Grades Inflated To Unfairly Give Students Upperhand

[george]

Grades inflated to unfairly give students upperhand

BANGKOK: -- Nearly half of all 2,583 secondary schools in Thailand have inflated their students' grades to give them an advantage for their university entrance examinations, a Bangkok seminar on a national test was told yesterday.

Of all schools, 1,224 mostly small schools have inflated grades while another 1,238 mostly large schools have deflated grade point averages (GPAs), said Prof Sirichai Kanjanawasee, a Chulalongkorn University lecturer and an adviser to the National Institute of Educational Testing Service.

The remaining 121 schools give standard GPAs to their students, he added. High GPAs will be attributed to a portion of scores in the Ordinary National Educational Test (Onet) each 12thgrader takes in examinations to enter universities.

The results were included in a Chulalongkorn University study that will be forwarded to the Office of the Basic Education Commission to consider whether the problem should be immediately addressed or solved.

The seminar also discussed how accumulated grade point averages (GPAX) in five groups of subjects would certainly replace the Advanced National Educational Test (ANet) for higher education admission in 2010, as previously planned.

The GPAX idea has reportedly been brought up by Education Ministry executives allied with politicians, who do not have genuine knowledge about education or lack good reasons to back up their initiative.

-- Daily Xpress/The Nation 2008-07-25

[TAWP]

This is why one has standardized national tests.

[Plus]

Yes, but didn't they increased the weight of GPA grades not long time ago? I remember people were saying that this is exactly what would happen - teachers will intentionally give students better grades if it helps them to get into universities.

[Tony Clifton]

It ll never change... So sad.

Land of simulations.

[ratcatcher]

Yes, but didn't they increased the weight of GPA grades not long time ago? I remember people were saying that this is exactly what would happen - teachers will intentionally give students better grades if it helps them to get into universities.

It doesn't really matter what grades they are given, half of them still come out of university as dumb as they went in. And that can be said for many countries, not just L.O.S. How many graduates can hold a basic conversation in English or Cantonese or?

As the man above said, "Land of Simulation" or is that "Land of Stimulation"?

[TAWP]

There is also the issue with many schools here being diploma-mills. Not in the common usage (i.e. just printing the paper) but due to the fact that the quality of the students education isn't the primary concern, fostering a position that only people with at least BA should be hired for anything above factory or field labor work and students having to pay some 200k for an education that is sub-par and then receiving a salary that, while higher than working in the fields, still make it very hard to ever repay the loans.

The winners? Owners of the schools. Not the students.

That is why it's laughable there was restrictions on politicians having to be at least BA-graduates to be eligible for office.

[PeaceBlondie]

Grade inflation and automatic no-fail practices are signs of mockery. The vast majority of education in this country is a sick buffalo. When Thailand changes from a patronage system to a meritocracy - maybe in 2699 - admission and graduation from university might be meaningful.

[Plus]

Thais are very well aware of the situation, when it really matters they don't take your degree at its face value. I guess that's why some uni grads end up cashiers at Tesco while others land 20k first jobs.

The cream eventually rises to the top, somehow. Of course it's not as smooth as in the West, but it works.

[cloudhopper]

Grade inflation has been going on at universities in the States for decades now, it's certainly not limited to LOS.

[Tony Clifton]

What rose to the top at my wife's workplace was mostly scum, rich kids who evidently went through school cheating and lying. Guess who thses same people promoted within the company? More scumbags. Now they're grown ups ripping off dry the company they work for, needless to say they are also ripping off their co-workers. ZFrom school to work, absolutely nothing has changed for them except they are rewarded in cash now for their crimes.

[TAWP]

Thais are very well aware of the situation, when it really matters they don't take your degree at its face value. I guess that's why some uni grads end up cashiers at Tesco while others land 20k first jobs.

The cream eventually rises to the top, somehow. Of course it's not as smooth as in the West, but it works.

I'm more concerned that they

---

still seem to practise the 'no degree=application goes into the trashcan'-approach to many job applicants, forcing people to shovel out money for a piece of paper they might not even need or benefit from.

Even if the applicant has experience...

