Jump to content

Thailand Ranked 106th in English Proficiency Out of 116 Countries


Recommended Posts

Posted

 

resize_english_cleanup.webp.c7923b1b6ddd94d896d64db63900847e.webp

Picture courtesy of KhaoSod

 

Thailand's struggle with English proficiency has been highlighted in a global ranking, placing the nation 106th out of 116 countries, according to the EF English Proficiency Index released recently. This result underscores a significant challenge, positioning Thailand in the "very low proficiency" category.

 

The survey, conducted by EF Education First, a leading name in English language education, assesses proficiency levels worldwide. Thailand's score of 415 points highlights its positioning as 21st in Asia and 7th among ASEAN countries, lagging behind neighbours like Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

 

Globally, the top rankings were claimed by the Netherlands (636 points), with Norway (610 points) and Singapore (609 points) closely following. This stark contrast emphasizes the formidable language barriers Thailand faces in comparison to these nations.

 

This ranking has prompted reflection within Thailand’s educational sphere. The Ministry of Education has previously explored efforts to modernise its basic educational curriculum, which has remained unchanged since 2008. The Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) spearheaded this initiative last year, proposing a revision of the curriculum to include more contemporary, technology-centred subjects.


OBEC Secretary-General Thanu Wongjinda mentioned that an appointed revision panel would soon commence work to re-evaluate subjects and propose enhancements, particularly focusing on reducing school hours. Thai students currently face some of the longest school hours globally, a factor that might contribute to insufficient focus on effective language learning.

 

This issue raises the critical question: Will Thailand implement effective strategies to enhance its global communication skills, or remain behind in the linguistic race? Adopting measures that focus on practical English use beyond traditional classroom learning could be pivotal in overcoming this barrier.

 

As nations worldwide make strides in English proficiency, Thailand stands at a crossroads—either to embrace and enhance its educational strategies or continue facing challenges in global arenas. Now, more than ever, is the time for transformational changes in the educational landscape to equip future generations with the skills they need to thrive internationally, reported The Thaiger

 

news-logo-btm.jpg

-- 2025-02-14

 

image.png

 

image.png

 

  • Sad 6
  • Thumbs Up 1
  • Haha 1
Posted
3 minutes ago, khaowong1 said:

But Vietnam, Singapore and the Phillipines seem to handle it rather well. 

 

What are you basing that assessment on and WHO?

V/N ses a western based writing system and Philillipines use the normal Latin script. Singapore is a small city state famous for it's draconian laws and edc=ucation - most people are multilingual.

In Thailand many people speak Thai, Laos, and Chinese, Korean, Japanese as well as some English and now a bit of Russian.

since Brexit the importance of English in countries like Thailand has also diminished

  • Confused 7
  • Sad 2
  • Agree 1
Posted
17 minutes ago, khaowong1 said:

But Vietnam, Singapore and the Phillipines seem to handle it rather well. 

 

Yes. And just see what kind of alphabet they are using...

  • Agree 2
Posted
35 minutes ago, ozz1 said:

What makes me laugh is most bar girls speak English because it's in their interest to get money out of men but the rest of the population don't really give a dam  and most of the english teachers don't even speak english so it won't improve

obviously have never worked in Thailand, then

 

  • Haha 1
Posted
1 hour ago, oustaristocrats said:

 

Yes, and most striking, their last 10+ prime ministers, including the current one, are absolutely illiterate in English. I sometimes believe they prefer to study Chinese instead of English. 

Born in England to Thai Chinese parents, Abhisit also holds British citizenship. He attended Eton College and earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Oxford. After his graduation he taught as an economics lecturer at Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy and Thammasat University.

  • Like 1
Posted

Reducing school hours isn't the answer, it's what is taught in those hours. Improve the quality of teaching and cut the brainwashing. Stop teaching on a shoestring budget.

More exposure to English via media in schools would help. Especially in rural school where the children won't come across English speakers so much.

 

i wonder how many hours are devoted to English lessons each week in Thai government schools.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Confused 1
Posted
2 hours ago, Zaphod Priest said:

 

Tosh. 

 

Abhisit is fluent in English.  He went to Eton and has a degree in Economics from Oxford.

 

Srettha  got a degree in Finance from University of Massachusetts Amherst.

 

Yingluck Shinawatra has a master's degree in public administration from Kentucky State University.

 

 

Yes all bought down the Koasan Rd. in Bangkok. 100 baht apiece. I take my place in the House of Lords on a regular basis as Lord Billy of Boll+cks.

  • Confused 1
  • Sad 3
Posted

Nothing less than DISGRACEFUL. The government must do more. Maybe appoint a minister whose job it is, solely, to improve the English proficiency throughout the land.

Some think that their own language is the one that everyone should learn, not understanding that if a foreigner learns Thai, it will only hep in Thailand, but if a Thai learns English, it will help him all over the world.

Wake up government, you were appointed to do a job!

  • Agree 2

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now




×
×
  • Create New...