Thailand reduces school hours in major curriculum overhaul

[bob smith]

2 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said:

I think what kids need to be taught is how to learn. And how to think critically.

...This is precisely the thing that is severely lacking in the education system here.

 

The last thing the powers that be want is a population smart enough to work out they are being taken advantage of.

 

bob.

[ChaiyaTH]

7 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said:

People really think schooling is some paradigm set out from the heavens above, never to be questioned. Yet the fact is, it’s completely unnatural. There’s no basis for it at all in my opinion. Schooling should be much more personal. You NEVER see this accounted for.

Is like that billionaire from Brazil, he also wrote books, forgot his name, he actually made a school model that let every student do things at their own phase aside from entirely different styled etc, no country in the world wanted it or free. So then he made it a paid and private thing, it took off.

[ChaiyaTH]

8 minutes ago, bob smith said:

...This is precisely the thing that is severely lacking in the education system here.

 

The last thing the powers that be want is a population smart enough to work out they are being taken advantage of.

 

bob.

That would be one big radical improvement but I think we need to wait for another 2 decades for more oldies to die off first. 

[brianthainess]

I don't understand just where my local school gets all its money, in the last 3 years

Old school demolished, new school built, then another school adjacent, all air con. Plus teachers accommodation.

a new undercover concrete pitch for volleyball, 

outside 1/2 size football pitch dug up and concreted, netball pitch, cricket nets, all above floodlit.

now the real Biggy; opposite the School across the road, what looks like a full sized football pitch, completely concreted, and Astro turfed, metal fence all around with huge floodlights. This is a local village school on Koh Chang, not some city school, kids are under 16yrs. How long do they spend in a class room ?

 

 

[ChaiyaTH]

2 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

I don't understand just where my local school gets all its money, in the last 3 years

Old school demolished, new school built, then another school adjacent, all air con.

a new undercover concrete pitch for volleyball, 

outside 1/2 size football pitch dug up and concreted, netball pitch, cricket nets, all above floodlit.

now the real Biggy; opposite the School across the road, what looks like a full sized football pitch, completely concreted, and Astro turfed, metal fence all around with huge floodlights. This is a local village school on Koh Chang, not some city school, kids are under 16yrs. How long do they spend in a class room ?

 

 

Is depend sometimes these school have a few rich local parents that donate a lot to them, and then a lot can be done with the money too. Some small temple school on a island in the south is similar, everyone there speaks fluent English, they have computers etc.

[bob smith]

7 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

That would be one big radical improvement but I think we need to wait for another 2 decades for more oldies to die off first. 

I agree.

 

The indoctrination is very high with the dinosaurs. 

 

bob.

[No Forwarding Address]

Meanwhile our kids in Vietnam are going to school 6 days a week, just went on summer break(?) will be about 8 weeks.

 

Cheers

[brianthainess]

1 minute ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Is depend sometimes these school have a few rich local parents that donate a lot to them, and then a lot can be done with the money too. Some small temple school on a island in the south is similar, everyone there speaks fluent English, they have computers etc.

I can't even understand their 'English' teacher. The kids are no better, "What is your name" "where you from" . If you ask them what is your name their eyes just glaze over.

 

[ChaiyaTH]

1 minute ago, bob smith said:

I agree.

 

The indoctrination is very high with the dinosaurs. 

 

bob.

Is the old school cultural and social nonsense, it seems to be good to go for changing it already with most people up to age 30-40 now..

[bob smith]

Just now, ChaiyaTH said:

Is the old school cultural and social nonsense, it seems to be good to go for changing it already with most people up to age 30-40 now..

It's Thursday today.

 

any idea what colour shirt they have to wear?

 

bob.

[ChaiyaTH]

Just now, brianthainess said:

I can't even understand their 'English' teacher. The kids are no better, "What is your name" "where you from" . If you ask them what is your name their eyes just glaze over.

Most places I agree but the ones I mention or some in Chiang Rai, it is actually really good. Often christian or buddhist things running on someone funding it / donating a lot.

[ChaiyaTH]

Just now, bob smith said:

It's Thursday today.

 

any idea what colour shirt they have to wear?

 

bob.

