Grant Scheme Aims To Reward, Motivate Quality Teachers

[webfact]

Grant scheme aims to reward, motivate quality teachers

By The Nation

The Education Ministry will hand out Bt10,000 grants to 60,000 exemplary teachers this year.

"We are going to honour and reward dedicated teachers who use good techniques," Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat said yesterday.

He said the project, which would cost about Bt681 million, was aimed at motivating good teachers at schools in remote areas.

Chinnaworn said the development of teachers would be the focus of his ministry this year.

"With good teachers, students will be capable, morally sound and happy," he said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva added that the government was in the process of giving higher pay and better benefits to teachers.

"We aim to boost their morale," he said, adding that his government had launched various projects to attract capable and public-minded people to the teaching profession.

Abhisit said technology alone could not deliver quality graduates.

"In the past, the technology was not this great but teachers could produce good graduates," he pointed out.

Abhisit reckoned that teachers faced tough challenges because there were now at least 36 students per classroom. "In other countries, the ratio of students to teachers is between 15 and 20 to 1."

He said Thai teachers also conducted classes for between 925 and 1,100 hours each year.

"Teachers in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries teach no more than 818 hours a year," Abhisit said.

The government will urgently tackle problems facing teachers in a bid to deliver quality educational services, the prime minister said.

-- The Nation 2011-01-15

[khaowong1]

Along with quality teachers, they also need quality equipment, including books, computers, etc. I taught English in a elementary school last year, two classes, 9-12 year olds. The books were so out of date, I was using what would have been in the U.S. primers for 1st and 2nd grade children. I had to download some lessons from the internet to use. By the By, I was substituting for a lady English teacher who was out having a baby. And of course, she spoke no English.

[Emster23]

Changes to improve Thai general education:

1. Improve pay so they don't have to teach in the evening or weekends, where the real subject is taught

2. Focus on teaching students how to think, debate logically and problem solve. Rote learning is mostly useless

3. Change the climate of the classroom so that the teacher comes down off that pedestal and can be challenged without fear. As it is they now can just nod their heads....

4. Now students are trained to be conforming sheep. Senseless rules that have nothing to do with learning, such as the girl that was CANED because hair covered too much of her ear!

I taught high school in America for over 20 years. I sometimes did a guest spot here on vacation. I was very uncomfortable with the lack of response (this is respect?) from the students. They just sat there.....

These changes of course are a threat to the status quo. Perhaps those who rule prefer sheep.

"If God had not meant to have them sheared he would not have made them sheep" -Eli Wallach in the Magnificent Seven

[Route21]

There are probably quite a fair number of retired Native English Speakers (NES) like myself, married to Thais with young children, who would love to help out in their local (rural) schools, either directly with the pupils or by helping their teachers teach better English, but are wary of Thailand's immigration/labour laws.

Changes in the appropriate laws would be much appreciated by both the schools and the expats concerned.

[Seanextra]

Route21, I for one would love to be involve with such a scheme, even if it meant i could trade my border runs every 90 days to offset a few hours a week as a teachers aid type position and or a modest income for a 20 hour week. It would be easy to implement and im sure there would be plenty out there willing to cooperate with a few insentives and a bit of pocket money, Thai Education would gain more from it than it would ever cost them, not to mention what the kids would get out of it. Just hold very little hope that they will ever do it but you never know.

Edited January 15, 2011 by Seanextra

[Route21]

Hi Seanextra, many thanks for your support.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to get the backing of the powers that be for such a scheme?

Best regards

R21