Draft decree pushes reforms in education

By CHULARAT SAENGPASSA 
THE NATION

 

File photo

 

Major changes coming into effect soon

 

VERY SOON students will no longer have to take entrance exams until Matthayom 3, thanks to the draft decree on national education, which has sailed through. 

 

The decree will also make many other changes in the educational sector, affecting teachers, education officials, schools, tutorial schools and educational agencies. 

 

“The Council of State has cleared the draft decree,” Charas Suwanwela said yesterday in his capacity as president of the Independent Committee for Education Reform (ICER). He added that the decree would be presented for royal endorsement very soon. 

 

“Once it receives royal endorsement, it will bring about real reforms, particularly in relation to the establishment of the National Educational Policy Committee [NEPC], which will be chaired by the prime minister,” Charas said. 

 

He added that the Office of the Education Council was working on changing itself into the secretariat for the NEPC. “In its new role, it will compile information for the efficient formulation of appropriate educational policies. There will not be too much red-tape,” he said. 

 

Charas added that ICER would continue working until the NEPC is established. 

 

Over the past many months, several educators, teachers and school directors had criticised the content of the National Education Bill, which is now the draft Executive Decree on National Education. 

 

Among the controversial points were: punishment for agencies failing to provide integrated educational services and leaving goals unmet, school directors to be referred to as headmasters/headmistresses, teaching licences to be replaced by certificates and the establishment of a new curriculum institute. 

 

Chulalongkorn University’s lecturer, Asst Professor Athapol Anunthavorasakul, said the draft decree was too flawed to sail through, and in a Facebook comment yesterday he said everybody involved was forced to adopt this reform. 

 

“This is how educational reform is done through the collaboration of a dictatorship, technocrats and interest groups,” the comment read. 

 

When asked if the draft decree had been changed while being reviewed by the Council of State, Charas firmly said “no”. Instead, he praised the government for being brave enough to push ahead with educational reform, despite the opposition. 

 

“All this opposition is imaginary. The essence of the draft law aims to make real reform,” he said. 

 

In a bid to ensure that reforms do go ahead, the government has resolved to write up a draft executive decree – instead of sticking to the original plan of preparing a National Education Bill. The legislation of a bill normally takes longer. 

 

Assoc Professor Daranee Utairatanakit, a member of the ICER, said yesterday that the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPTST) would become a curriculum institute once the law is enforced. 

 

Critics, however, insist that since the institute is only familiar with science and technology, it may not be fit to handle a curriculum covering all fields. As for the ban on exams for children, Daranee said this was in line with the Childhood Bill. 

 

Jiruth Sriratanaban, who chairs a panel drafting the law, separately said that the Education Ministry would have to comply with new legal stipulations once the decree goes into effect. 

 

“But I think full compliance will not be possible in the current academic year,” Jiruth said. “I think we will only see solid action and tangible effect next year.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368647

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-01

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25 minutes ago, webfact said:

"The essence of the draft law aims to make real reform"

Yeah, we've never heard THAT before.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The decree will also make many other changes in the educational sector, affecting teachers, education officials, schools, tutorial schools and educational agencies.

Great Decree! Only one thing missing...the students. No doubt the mushroom system will remain in place, keep them in the dark and feed them BS.

15 years they have been tinkering with education , 15 wasted years, millions of students failed by the infighting and idiotic policies and now we have a problem finding skilled workers, , properly educated students able to communicate in more than one language. Teaching methodology is so out of touch with reality, that after 10 years I stopped, WHY ? All students pass no matter how stupid they are. Teaching students to think logically and ask questions is frowned upon by many in the educational establishment , why ?  Most of the teachers do not know the answers either. 

They keep changing the organ grinders and the monkeys keep cycling through but no one is changing the song or how it is sung or played.

 

Why is the legislation going through without the proper format simple?  As much as i hate to admit it it is for the rich and those with money or influence.

 

If a school has an entrance test so that they can only accept the brightest or the best that eliminates the ability of the did with the money in his picket from getting his child into that school.  

