SURVEY: Should Thailand change the school year permanently?

[Scott]

Quite a number of years ago, the Thai government was considering changing the school year to run in conjunction with most of the Western countries.   That would mean running from roughly August/September to May/June.  Traditionally, the school year is roughly May to March.  The proposal did not materialize.  

 

In your opinion, and given the current delay in school, do you think it would be wise to change the academic year to correspond closer to Western countries?

 

Please feel free to leave a comment.

[tonray]

Would not work because Songkran (this year not withstanding) is a cultural event where many students are taken back to the provinces to visit relatives, pay respects to elders, etc etc. It would be like banning Red and Green Fanta bottles on the sidewalk or making Pla Ra illegal

[cyril sneer]

1 minute ago, tonray said:

Would not work because Songkran (this year not withstanding) is a cultural event where many students are taken back to the provinces to visit relatives, pay respects to elders, etc etc. It would be like banning Red and Green Fanta bottles on the sidewalk or making Pla Ra illegal

if motor accidents are down for this years Songkran they'll probably keep the same restrictions every year

[Curt1591]

They should make it year round, 12~15 hours a day. 

[Ventenio]

I'm a little lost and slow on this one.  Thailand isn't Christian, which affects Western school years.  Climates are different as well.  Plus there's Labor day in the West.    Summer Vacation means something different here.  

 

I think all-year makes the most sense.  Taking months off is ridiculous.  Maybe one week, and then a modified schedule until the next semester.  Perhaps teach totally different subjects in April/May.  But not a summer school, it should be more formal.

 

these kids need more time in the classroom, not less.  We can agree about a month is wasted during the year anyhow.  

[Kerryd]

No.
One of the reasons for the current schedule I believe has to do with agriculture. Specifically rice. 
The current school year is designed to allow all those students to help out with the rice planting and crop tending at the start of the rainy season, which is usually also the hottest time of the year in Thailand.
The other break comes in October - harvest time before the "dry season" begins.

In the "West", the school break centers around the 2 hottest months of the year (July/August).

"Spring Break" was originally meant to allow students to return to the farms to help during planting season.
In places like Canada, Thanksgiving (celebrated in October) was originally a celebration of the Fall harvests (which again saw students excused to help bring in the crops before the first frosts of winter arrived).

"Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October. "

(Fun fact, the 1st Thanksgiving in North America actually happened in Canada 43 years before the pilgrim Thanksgiving happened in what would eventually become the USA.)

In Thailand they don't have to worry about frost of course, but they do have to worry about water (as we all should know with the way things are going this year). Getting the crops in when the rains start and harvesting them before the dry season arrives.

As most of Thailand's agriculture isn't as modernized as it is in many Western countries, it requires a lot of manual labour. Hence the need for students to be able to leave school to help out.

[bannork]

Actually a lot of rice harvesting is done by combine harvesters now, and most is in November.

Regarding April, it makes complete sense to have a long holiday then. It's the hottest time and many schools don't have air-con.

[Peterw42]

Do people realise there is another hemisphere in the south where the seasons are reversed. Summer and school breaks coincides with the end of the calendar year, crops are planted/harvested opposite to the northern hemisphere.

When people refer to "the rest of the world" They are not only talking about the US.

[pegman]

23 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

No.
One of the reasons for the current schedule I believe has to do with agriculture. Specifically rice. 
The current school year is designed to allow all those students to help out with the rice planting and crop tending at the start of the rainy season, which is usually also the hottest time of the year in Thailand.
The other break comes in October - harvest time before the "dry season" begins.

In the "West", the school break centers around the 2 hottest months of the year (July/August).

"Spring Break" was originally meant to allow students to return to the farms to help during planting season.
In places like Canada, Thanksgiving (celebrated in October) was originally a celebration of the Fall harvests (which again saw students excused to help bring in the crops before the first frosts of winter arrived).

"Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October. "

(Fun fact, the 1st Thanksgiving in North America actually happened in Canada 43 years before the pilgrim Thanksgiving happened in what would eventually become the USA.)

In Thailand they don't have to worry about frost of course, but they do have to worry about water (as we all should know with the way things are going this year). Getting the crops in when the rains start and harvesting them before the dry season arrives.

As most of Thailand's agriculture isn't as modernized as it is in many Western countries, it requires a lot of manual labour. Hence the need for students to be able to leave school to help out.

I always thought we got Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie earlier because we were better behaved.

 

As for changing to a western schedule it may be better for recruiting teachers. Bigger pool of teachers become available at the end of June. 

[baansgr]

Try sitting in a classroom with no air con in March and April...its this way for a reason.

[Kerryd]

3 minutes ago, pegman said:

I always thought we got Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie earlier because we were better behaved.

 

As for changing to a western schedule it may be better for recruiting teachers. Bigger pool of teachers become available at the end of June. 

But only for a 2 month period after which all those teachers would run back to their much better paying jobs back home !

[4MyEgo]

9 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Try sitting in a classroom with no air con in March and April...its this way for a reason.

Our kids are in air conditioned rooms when it's hot, to think of other kids having to go to school in March-April with no A/C makes me no sense to me at all.

 

Kids should be comfortable, and if that means putting A/C's in all schools and run up electricity bills and emissions, nope, because if it ain't broken, don't try and fix it.

Edited April 12, 2020 by 4MyEgo

[bkkcanuck8]

2 hours ago, tonray said:

Would not work because Songkran (this year not withstanding) is a cultural event where many students are taken back to the provinces to visit relatives, pay respects to elders, etc etc. It would be like banning Red and Green Fanta bottles on the sidewalk or making Pla Ra illegal

Couldn't Songkran roughly translate into March Break/Reading Week?

[bkkcanuck8]

The Canadian/US educational calendar revolved around historic needs with regards to the calendar.  The two months off were potentially hot and less productive to be inside, and the kids were let out over the summer months because of the need to keep them on the farm to help out during heaving periods of the calendar.  I see no reason to actually synchronize the calendar to western schooling.

[Joeythai]

1 hour ago, baansgr said:

Try sitting in a classroom with no air con in March and April...its this way for a reason.

Would be better to make air-con mandatory in all classrooms than sending the kids to work in the burning sun of rice fields!

[Joeythai]

6 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

Couldn't Songkran roughly translate into March Break/Reading Week?

Yes, about 10 weeks holidays in spring is way too long and leads to poor education

[tonray]

2 hours ago, baansgr said:

Try sitting in a classroom with no air con in March and April...its this way for a reason.

And it's not much better in May and June either. Teaching in dress shirt and tie...listening to the students whine about how hot it is whilst wearing shorts and skirts.....NO

[tonray]

1 hour ago, Joeythai said:

Yes, about 10 weeks holidays in spring is way too long and leads to poor education

Holidays are the least of troubles for education here. You could put the kids in school 365 days a year and results would not likely change

[Credo]

A fair number of students attend university overseas.   For them it would be a real advantage.   Foreign exchange students also end up repeating an entire year when they return to Thailand.   Families coming to Thailand and returning to western countries with their children would benefit.   

Songkran could be treated much like Christmas holidays are in western countries.   

 

[humbug]

3 hours ago, tonray said:

Would not work because Songkran (this year not withstanding) is a cultural event where many students are taken back to the provinces to visit relatives, pay respects to elders, etc etc. It would be like banning Red and Green Fanta bottles on the sidewalk or making Pla Ra illegal

Many of the parents around this way, have children at these international schools, and April time many have 2-3 weeks holiday, apart from family mart and 7-11, most other places in Bangkok shut down during the Songkran week

[stevenl]

Yes, they should. But no, they can't due to many schools being fan only, and way, way too hot in March and April.

[pixelaoffy]

3 hours ago, Ventenio said:

 

 

"these kids need more time in the classroom, not less."  

