brown Thais but keep them locked into their usually lower status? 

 

You can't.

a possible way to great those "brown Thais but keep them locked into their usually lower status" is to give then de facto useless university education and same time doing so lock them into a hefty student loan.

 

without a decent job waiting in the end of the education based on real life applicable skills + the loan with its interest = brown Thais locked into a lower status

[Odysseus123]

49 minutes ago, tingtong said:

a possible way to great those "brown Thais but keep them locked into their usually lower status" is to give then de facto useless university education and same time doing so lock them into a hefty student loan.

 

without a decent job waiting in the end of the education based on real life applicable skills + the loan with its interest = brown Thais locked into a lower status

I agree with your post however I remain puzzled by the whole affair because-as in almost everything Thai-it remains collusive,by which I mean that a lot of students up where I lived in Isaan-appeared to have no ambition or vision of the future whatsoever.

 

My niece went to Bangkok university studying music and 'communications' and has now returned to Ubon with the sole ambition to be with mum and dad and open a noodle stall.

 

My stepdaughter has been at a rajabaht university for 5 years studying 'computer' she produces projects that would make a Western 12 year old blush but gets good marks.She also has absolutely no ambition other than to play on her I-phone,socialize and stay with mum.

 

God only knows how much this has all cost but one things for sure neither of them give a hoot about it.

 

In stark contrast two youngsters in the village went to night school,studied English and have gone on to get good jobs in the tourist industry.