BANGKOK (NNT) - The Ministry of Education has kept the start of the new academic year when schools will be reopening at 17th May, with the possibility of pushing back the date to 1st June, should the COVID-19 situation remain difficult to control.

 

The Ministry of Education has announced it is not changing the school opening date of the new academic year from 17th May, in order to limit the impact on education and the parent’s livelihood.

 

The Minister of Education Trinuch Thienthong said today the decision has been agreed to by the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), however the date could be pushed back to 1st June if the COVID-19 situation has not improved.

 

She said classes and activities at each school will be determined based on the risk factors and specific context of each area, while schools should allow students to choose the class format they want by themselves, from providing take home class exercises, to online learning.

 

Meanwhile, the national date for Secondary 1 and Secondary 4 levels entrance examination on 2nd May has now been postponed, with the new examination date scheduled for between 4th and 12th May.

 

Examination venues must strictly implement health and safety measures, including a capacity rule where no more than 50 people can be present in an examination room, or a registration room. Classrooms at other schools could be used in addition to the main venue to avoid crowding. The OBEC is now working on the examination plan, which will be presented to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on 30th April.

 

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised on the delay in new public school teachers’ qualification tests and licensing, which could result in a teaching staff shortage in some places. The Ministry of Education and the OBEC has agreed to encourage schools to help each other, including schools in the sister schools scheme. Schools may also assign a position to a person already on the teachers list, and should report to the authority if they can’t solve the problem.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-04-20

 

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What could possibly go wrong, enquiring minds want to know, asking for a friend.

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised on the delay in new public school teachers’ qualification tests and licensing, which could result in a teaching staff shortage

Friends of mine are facing issues with the Teacher's Council and the number of waivers they're granted.

 

Without getting into it too much, getting the "permanent" teacher's license is difficult, and most are granted two years temporary waivers at each school they teach. At around three waivers they run into problems. In light of the current situation, they need to just continue issuing additional waivers, and let these needed, dedicated farangs teach.

My Moo baan is running wild with hoards of kids, grouped together playing all day... would actually be better at school where they are temp tested and watched for symptoms every day.

Not sure of closing schools is the real answer.

6 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

My Moo baan is running wild with hoards of kids, grouped together playing all day... would actually be better at school where they are temp tested and watched for symptoms every day.

Not sure of closing schools is the real answer.

 

 

Perhaps we have to ask ourselves WHY the schools have been closed.

 

Then we will find the answer.

14 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Friends of mine are facing issues with the Teacher's Council and the number of waivers they're granted.

 

Without getting into it too much, getting the "permanent" teacher's license is difficult, and most are granted two years temporary waivers at each school they teach. At around three waivers they run into problems. In light of the current situation, they need to just continue issuing additional waivers, and let these needed, dedicated farangs teach.

After your 3rd waiver, so 6 yrs, you must "improve yourself" according to Khurusapha. This means you must enrol in a Dip.ed or Masters course. I had to do this. I have recently sat the teachers licence exam which you also now have to do. Previously this was not necessary on completion of your studies but now is. I failed an exam called Professional Teacher's Knowledge. I was not alone. In fact every foreign teacher in my group failed this 3 hr exam. Some quite smart people failed this. There were also some Thais in our group who passed the exam. Their exams were in Thai. There are 4 exams and you must pass all.

22 minutes ago, eeworldwide said:

 

 

Perhaps we have to ask ourselves WHY the schools have been closed.

 

Then we will find the answer.

Herd mentality.

Hopefully this only applies to Thai schools.  My kid's international school started Term 3 on 19 April - online.  This does not represent value for money!  They have said normal school should resume at the end of April.  It had better!

44 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

My Moo baan is running wild with hoards of kids, grouped together playing all day... would actually be better at school where they are temp tested and watched for symptoms every day.

Not sure of closing schools is the real answer.