Just go with green every day, you seem to drink like an Irish anyway.

[bob smith]

Just now, ChaiyaTH said:

Just go with green every day, you seem to drink like an Irish anyway.

I mostly wear black and orange.

 

bob.

[herfiehandbag]

28 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

I know students who have to go to school to 6 pm because of extra classes, in the weekend a whole Saturday and even in the long holiday they had to go to school with only 1 week ( the week of Songkran ) free

These extra evening, weekend and summer school are an important "cash earner" to supplement the (admittedly pathetic) salaries of Thai teachers. What has happened in many schools is that the real teaching takes place in these cash paid "extra lessons".

 

It is a racket, but a lucrative one. The teachers will hang on to It like grim death.

[brianthainess]

1 minute ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Most places I agree but the ones I mention or some in Chiang Rai, it is actually really good. Often christian or buddhist things running on someone funding it / donating a lot.

Yes I'll agree a lot of wealthy resort owners originated from 'my' village, but outside sport facilities, far outweigh any in class facilities Aka Learning. 

[Robert Paulson]

24 minutes ago, bob smith said:

...This is precisely the thing that is severely lacking in the education system here.

 

The last thing the powers that be want is a population smart enough to work out they are being taken advantage of.

 

bob.

Yes. And people dont admit to themselves these people who obviously don’t have the kids best interests at heart… well, what is their motivation than?! 
 

schools are just giant scams and what the model they follow is they rake in the dough, speaking about thai private schools here, and they put a face of religious figure at the front of it all so it’ll all seem legit and clean. But the fact is who knows what shady deals are going on. Schools are no different than any other cutthroat corporation. Why they are so entrusted I have no idea. It’s because parents just jam their heads in the sand and pretend it’s all ok

[Robert Paulson]

4 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

These extra evening, weekend and summer school are an important "cash earner" to supplement the (admittedly pathetic) salaries of Thai teachers. What has happened in many schools is that the real teaching takes place in these cash paid "extra lessons".

 

It is a racket, but a lucrative one. The teachers will hang on to It like grim death.

Yes. They just soak it in. It’s basically really expensive baby sitting with a smiling front man priest or whatever to convince everyone it’s all on the up and up

[Robert Paulson]

If one were to find a school that was actually doing its job, the learning experience would be much more personal. There’s no way it’s correct in any fashion to force a kid who has shown he cannot and will not concentrate in classes to sit in class all day. It’s all so painfully obvious to me. The way kids really learn is hands on, doing real world stuff. In school it’s almost all book work. Why? Because it cheap. Just sit them down, shut them up and rake in the dough. 

[connda]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand's Ministry of Education has announced an ambitious overhaul of the national curriculum, aiming to reduce school hours and incorporate more practical and tech-based learning.

Less indoctrination and more Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths would be an excellent approach.  However - changing the Thai educational system will be like turning an aircraft carrier:  it will be a very slow process.  They unfortunately need to rid themselves of the old methodologies (rote training, cultural indoctrination, unquestioning deference to authority, fear of asking questions due to total deference to authority) that are inculcated within the educational system and the entire teaching staff's training itself - nationwide. Speaking from experience - I've taught Thai teachers and administrators.  From a teaching perspective they are culturally hamstrung.  They will have to completely retrain the teachers themselves and radically change the curriculum as well as getting rid of those teachers and administrators who can not change.  Best of luck on that - it's ingrained deeply.  Who is going to create a different approach similar to those used in China, India, and South Korea?  Who is going to reeducate the teachers and the administrators themselves?  Worse - how do they change the culture which drives the current Thai educational paradigm?  They need some radical free-thinkers to change the system, and unfortunately the Thai system is rather devoid of "radical free-thinkers" as that trait is beat out of students during their time in the Thai educational system.
The system is a snake devouring its own tail.  

Don't expect any quick changes here. 