 

Right now there are schools that have a very high standard and only accept the best and brightest.  While I do have an issue with entrance tests for Pratom 1 or Matayom 1 I do understand that the present system mandates that schools do this to ensure quality students.

 

Example Assumption is well thought of school, now imagine if they started accepting students that were lower standard into the same class as those students that are highly motivated and skilled only because daddy paid twice the going rate for entrance.  this will in fact lower the standing of many of the schools.

 

When I first started teaching and was doing my TESOL training I went to a school that has a relatively good rep in my area to see how teaching ESL was done.  The class was for those students that were gifted so i thought it would be great.  While sitting at the back of the class I noticed a Thai girl with a broken pencil drawing on her desk and not involved with the class.  It turns out that she was mentally challenged (in non PC terms Mentally retarded) but daddy was paying the school for her to attend in that class and that she came every day and was never a problem. 

 

This is happening more and more and is going to happen more if they keep dummying down the education system.

 

There is a solution but as we know the people with money and influence do not like it either make the grades in schools count for something get rid of NO_FAIL.

" Teaching students to think logically and ask questions is frowned upon..." I'd say a bit more than just frowns. They are considered trouble makers. Teachers lose face as they are clueless. "Pouring from the empty into the void"

But no problem too big that can't be sent off to committee and kicked down road once more

Set up education facilities in the disco bars? and around the slum brothels. Need to take it to the people. Some won't have the money for new shoes or old ones. 

Here is a sneak preview of the Education Reform Bill:

 

'All students must OBEY and NEVER, EVER, QUESTION the divinely inspired 'good people'.

'Thai culture is unrivalled across the world and its ways and values are sacred and untouchable. Teachers are founts of wisdom and must be believed down to their last uttered syllable. Students must never, ever, listen to troublemakers who utter gibberish about "critical thinking and questioning". That is not the superior Thai way.

'Above all, students must KNOW THEIR PLACE IN THE HIERARCHY - AND NEVER BUDGE ONE JOT FROM IT - NOR EVEN ASPIRE TO DO SO.

'This is the way forward - deeper and deeper into our glorious and cosmically admired Thai Middle Ages'!

 

(I jest, of course!).

 

Edited May 1, 20197 yr by Eligius

13 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Here is a sneak preview of the Education Reform Bill:

 

'All students must OBEY and NEVER, EVER, QUESTION the divinely inspired 'good people'.

'Thai culture is unrivalled across the world and its ways and values are sacred and untouchable. Teachers are founts of wisdom and must be believed down to their last uttered syllable. Students must never, ever, listen to troublemakers who utter gibberish about "critical thinking and questioning". That is not the superior Thai way.

'Above all, students must KNOW THEIR PLACE IN THE HIERARCHY - AND NEVER BUDGE ONE JOT FROM IT - NOR EVEN ASPIRE TO DO SO.

'This is the way forward - deeper and deeper into our glorious and cosmically admired Thai Middle Ages'!

 

(I jest, of course!).

 

You jest? I believe every word. ????

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Instead, he praised the government for being brave enough to push ahead with educational reform, despite the opposition. 

Its reform might instead be called "screw" the opposition.

 

Compared to the other 24 Asian countries, most of Thailand's top universities ranking plunged in 2018. http://www.en.moe.go.th/enMoe2017/index.php/articles/93-thai-university-rankings-plummet

 

In the 2019 World University Ranking no Thai institutes have even made it to the list of 500 best universities, let alone top 100. The best that can be said is that Chiang Mai University remained in the 801-1000 band, while King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok stayed in the 1001+ group.¹http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30355280 .

And THIS government believes it can effect education reform?

 

¹ Note that the next to lowest ranked group is the 801-1000 band and the lowest is the 1001+ group. 

No mention of corruption ?

The article doesn't comment on why the caretaker government is still passing laws that are not of an emergency nature after the elections, rather than leave it to the next government.