Thailand's Global Education Ranking Sparks Controversy and Scrutiny

[Tom100]

5 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

Why?

Totally agree with BangkokDude. Why do you reject an entire analysis based on a one letter typo?  Educated in Thailand maybe?

[Tom100]

7 hours ago, Joe32 said:

Everyone should change their mindset. It's beyond ridiculous. 

 

Schools may not fail students, students may not stay in the same grade for more than one year. Then you create lazy students. 

 

But if you do, you get in trouble with their overprotective parents. This is why schools don't do anything about it. 

 

If students underperform, they'll be labeled LD, ADHD, autistic, and they'll be sent to a doctor, who would be glad to prescribe them some medicine to make money. And when students come back to school, they can just do whatever and end up in the next grade anyway, just because of their label. 

 

Parents play a big role in this. They don't want to lose face, because oh no, it's my fault that my kid is lazy? Nono, we bring them to the doctor, because he/she is sick in their head. Just to avoid responsibility. It's terrible because they often are prescribed medicine that they don't even need. 

 

Besides this, schools also look better if everyone passes. They also avoid their responsibility. We are good teachers, the kid must be sick in their head.

 

But they forget one thing, if students go from P1 to P6 year by year without studying or critical thinking, you'll end up with a bunch of students with P1 knowledge in P6 and so on in Matthayom.

 

And parents are dumb enough to listen to schools and doctors. They can tell them anything and they'd believe it and do as they were told. 

 

But... Ofc, it's a mistake done by whomever made this ranking. Typical behavior same like the parents, avoid responsibility. How can this country get out of this. It's like a play that everyone knows everyone does, and they keep playing pretend somehow. It's insane. 

Excellent and very thoughtful analysis. Well said. 

 

" It's like a play that everyone knows everyone does, and they keep playing pretend somehow. It's insane."

 

The only upside is that the Baht will stay weak forever.  

[dinsdale]

6 hours ago, Surasak said:

Exactly! If he is a doctor, he cannot be a professor! If a professor he has graduated beyond a doctor. BUT, we obviously have a clear case here, of the dumb leading the dumb, and therefore his arguments can be totally ignored.

All professors have doctorates but to say Professor Dr. I've not seen before, Doesn't matter. 

[Sir Dude]

Okay, here's the reality of Thai education in a nutshell... elementary and secondary education is a joke. In these early formative years they learn sweet FA, other than the brainwashing nonsense the culture wants to condition them with to turn them into compliant automatons... and that makes them completely unprepared for university and "higher education". Only the rich have a chance to escape the cycle.

High school in Thailand is a massive brainwashing machine that enables zero learning... only the 5% prosper. Once they get to university, it's too late as they are already lost and the univerities can't fix it... hence the mediocrity of those that graduate and the movitationless (if there is such a word) nature of most of the students.

It's completely by design to keep a clueless working class of low and middle levels to supply the national grinder for the needs of the elite.

No point any of these Thais complaining about it, as they know the truth... just can't say it.

[BangkokReady]

12 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

6 hours ago, Surasak said:

Exactly! If he is a doctor, he cannot be a professor! If a professor he has graduated beyond a doctor. BUT, we obviously have a clear case here, of the dumb leading the dumb, and therefore his arguments can be totally ignored.

All professors have doctorates but to say Professor Dr. I've not seen before, Doesn't matter. 

 

In the UK professors will typically have a doctorate and then eventually become a professor if they meet certain standards, and I think there needs to be some sort of vacancy.  In other countries, though, sometimes people who teach in a university are automatically called professor.  Kind of weird.

[black tabby12345]

On 3/26/2025 at 5:27 PM, Don Giovanni said:

Thailand should take a leaf out of Japans book.

 

We have quality education here and a well disciplined population.

 

Don.

 

While they have the 2nd highest rate of suicide among the G7 member nations.

 

japan's suicide rate among G7 - Google Search

[Iron Tongue]

4 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

On my many visa-runs there I found there to be better spoken English in Cambodia than in Thailand.

I've spent considerable time in Cambodia starting from my NGO work in the early 2000's.

 

The reason why Cambodians may speak "better" English is because they had to start from scratch after the Khmer Rouge were defeated, and everyone was motivated about education and re-joining the world.

You will also note that Cambodians will speak "better" Chinese and Japanese.

[Andrew65]

5 minutes ago, Iron Tongue said:

I've spent considerable time in Cambodia starting from my NGO work in the early 2000's.

 

The reason why Cambodians may speak "better" English is because they had to start from scratch after the Khmer Rouge were defeated, and everyone was motivated about education and re-joining the world.

You will also note that Cambodians will speak "better" Chinese and Japanese.

Yes, I wondered if UNESCO or someone like that had helped set up their education system.

[Kinok Farang]

107th seems pretty high to me.

Bet they didn't do that good in geography?

[zyphodb]

13 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

On my many visa-runs there I found there to be better spoken English in Cambodia than in Thailand.

 

I find the same in Laos...

[StayinThailand2much]

On 3/26/2025 at 9:39 PM, lordgrinz said:

Well, as usual a government agency rejects the findings, The Office of the Education Council says they have done their own survey and found the "initial literacy result was 99%". Nothing to see here, it's just another misunderstanding.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they developed their own "Global" Education Ranking, Thai-style, with Thailand ranking at the top, similar to their Thai-style "international" IQ ranking they came up with years ago. 