[lordgrinz]

Just now, connda said:

Less indoctrination and more Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths would be an excellent approach.  However - changing the Thai educational system will be like turning an aircraft carrier:  it will be a very slow process.  They unfortunately need to rid themselves of the old methodologies (rote training, cultural indoctrination, unquestioning deference to authority, fear of asking questions due to total deference to authority) that are inculcated within the educational system and the entire teaching staff's training itself - nationwide. Speaking from experience - I've taught Thai teachers and administrators.  From a teaching perspective they are culturally hamstrung.  They will have to completely retrain the teachers themselves and radically change the curriculum as well as getting rid of those teachers and administrators who can not change.  Best of luck on that - it's ingrained deeply.  Whose going to create a different approach similar to those used in China, India, and South Korea.  Whose going to reeducate the teachers and the administrators themselves?  Worse - how do they change the culture which drives the current Thai educational paradigm?  They need some radical free-thinkers to change the system, and unfortunately the Thai system is rather devoid of "free-thinkers" as that trait is beat out of students during their time in the Thai educational system.

Don't expect any quick changes here. 

 

My daughter drives the teachers nuts, she is only 8 years old but questions them tirelessly, especially when she knows something is wrong......the stories she tells me about some conversations cracks me up....LOL

[bob smith]

8 minutes ago, connda said:

They need some radical free-thinkers to change the system

best employ some farangs to teach them the correct ways then!!

 

bob.

[connda]

Just take a look at this picture and what jumps out at you?

The classroom is so packed that the students are packed into the classroom with the desks butted right up against the chalkboard.  Why is that unusual?  That means the teacher does not use the chalkboard.  In fact the kids in the front can't even see what he is holding up.  They have to twist around in their seats to see the teacher.  Imagine being those kids - spending every day twisted like a pretzel in order to attempt to learn. 

So you have a classroom where the teacher is somehow imparting knowledge to students packed into a classroom like sardines and not using one of the primary tools for teaching - a chalkboard or whiteboard.  Then they wonder why Thai students are so far behind other students from Central and East Asia.

Then look at the kids:  uniform cloths, uniform haircuts, uniform deference to authority, uniform (and rather dumbed-down) little minds.  So sad.

Thailand ain't changing that model anytime soon, so their ranking on the world stage will continue to plummet unabated I'm afraid.

 

 

[connda]

10 minutes ago, bob smith said:

best employ some farangs to teach them the correct ways then!!

 

bob.

go back to getting drunk bob

[connda]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Deputy Education Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul expressed concerns about budget constraints impacting the ministry's Learning Anywhere Anytime project, which focuses on online learning for Mathayom 4 to 6 students.

 

Online learning is a recipe for disaster.  These kids need structure.  Without it, they fail.

[bob smith]

3 minutes ago, connda said:

go back to getting drunk bob

if thais are incapable of doing it themselves then it stands to reason that foreigners would be better equipped to teach the Thais how to do it.

 

how else will Thailand be able to navigate the difficult waters of the 21st century?

if they can't fix their education system by themselves then let the westerners do it.

 

they need a farang helping hand!

 

bob.

[connda]

2 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

By all means, cut back on education in a country with such a stellar educational system. Oh, and they save extra baht in the budget for the government too? Glorious!

Cut back on the educational system, but give every adult 10,000 THB for political reasons.

In the long-term, Thailand is digging its own grave.

[bob smith]

2 minutes ago, connda said:

In the long-term, Thailand is digging its own grave.

It was already dug long ago!!

 

bob.

[lordgrinz]

1 minute ago, connda said:

Cut back on the educational system, but give every adult 10,000 THB for political reasons.

In the long-term, Thailand is digging its own grave.

 

I was thinking the same thing, put the Bt500 billion Digital Wallet money into education, it will do way more good that way.

[connda]

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

Don't cut the study hours, but stop with all wasted time like in the morning standing for the national anthem, praying listening to endless speeches, practicing for wai kru, unnecessary meetings with nothing but boring students, and stop especially with extra study hours after school.....

Exactly. 

[Doctor Tom]

The kids here, most especially in badly run rural locations, are hardly ever in school , doing serious learning.  Too much, play, dressing up for various functions and festivals, etc. Add various and numerous holidays and days off and they all lose valuable learning time in those early years.  I just don't get it, as Thailand has the examples of excellent education on their doorstep, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan , Korea. When my mixed race daughter was born, 24 years ago, we moved her to the West for her education, from primary, right up to and including University.  No way were we going to leave her in the clutches of the Thai education system.