Thailand Set To Be Asian Education Hub

[george]

Ministry plans exhibition to push 'education foreigners'

BANGKOK: -- In response to the government's policy to promote Thailand as an international education centre, the Commerce Ministry is preparing to lure more foreign students by organising an annual international education exhibition.

The government has set a goal to transform the country to be the Asian region's education hub by next year, according to Rachane Potjanasuntorn, director-general of the ministry's Department of Export Promotion.

The Thailand International Education Exhibition (TIEE) 2009 will be held between October 9 and 11 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

"The department has played a key role in promoting international education business in Thailand ...to be accepted among target groups local and aboard. It has been organising TIEE to invite more international students to further their studies in Thailand. Visitors from 37 countries visited TIEE 2008," Rachane said.

This year's exhibition will be held under the concept of 'Asia's Hub of International Education' and it's expected there will be at least 12,000 visitors, both local and aboard.

Full details international education in Thailand will be provided at TIEE 2009. Leading international academic institutions nationwide will be at the exhibition venue to give information about studying at their institutions.

-- The Nation 2009-08-24

[Scott]

I hope there is more to this story than meets the eye. Having worked in the education field in Thailand for a number of years, I hardly see the country as being able to be an education hub in the next year. Of course the advertising brochures can advertise that you get a visa, you are guaranteed to pass if you pay your fees, your degree will most likely not be recognized outside the country!

[Mario2008]

I would think that they need to improve the quality of their education first. What I have seen so far from universities is not very encouraging, with a few exceptions.

Teachers cancelling their classes on a regular base, not being able to discus a topic with their students, being unable to admit they were wrong etc.

[selftaopath]

I hope there is more to this story than meets the eye. Having worked in the education field in Thailand for a number of years, I hardly see the country as being able to be an education hub in the next year. Of course the advertising brochures can advertise that you get a visa, you are guaranteed to pass if you pay your fees, your degree will most likely not be recognized outside the country!

GEEZE. I’ll tell ya. Lack of Sanctions (LOS) is truly amazing. The amount of denial and intelligent view of reality just continues showing the world how demented some leaders can appear.

Ah but many of us know the claims/ crackdowns/projects/ changes made are all in good fun and little sustenance/reason/ Truth and certainly not action. I wonder if these “speech makers” believe other people take their claims seriously? So with this bit of rhetoric we’ll also see an overhaul in customs/police/ and possibly more? LOLOLOLLOOOLL oh myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy how humorous.

[simon43]

Hub.... Every time I see that word I start to laugh...

Hub of education, please.. you must be joking

Simon

[cdnvic]

As usual in Thailand, the grand announcement is more important than actually carrying through.

[Seneque]

the key words on which thai politics create their wisdom :

a hub a month

a crackdown a week

[Ijustwannateach]

With Thai teachers alone, this is very unlikely to happen. The English level is not high enough for them to target a foreign (even pan-Asian) market.

And if they are serious about attracting other regional English-speaking students, will they get serious about paying real wages to teachers commensurate with international salaries? Doubtful.

And if they don't pay, will the teachers they attract truly be able to attract students from other countries where foreign teachers ARE paid largely according to international scales? An exercise left to the reader.

[dale8]

Hello, it is difficult to see any advantage for a student to study in Thailand. Most people with enough money would get a real degree in their home country, and they would not have to worry about using their schooling for a resume. Maybe they should promote the schools that teach the Thai language to farang, and that will be good for jobs in Thailand.

[Captain Haddock]

Thailand - Hub of Education?

[losworld]

Okay the medical hub with plastic surgery, cheaper surgeries, etc. for foreigners did make sense.

The education hub idea is truly bizarre particularly since India, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, etc. seem to be doing as well or better jobs of educating their citizens than Thailand. So where do the students come from?

Unless of course the hub only operates in Pattaya during spring break?

Edited August 24, 2009 by losworld

[PeaceBlondie]

Noooo.

[Soutpeel]

Thailand - Hub of Education?

The region "hub" Thailand could claim....The regional hub of convoluted politics....just keeps going round and round... ...or Thailand, the regional hub of regional hubs

[Xangsamhua]

These exhibitions have been held for a number of years, at least since 2002.

I expect they're looking at the various international programs, where there are resident or visiting overseas academics and an English requirement (about IELTS 6.0) for entry.

Ramkhamhaeng seems to have built up a substantial international institute. I have no connection with them, but was looking at their website recently for someone who was interested in a course there. They have a lot of visiting professors from the US and European countries. http://www.iis.ru.ac.th/IIS/professors.htm

The international students at RKU come from many countries, mainly from East and Southeast Asia. I have also met a lot of Bangladeshi students at Assumption University. The "education hub" may not intend to attract people from the BANA countries (Britain, North America, Australia & NZ).

[ucantbeserious]

speechless yet again.....

it might work if they pay some students to come down from Laos.

i know these announcements are just for show, to be seen to be doing something,

but what i can't believe is that

the people who make these announcements don't seem to realise how unbelievably stupid they look saying such things.

i guess the government works just like the schools do,

stupid kids are allowed to be stupid, never fail, are never constructively criticized and think they are not stupid.

i just wish the govt. would publish a monthly Hub Report,

its so hard to keep up with the ongoing success stories.

[Plus]

I've read somewhere that Thailand has a lot of international students already, why not make it official policy? They aren't going to attract Americans but Laos, Burma and Cambodia are practically Thailand's backyard. They are not going to challenge Australia either but build their own niche, their own value for money.

Then there's a growing number of Western institutions setting up various Masters programs here - they can surely market themselves to all neighourhood, including Malaysians and Singaporeans.

