Thailand Approves Bt42. Bn To Produce 30,000 New Teachers

[george]

Cabinet approves Bt42. Bn to produce 30,000 new teachers

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet Tuesday approved a Bt4.2billion project to produce 30,000 new teachers over the next five years.

Under this project, participants will get scholarships to get a teaching degree and a guaranteed job, if they graduate with the grade point average of no less than 3.00.

"The scholarship recipients will fill vacancies at the Office of Basic Education Commission and the Office of Vocational Education Commission," Education Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said Tuesday.

-- The Nation 2009-12-08

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[PeaceBlondie]

42 billion baht or 4.2 billion baht? Even 4.2 billion is 140,000 baht per student teacher, and 30,000 teachers is a lot. Where are the classrooms?

[LawnGnome]

42 billion baht or 4.2 billion baht? Even 4.2 billion is 140,000 baht per student teacher, and 30,000 teachers is a lot. Where are the classrooms?

I assume they are empty, wasn't there a large projected shortfall of teachers? In any event, money to train teachers is needed. I hope current training methods will produce better quality teachers. Education is the only way for Thailand, or any country, to advance in the world.

(Cue the TV brigade who will squawk - the elite don't want to educate the Thai people, etc etc etc)

[thai3]

42 billion baht or 4.2 billion baht? Even 4.2 billion is 140,000 baht per student teacher, and 30,000 teachers is a lot. Where are the classrooms?

This is all very odd, as there were over 2.000 people who sat the last exam (every to years in bkk every year outside) to fill estimated teaching vacancies. They estimated 500 posts will be needed to be filled, they don't advertise posts as they have a waiting list of those who passed the exam, all of the applicants already have teaching degrees. Many are already teaching in private schools but want to get into govnt schools for the pensions and health care. Last exam less then 500 people passed. They don't seem to need any new teachers as they are already thousands who would love to get a teaching job, oh and the going rate to 'pass' the exam is 200.000 baht. What they do seem to have is a lot with not very good degrees who then cannot pass a simple exam with a 60% pass mark.

Edited December 8, 2009 by thai3

[Steve2UK]

42 billion baht or 4.2 billion baht? Even 4.2 billion is 140,000 baht per student teacher, and 30,000 teachers is a lot. Where are the classrooms?

Well, don't blame George (as if! ) - it's the way The Nation* tells 'em. Still, what's a decimal point between headline and text when they're talking billions? Maybe some will be maths teachers? 100% of my money is on 4.2 billion.

* http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingne...e-30000-new-tea

[TPI]

42 billion baht or 4.2 billion baht? Even 4.2 billion is 140,000 baht per student teacher, and 30,000 teachers is a lot. Where are the classrooms?

Senior teachers BKK tell me that they are expected to teach 60+ students and take extra classes as well!

[londonthai]

"produce" as they were things.

what about "train", "educate" ?

[Jimjim1968]

50+ students per class, working 11-12 hours a day six (sometimes 7) days a week for about 8,000B (5,500B in one school I know) a month.

Sound good?

I almost forgot...forced to buy the raffle tickets you failed to sell at about 3,000Baht. And buy your own chalk, markers etc. And being accused of being a bad teacher if you object etc. etc.

[jonclark]

Having previously worked in a government high school for some considerable time, and having seen the massive age gap that is appearing with many of the teachers approaching retirement age. I'm fairly sure that in the next five years a large number of teaching positions will become vacant.

But, during my tenure, we had a number of university 'teacher trainees' attend the school for about six months. At the end of the six month period nearly all the trainees, after having experienced, the work load and general bulls**t that existed vowed never to become teachers as the pay was in no way comensurate to the job. In bangkok especially you have lots of bright young graduates, full of energy and ideas, who want to teach, but at the same time and quite rightly, want a decent wage.

If you want good teachers, to fill the vacancies - Increase the starting salary to about 15'000 B and build more classrooms.

[otherstuff1957]

42 billion baht or 4.2 billion baht? Even 4.2 billion is 140,000 baht per student teacher, and 30,000 teachers is a lot. Where are the classrooms?

. What they do seem to have is a lot with not very good degrees who then cannot pass a simple exam with a 60% pass mark.

The exam is not simple, it's actually insanely difficult & very subjective.

[brahmburgers]

The exam is not simple, it's actually insanely difficult & very subjective.

Sounds like the exam for getting a Thai drivers license. Ridiculous trick questions (some mentioning military tanks) that had little to do with how to drive safely. Some of the multiple choice answers were all 4 correct, but the test taker had to discern which answer was a tiny bit more correct. ....or answers all false, and the decision is to gauge which answer is a tiny bit more false than the other 3 choices, according to the test writer's proclivities.

Either way, 1.3 million baht to train each teacher is beyond ridiculous. They must have taken a page from the US military cost for training a tank gunner.

[Credo]

I am afraid many of them will be given the option of being cannon fodder for the three southern provinces.

[thai3]

42 billion baht or 4.2 billion baht? Even 4.2 billion is 140,000 baht per student teacher, and 30,000 teachers is a lot. Where are the classrooms?

. What they do seem to have is a lot with not very good degrees who then cannot pass a simple exam with a 60% pass mark.

The exam is not simple, it's actually insanely difficult & very subjective.

I went through a mock version and and it was multi choice, a bright 14 year old could have gotten 60% The harder part is the law/education section as they have changed quite a few laws in recent years. Some of it is insane I agree and somewhat confusing/irrelevant, however, you have to bear in mind the low pass mark. Not all teachers are on 6k a year, lot of my in law relatives are teachers so I do know a bit about it. One recently got a promotion and is now on 30k, BUT he works almost every weekend and has a workload that would make a TEFLer <removed by Admin> himself.