If you had worked in the schools as I have you'd know how much of a waste of time being in a classroom is for kids in the country 

Edited April 12, 2020 by pixelaoffy

[gimo]

3 hours ago, baansgr said:

Try sitting in a classroom with no air con in March and April...its this way for a reason.

           Yes , I've always thought the main reason for the long holiday / end of school year is timed to avoid having kids go to school in the ridiculous heat of March , April . It would be particularly tough on pratum kids . Most Thai classrooms don't have air con . 

[Surelynot]

22 minutes ago, pixelaoffy said:

If you had worked in the schools as I have you'd know how much of a waste of time being in a classroom is for kids in the country 

Agree. Contrary to popular belief kids already spend far too long in school, each day and each year. Little and often works......long and boring destroys any desire to learn. Unfortunately one of the prime purposes of school (in the UK for sure) is to provide cheap day care for parents and reduce crime. If I ruled the world, school would run for 4 hours per day with one short break. Three weeks on one week off. Sadly I don't rule the world (yet).

[seajae]

aussie school year runs from feb through to november/ early december, christmas is the main break(6 plus weeks) for us with around 2 weeks holidays at easter and again in august/september, they need to be set to suit each country

[dinsdale]

What do you mean by western countries? Do you mean the USA? Mmmm? Stupid survey. No real alternatives other than US-centric. How about this knowing that there's no real standardisation. October stays the same. Two wks off mid Dec to mid Jan and back to school the beginning of May not mid May. Shortens the long break by two wks and gives two wks around Christmas and New Year.

[CGW]

4 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Kids should be comfortable, and if that means putting A/C's in all schools and run up electricity bills and emissions, nope, because if it ain't broken, don't try and fix it.

The conditions under which kids are "schooled" (indoctrinated) here has long surprised me, school generally next to a very noisy road with illegal traffic noise, all the windows open to let in the polluted air and equalise the outside temperature with the inside on the off chance it is a little cooler inside!

Apart from the curriculum being focused on subservience rather than education, hardly idea conditions for learning.

May as well mention the school playing fields also, burnt patches of bare earth! The "government"/military has many acres of greenery that they maintain as golf courses, yet they can't spend the money to give kids a green play area or even Lord forbid a football field!

[LukKrueng]

9 hours ago, Scott said:

Quite a number of years ago, the Thai government was considering changing the school year to run in conjunction with most of the Western countries.   That would mean running from roughly August/September to May/June.  Traditionally, the school year is roughly May to March.  The proposal did not materialize.  

It was about 6 years ago and it materialized. Most if not all universities changed the semesters timing. The idea was to make it easier for exchange students and foreign students to come study in Thailand without losing time between semesters. However the system didn't change for primary and high schools which meant a very long time from graduating high school to start university. After about 2 or 3 years it went back to the original schedule. 

Should it change to match western countries? I'd say no. 

 @Ventenio ties western countries summer break to christianity - I think he's totally wrong. Summer break is during summer, the hottest time of the year. Therefore in the northern hemisphere school break is July- August whereas in Australia and new Zealand it's December - January and in Thailand March- April

[bkkcanuck8]

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

Yes, they should. But no, they can't due to many schools being fan only, and way, way too hot in March and April.

The funny thing is many areas have brought up the need to change the system in North America since a 10 week break often results in a lot of wasted class time as kids go off at the end of the school term and then when they return it is almost like a purge of a lot of what they learned the prior year.  One of the alternatives considered was a 2 week break 4 times a year as it gives the same amount of 'brain rest' without the need to spend as much time when they come back learning what they learned the last year.

[Kraig62]

5 hours ago, Kerryd said:

But only for a 2 month period after which all those teachers would run back to their much better paying jobs back home !

The teachers need to go to bkk (soi 4, cowboy etc) to supplement their incomes during high season. It’s nothing new. Had a fair few teachers myself.