I don't see the probem with this.

[grantbkk]

Like clockwork another ministry is heard from. It was this guy's turn to do the obligatory press release. It will go nowhere of course. The poor guy is required to say "hub" by his minders and his pay is tied to blurting things out twice or three times a year.

The fact is you can set up an international school anywhere you can provide quality teachers, a safe environment, proper housing and a compelling reasons to send the kids to Thailand for a quality education. However to create a "hub" for international education will only be possible after Thailand completes its first moon landing.

Another brain fart by a Thai official or group that will become a day of cannon fodder for Thai Visa and others. I can see these guys sitting in a big Jacuzzi tub at Pegasus coming up with "the plan" last Friday over a couple of bottles of Chivas.

[Thaddeus]

Thailand...... the hub of the first of April.

[mca]

Ramkhamhaeng seems to have built up a substantial international institute. I have no connection with them, but was looking at their website recently for someone who was interested in a course there. They have a lot of visiting professors from the US and European countries. http://www.iis.ru.ac.th/IIS/professors.htm

They'd better grab one of those visiting professors to give their website a proofing then.

Our current about 1,500 students come from 50 countries (in 2007). All together make it a unique international program for a very affordable tuition fee.

In some courses are even 50% foreign students from different countries.

I know it's the policy of the forum not to denigrate too much but I feel that a supposedly respected seat of learning which proudly boasts of it's western professors teaching English that can't even present a grammatically correct website either can't be bothered to check it's own work or has nobody capable of checking the work.

I find it rather pathetic really and a sad indication of the state of education in Thailand.

When my daughter is old enough to study M.4 or above she's on the first plane out of here.

All due respects to the teachers on this forum though. I know the majority of them are doing their best under the circumstances.

[Hawkup2000]

Maybe they forgot that Asia consists of more countries than Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Do they seriously think that they are going to be better than Japan when it comes to education?

[mca]

Do they seriously think that they are going to be better than Japan when it comes to education?

Only in the sexy female uniform stakes.

[JR Texas]

I hope there is more to this story than meets the eye. Having worked in the education field in Thailand for a number of years, I hardly see the country as being able to be an education hub in the next year. Of course the advertising brochures can advertise that you get a visa, you are guaranteed to pass if you pay your fees, your degree will most likely not be recognized outside the country!

Like you, having worked in the higher education field, I don't see this as anything more than wishful thinking. There are countries in Asia that are far ahead of Thailand in terms of quality of education: Singapore, Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Malaysia.

One thing Thailand could do to improve education is to remove the layers upon layers of corruption in academia--far more widespread and damaging than most people realize. I have seen academic administrators (at some of the top universities in Thailand) steal money from students, funding institutions, visiting professors.........then use it to buy a second BMW.

[Plus]

Do they seriously think that they are going to be better than Japan when it comes to education?

Why not?

Does Japan offer a variety of courses in English? I don't think so. And let's not forget the expenses of living in Japan - incomparable to Thailand.

I think Thailand can cater to growing Asian middle classes that don't even notice those spelling mistakes and can't yet afford to send their kids to Australia.

[Losangels]

Thailand aka Hubland

[MyphuketLife]

amazing Thailand, just when I think I have heard it all, they make another announcement that in turn makes me think "Ok this time I have heard it all"... Until a week later when the next announcement is made...

They can't honestly think they are or will be an education hub... Look at their student test scores.

[basjke]

I suggest the people at the ministry who make such announcements get educated first so they will refrain from more such announcements.

[stevehaigh]

i wanted to say 'isn't there a crackdown on hubs?' but looks like i'm too slow again!

only one thing for sure, Thailand is definitely the hub of sexy University uniforms, that's how they should be pitching it. i want to sign up and i'm 50 and already have a degree.

[Hawkup2000]

Do they seriously think that they are going to be better than Japan when it comes to education?

Why not?

Does Japan offer a variety of courses in English? I don't think so. And let's not forget the expenses of living in Japan - incomparable to Thailand.

I think Thailand can cater to growing Asian middle classes that don't even notice those spelling mistakes and can't yet afford to send their kids to Australia.

Well, I was referring to the quality of the education, not that it is cheap. In your way of thinking Taiwan is the fashion hub of the world, because they make cheap clothes? Japan offer a variety of courses in English.

In the Asian university ranking Chula is the highest ranked Thai university placed as 35th (Mahidol 46th and Thamasat 58th).

Anyway, Japan is just an example. There are other countries as well, Singapore, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia etc. My point is that the competition is fierce, and the goal that Thailand would be the education hub in Asia is further away than they might think.

Edited August 24, 2009 by Hawkup2000

[cougar52]

I know that the English studies are not all there is to education, however, when you realize the lack of English in Thailand is appalling. Even Laos, Malaysia, Singapore are far an above Thailand in speaking, reading, writing, and understanding the English Language, not even forget Taiwan, Japan, China, and Korea. I believe it is like saying the Thailand Airport will take over the HUB in Singapore, it may be a possibility if the Thais can keep the Airport OPEN and keep PAD, Red Shirts and others from closing it for their peaceful protests.

[Plus]

Well, I was referring to the quality of the education, not that it is cheap.

It's all related. Thailand only needs to offer better quality and convenience for the money people can afford. If they can't pay for Japanese/Australian/UK/US education, there's no point in comparing quality. Apples and oranges, BMW and Toyotas.

As for ranking - they should sell programs, not universities. Chula can set up an excellent international MBA program, for example, but it's quite possible it would not have any effect on their overall ratings whatsoever.