[madone]

thailand's education system has bee recgnized as <deleted> for decades.

 

Why feign surprise and indignation now?

[madone]

On 3/26/2025 at 5:23 PM, snoop1130 said:

He believes that if literacy were a significant metric, Thailand could potentially lead the ASEAN rankings.

 

 

a significant metric?

 

It is the minimum acceptable standard. 

the baseline.

[lordgrinz]

5 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they developed their own "Global" Education Ranking, Thai-style, with Thailand ranking at the top, similar to their Thai-style "international" IQ ranking they came up with years ago. 

 

I find the typical Adult Thai IQ to be pretty low, I always feel like I am talking to a 7 yr old child with cognitive disabilities. 

[StayinThailand2much]

12 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

 

I find the typical Adult Thai IQ to be pretty low, I always feel like I am talking to a 7 yr old child with cognitive disabilities. 

 

According to international IQ rankings, Thai college students were rated in the 80s-range years ago. Mind you, that people with an IQ of 75 and below are considered to be 'retarded'... (Hope, that those extra 10 points, or so for educated Thais make all the difference.) 😆 

[jacnl2000]

 

My own IQ is based upon Western linguistic structures and problem-solving approaches. My two children might be at a slight disadvantage here, so I'm capable of helping them. However, when I look at them in broader ways—like adaptability, contextual reasoning, and social intelligence—they both excel far beyond my own capabilities. Oops... They help me. My wife? She is a lovely creature too. In Lao her original nickname is Kitchen. What the Prof. Dr. is trying to say to us is. I think, if a globally flying plane misses one tiny bolt then the entire plane can crash above Thailand. Luckily todays real planes unlike methodologies are not lifted by imagination but by Bernoulli’s Principle.

[Old Farang]

On 3/26/2025 at 5:23 PM, snoop1130 said:

Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

Thailand's education system has become a topic of heated discussion following its placement at 107th out of 203 countries in a global education survey by the World Population Review. This ranking has raised concerns among Thai officials, with some criticising the survey's methodology as misleading.

 

Professor Dr Prawit Erawan, Secretary General of the Office of the Education Council (OEC), questioned the survey's credibility. He argued that the rankings rely heavily on subjective opinions from 78 countries instead of objective educational metrics. "These rankings represent perceptions more than actual educational quality," Dr Prawit stated.

 

The report lists Thailand as 8th in Southeast Asia (ASEAN), sparking further debate. Thai education officials highlighted the nation's high literacy rate of approximately 99% for those aged 15 and over, suggesting that such figures should positively impact Thailand's global standing.

 

Dr Prawit criticised the survey's implicit bias towards affluent countries, noting that it unfairly links educational quality directly to economic status. He believes that if literacy were a significant metric, Thailand could potentially lead the ASEAN rankings.

 

 

 

Acknowledging the survey's perceived flaws, Dr Prawit called for improvements in Thailand's educational database to provide a clearer representation in future global assessments. "An accurate, up-to-date database is crucial for ensuring that our education system's quality is represented correctly in global rankings," he added.

 

Despite these critiques, Dr Prawit conceded that there remains a strong linkage between educational quality and societal progress. While he recognises existing disparities, he remains optimistic, suggesting that improvements in Thailand's data collection and education system could enhance its future positioning.

 

Among the top global education performers, South Korea, Denmark, and the Netherlands rank highly, while within ASEAN, Thailand stands behind Laos but ahead of Myanmar and Cambodia. The discussion continues, as officials and educators alike seek to enhance Thailand's educational landscape, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-03-26

 

 

 

[Old Farang]

It seem that the dumbing down of youth keeps the poverty level wages low, and the government keep the populus under control, 

 

[Clarkey611]

15 hours ago, dinsdale said:

All professors have doctorates but to say Professor Dr. I've not seen before, Doesn't matter. 

I have come across many Hr. Dr. Professors in Germany.

[newnative]

    The education system is awful--as is always pointed out by survey after survey that ranks Thailand low--even among other ASEAN countries.  And, as always, some talk and perhaps even some hand-wringing but then back to the status quo.   

[Tom100]

Several international research studies show that the average Thai IQ is in the 88-93 range, ranking #11 in SE Asia. Go Thailand!

 

I have only been in LOS for 2 years, and -- as a retired teacher -- have been shocked many times by the lack of thinking. In Canada & the US, teachers are brainwashed and required to say that all people are equal, that IQ tests are racist, and that differential academic outcomes are the results of systematic oppression by the "white power structure". Of course, 80%+ of teachers support DEI and the democratic party and actively harass white male teachers with other opinions. 

 

Lynn, R., & Vanhanen Research Summary:  
- Top Performers: Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan consistently rank highest, with average IQs above 104. These regions have strong education systems and high living standards.  
- Mainland China's Variability: Estimates vary (100-104), with urban areas likely scoring higher than rural ones.  
- Southeast Asia: Countries like Vietnam and Malaysia score moderately (90s), while the Philippines and Indonesia rank lower (80s).  
- South Asia: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have lower averages (70s-80s), which some studies link to nutrition, healthcare, and education disparities.