Asymptomatic kids can spread the disease to other kids and teachers who then take it home with them and this is how it can spread. Do not for one minute think that students will keep thier masks on at school.

44 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Asymptomatic kids can spread the disease to other kids and teachers who then take it home with them and this is how it can spread. Do not for one minute think that students will keep thier masks on at school.

They certainly don't at home where I live... that's my point, in school they can be controlled and monitored, at home they do as they please.

1 minute ago, hotchilli said:

They certainly don't at home where I live... that's my point, in school they can be controlled and monitored, at home they do as they please.

At home it's local kids. At school hundreds or thousands come from all over. Temp checks mean very little. By the time symptoms show up it's too late. It's spread.

1 hour ago, eeworldwide said:

 

 

Perhaps we have to ask ourselves WHY the schools have been closed.

 

Then we will find the answer.

They are closed because it's the summer break for Thai schools. 

8 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

They certainly don't at home where I live... that's my point, in school they can be controlled and monitored, at home they do as they please.

Our students were wearing masks all day everyday last year. They also sit 1 m apart. Social distancing is difficult, as it's not possible to supervise students every minute of everyday. Schools have also cancelled all activities (eg. sports day) and even don't allow group work. It's a stressfull work environment for both teachers and students, but students did more work at school than they did online, which is inherently slow. Most kids are much less motivated to study when at home. 

 

 

 

I am not sure if there really is a perfect answer. 

 

I agree kids in my area do not wear masks and are playing but there are less of them running around than usual.  

Part of that is that they are during long breaks sent t live with grandparents

Parents are keeping the kids at home to keep them safe.

But I think the real reason is it is too damn hot to play long outside.

 

As to returning to school I think most studetns would rather they delayed the school year and went back to in class lessons vs online.

 

Teachers are not taught in school how to teach online and it is a lot more difficult than in class. Most older Thai teachers are taught to teach rote learning and it is impossible to keep a child's online interest with this style.  

 

Online teachers that care have no way in checking to see if studetns are doing their work correctly and can only hope unless they have students submit homework to them and actually mark it.

2 hours ago, eeworldwide said:

 

 

Perhaps we have to ask ourselves WHY the schools have been closed.

 

Then we will find the answer.

Maybe because its the annual summer school break that happens every year at this time.

I can only attest for the last 5 years of my sons schooling though

2 hours ago, DavisH said:

They are closed because it's the summer break for Thai schools. 

So why are international schools closed then?  They only just started Term 3.

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

My Moo baan is running wild with hoards of kids, grouped together playing all day... would actually be better at school where they are temp tested and watched for symptoms every day.

Not sure of closing schools is the real answer.

 

Going to school essentially connects each child with many more people and locations than they would do staying at home.  If one of the teachers or students has covid, it is quite possible that they would pass it onto the children, who would then spread it amongst themselves, take it home to their "Moo baan" and spread it to their family and friends in the local area.

 

So while it seems that "the kids aren't social distancing anyway", they are still isolated and protected from a much higher chance of contracting and spreading the virus at their school.

Typical Thai answer to any problem. It’s really not any news at all. So, we have ‘schools will be opened in May 17th (the day they’re scheduled to open anyway after the holiday) but might be changed to June 1st’, don’t really tell us anything for definite does it! Yesterday it was announced that final decision outs be made on April 30th after they see what the Covid-19 situation is.  I agree that students doing on line classes are pretty much wasting their time as they learn very little from it, the teachers at our sons school, if they can be bothered to turn up that is, mostly give them their assignments and go off line, leaving the students to sit and play games with each other but in the other hand, when they go to school, our sons school anyway, they are required to wear a mask just to get in to school and then are free to take it off for the rest of the day just as the teachers do so where is the logic in that? We enjoy having our son at home so we’re not bothered either way if the schools open or not but somehow, he has to complete his education one way or another.

3 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

Going to school essentially connects each child with many more people and locations than they would do staying at home.  If one of the teachers or students has covid, it is quite possible that they would pass it onto the children, who would then spread it amongst themselves, take it home to their "Moo baan" and spread it to their family and friends in the local area.