Edited December 9, 2009 by webfact
vulgar word removed

[bkkdawg]

"produce" as they were things.

what about "train", "educate" ?

Yea, what do they do ? Plant them and wait for them to mature into teachers'?

[way2muchcoffee]

I went through a mock version and and it was multi choice, a bright 14 year old could have gotten 60% The harder part is the law/education section as they have changed quite a few laws in recent years. Some of it is insane I agree and somewhat confusing/irrelevant, however, you have to bear in mind the low pass mark. Not all teachers are on 6k a year, lot of my in law relatives are teachers so I do know a bit about it. One recently got a promotion and is now on 30k, BUT he works almost every weekend and has a workload that would make a TEFLer <removed by Admin> himself.

Actually the Thai Professional Teacher's License Exam is 9 parts. Maybe a bright 14 year old student could get 60% on one or two of these. Passing the other tests would be impossible, even for most university graduates in other fields. The tests are highly specialized in their content.

[khonkaen man]

I went through a mock version and and it was multi choice, a bright 14 year old could have gotten 60% The harder part is the law/education section as they have changed quite a few laws in recent years. Some of it is insane I agree and somewhat confusing/irrelevant, however, you have to bear in mind the low pass mark. Not all teachers are on 6k a year, lot of my in law relatives are teachers so I do know a bit about it. One recently got a promotion and is now on 30k, BUT he works almost every weekend and has a workload that would make a TEFLer <removed by Admin> himself.

Actually the Thai Professional Teacher's License Exam is 9 parts. Maybe a bright 14 year old student could get 60% on one or two of these. Passing the other tests would be impossible, even for most university graduates in other fields. The tests are highly specialized in their content.

9 parts there may be but a brown envelope is sufficient to get letters afer your name. Slightly of track, I know of a woman who as just paid 200,000B to get her son into the police academy. His reason for joining the police, to make good money.

[brahmburgers]

Agree. One of the richest men in my region is top tamale at a University.

His salary must be decent, but doubtful it's good enough to afford a castle-like mansion on 20 rai adjoining the river - which he has.

Likely, he was clandestinely involved with numerous 'greased palms' (a.k.a. payments for job advancement) to be able to afford such a showcase manor.

[Sisaketmike]

42 billion baht or 4.2 billion baht? Even 4.2 billion is 140,000 baht per student teacher, and 30,000 teachers is a lot. Where are the classrooms?

Okay...so they just 'produce' some teachers?

[doomster]

42 billion baht or 4.2 billion baht? Even 4.2 billion is 140,000 baht per student teacher, and 30,000 teachers is a lot. Where are the classrooms?

I assume they are empty, wasn't there a large projected shortfall of teachers? In any event, money to train teachers is needed. I hope current training methods will produce better quality teachers. Education is the only way for Thailand, or any country, to advance in the world.

(Cue the TV brigade who will squawk - the elite don't want to educate the Thai people, etc etc etc)

Exactly - why would the PTB want to have an educated workforce when they are paid slave wages

[SaikoIsaan]

50+ students per class, working 11-12 hours a day six (sometimes 7) days a week for about 8,000B (5,500B in one school I know) a month.

Sound good?

I almost forgot...forced to buy the raffle tickets you failed to sell at about 3,000Baht. And buy your own chalk, markers etc. And being accused of being a bad teacher if you object etc. etc.

My thoughts exactly. They could just invest a bit more in the teachers that are already there... although 50+ students is a bit exaggerated :-)

[SaikoIsaan]

This is all very odd, as there were over 2.000 people who sat the last exam (every to years in bkk every year outside) to fill estimated teaching vacancies. They estimated 500 posts will be needed to be filled, they don't advertise posts as they have a waiting list of those who passed the exam, all of the applicants already have teaching degrees. Many are already teaching in private schools but want to get into govnt schools for the pensions and health care. Last exam less then 500 people passed. They don't seem to need any new teachers as they are already thousands who would love to get a teaching job, oh and the going rate to 'pass' the exam is 200.000 baht. What they do seem to have is a lot with not very good degrees who then cannot pass a simple exam with a 60% pass mark.

What makes you think it's a "simple exam"? It's extremely difficult.

[chrislarsson]

The exam is not simple, it's actually insanely difficult & very subjective.

Sounds like the exam for getting a Thai drivers license. Ridiculous trick questions (some mentioning military tanks) that had little to do with how to drive safely. Some of the multiple choice answers were all 4 correct, but the test taker had to discern which answer was a tiny bit more correct. ....or answers all false, and the decision is to gauge which answer is a tiny bit more false than the other 3 choices, according to the test writer's proclivities.

Sounds like they copied the test for the Swedish drivers license...

[otherstuff1957]

although 50+ students is a bit exaggerated :-)

I briefly taught a class with 58 students at a "top" government school in Bangkok! While this class was larger than average, it isn't unusual.

[hansnl]

I presume all those new teachers will supplant the older teachers?

They are of course very much cheaper!

Private school in Khon Kaen is shedding teachers with some or much experience.

And hires back graduates fresh from university.

The old ones earned 8,000-12,000 baht

The new ones get the princely sum of 5,000 baht a month.

Workload 45-60 pupils in a class, sometimes doing two classes on a regular basis, working 5-6 days a week, 10 hours a day.

And extra on Saturday, sometimes Sunday.

Holidays?

What is a holiday?