[TAWP]

What rose to the top at my wife's workplace was mostly scum, rich kids who evidently went through school cheating and lying. Guess who thses same people promoted within the company? More scumbags. Now they're grown ups ripping off dry the company they work for, needless to say they are also ripping off their co-workers. ZFrom school to work, absolutely nothing has changed for them except they are rewarded in cash now for their crimes.

Without giving away my contacts or level of involvement, I can at least confirm that anyone with enough money can receive a diploma for BA and MA with a GPA of choice, from any of the top 5 universities in Thailand.

[cloudhopper]

Without giving away my contacts or level of involvement, I can at least confirm that anyone with enough money can receive a diploma for BA and MA with a GPA of choice, from any of the top 5 universities in Thailand.

Are you serious? I hope that doesn't include MDs.....

[TAWP]

Yes, the diploma can be attained, but afaik an MD up for a job interview will have their noted intern site inquired as to how the student did, which would render a 'he has never been here' from that hospital. So afaik, it hasn't been done yet. That doesn't mean it has never happened, only that I don't know about it. A higher chance of course with regional foreigners who's employer is less likely to make an international phone call to check.

Funny anecdote, a man from a bordering country to my home country practiced medicine for over 15 years in my home country before they found out, after some patient complaints went to inquire, that he had never attended medical school and that his papers was forged. And this in a western country. As recent as last year.

Added: Should perhaps point out that due to security, a low number of cases are accepted per year. Too many would bring unneeded attention and risk lash-back. Far more common is students paying 'additional admission fee' to leviate the fact that their grades aren't high enough to get into the school as they are. So the student still go through the school-system as normal, in terms of receiving a diploma and an education.

Edited July 26, 2008 by TAWP

[nothingleftbutfaith]

The Thai education system is just like pretty much everything in this country : rotten to the bone by corruption.

[Gravelrash]

The system just assures those that have will continue to and those that have not will do likewise. It matters not that a manager is incompetent, there is probably some sort of monopoly in place that any idiot can keep business running.

I note that the layers and accountants I have dealt with (out of Bangkok) are for the most part completely unqualified by any standards, perhaps that is why they are protected from their own mistakes. They have no real knowledge of their supposed degree, with minds completely lacking in any analytical capability. I can only assume they failed and bought their degrees or were connected.

This is not a reflection on all society as here are some sharp people, but the only degree that I think has any value are those studied overseas.

[Scott]

I am in the education field and frankly I find it interesting that it's only half. I would have guessed about 95%. At any rate I would like to know how they came up with the numbers. You don't always have to 'inflate' the grade, per se. If you have a 'no fail' policy the grades are already inflated. If the tests are ridiculously easy, then it amounts to the same thing.

I am wondering about their criteria for coming up with their numbers.

[brahmburgers]

It's no surprise Thailand gets stuck with the caliber of polititians they currently have.

If lying and cheating come so naturally - and carry so many advantages for promotion, why change things?

If you brew tea with rotten leaves, don't be surprised if you get foul tasting tea.

Such things can improve in Thailand, but it will take concerted and sustained efforts from the top down. In other words, parents and teachers will have to consistently show the advantages of being honest and honorable to young-uns. It would be best for elders to teach by example, that's too much to ask for at this time. Even so, little by little, the ethical standard could possibly be improved if it could be shown that decency is something to strive for.

To me, the failings of Thaksin, in the realm of incessent lying and cheating, were as bad (for Thailand) in their example to young people - as his and his cronies tangible corruption and cheating. In other words, the principles he was teaching the nation (greed and deviousness pay big dividends, lying can make you rich, greed is great, etc) were probably worse for Thailand's future generations than the actual stealing itself.

[Bagwan]

Are you serious? I hope that doesn't include MDs.....

I fear that it well might. My wife and I prefer to travel up to BKK from Pattaya to consult with the doctors of our choice whose expertise and experience may be viewed on the hospital website rather than surrender ourselves to the bungling of the local practitioners. One doctors diagnosis of a problem I had was so improbable as to be ridiculous and I advised him to consult a proctologist - for a brain transplant I told him. We both feel more confident with doctors with experience gathered in the US or Europe.