 

So while it seems that "the kids aren't social distancing anyway", they are still isolated and protected from a much higher chance of contracting and spreading the virus at their school.

A valid point.

Let me foretell the future. Open schools. Covid cases in schools. Govt says upto the individual provinces to keep schools open or close schools. Personally I think it's madness. This is 3 wks from now. Schools were closed when there were 100 cases a day with a much less virulent strain.

 

31 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Let me foretell the future. Open schools. Covid cases in schools. Govt says upto the individual provinces to keep schools open or close schools. Personally I think it's madness. This is 3 wks from now. Schools were closed when there were 100 cases a day with a much less virulent strain.

 

Indeed.  Covid is not going to magically disappear for many, many months and most likely years.  Are they going to close schools every there's an outbreak?  It's nonsense. We (as a global society) need to learn to live with the disease.  Ruining children's education will do long-term damage.

9 hours ago, dinsdale said:

After your 3rd waiver, so 6 yrs, you must "improve yourself" according to Khurusapha. This means you must enrol in a Dip.ed or Masters course. I had to do this. I have recently sat the teachers licence exam which you also now have to do. Previously this was not necessary on completion of your studies but now is. I failed an exam called Professional Teacher's Knowledge. I was not alone. In fact every foreign teacher in my group failed this 3 hr exam. Some quite smart people failed this. There were also some Thais in our group who passed the exam. Their exams were in Thai. There are 4 exams and you must pass all.

This is being reported by a lot of teachers that have say that exam. 

3 hours ago, dinsdale said:

After your 3rd waiver, so 6 yrs, you must "improve yourself" according to Khurusapha. This means you must enrol in a Dip.ed or Masters course. I had to do this. I have recently sat the teachers licence exam which you also now have to do. Previously this was not necessary on completion of your studies but now is. I failed an exam called Professional Teacher's Knowledge. I was not alone. In fact every foreign teacher in my group failed this 3 hr exam. Some quite smart people failed this. There were also some Thais in our group who passed the exam. Their exams were in Thai. There are 4 exams and you must pass all.

 

And this surprises you - why?

 

9 hours ago, hotchilli said:

My Moo baan is running wild with hoards of kids, grouped together playing all day... would actually be better at school where they are temp tested and watched for symptoms every day.

Not sure of closing schools is the real answer.

Schools are usually closed from end March to Mid/late May...do you really expect 45 kids in a classroom with one ceiling fan and temperatures of 100 degrees or more to be able to study?

11 hours ago, ParkerN said:

 

And this surprises you - why?

 

Where do I say it suprises me? 

Just now, dinsdale said:

Where do I say it suprises me? 

Rhetorical question really. Not important.

Just now, ParkerN said:

Rhetorical question really. Not important.

No problem. The whole thing is a farse and I knew this from the beginning. The exams were a joke and bore very little resemblance to what was taught in the dip.ed I was forced do at a cost of bt74,000 + travel costs.

Just now, dinsdale said:

No problem. The whole thing is a farse and I knew this from the beginning. The exams were a joke and bore very little resemblance to what was taught in the dip.ed I was forced do at a cost of bt74,000 + travel costs.

 

Almost completely unsurprising. Appearances are much more important than substance in this blighted land. Pity but we are where we are and the blighters are unlikely to change if changing might appear to be humouring the damned foreigners. It will get worse before it gets better as the death-rattle gets louder. And get louder it most certainly will.

On 4/21/2021 at 8:56 AM, eeworldwide said:

 

 

Perhaps we have to ask ourselves WHY the schools have been closed.

 

Then we will find the answer.

The reason why the schools are closed is cos its summer holidays.

30 minutes ago, Red Forever said:

The reason why the schools are closed is cos its summer holidays.

Only Thai schools.  International schools have just started Term 3 - online, unfortunately!