Thailand Ranks Low In Educational Performance And High In Social Problems

[Xangsamhua]

Are you (The Nation and rich Bangkokians) really ready to teach the Thai children well? Thus, giving them access to Wikileaks and Facebook? We know where education takes: to democracy, freedom of speech, intelligence and eventually the end of the old order. Have a look at Tunisia. Ben Ali regrets to have taught the Tunisian kids so well...

To deny modernity in the cyber era is asking for trouble. You only have to see the consequences of what happened in Kampuchea with Pol Pot and his Khymer Rouge henchman to realise that trying to halt the 'march of time' or stall technological advancement to keep your subjects educationally inadequate in order to maintain control of their lives...... to understand that this cannot be allowed to happen again.

The older generation will not be able to stop these uprisings as all (the predominately young) people want is equality and redistribution of wealth and what's more, the tools are in place now (the internet and social networking) and it is too late to stop the protesting and popular 'regime changes' in those undemocratic countries currently under dictatorial rule. Education isn't to blame!!! far from it, it could be argued however that education has provided the masses with the means and confidence to rally against the world order although it was simply the case of when, rather than if, it was going to happen. That time is nigh!!!! and they cannot be denied their rights.

I think the ready availability of information technology to school-age children is a major challenge to models of schooling and classroom teaching in every country, not just Thailand.

Especially now that the internet, and interactive media are accessible to so many kids on handheld devices, schools and teachers really have to look at what they can do that kids can't do with their i-pads, i-phones and laptops. Cloud-based technology will render the school library as a print-based resource centre obsolete (though there'll be a need for some books) and there'll be no need for kids to cart bags full of heavy books to school each day.

Teachers won't be able to teach by getting kids to read a passage from the class text, listen to the teacher's explanation, and write answers to questions. They'll have to find new ways to teach that involve the use of the kids' portable devices and, via cloud-based technology, the ready-to-hand software programs schools will tap into as required into through a hire-plan. Schools will still have a place in the education and socialization of children, but the teacher and the classroom will be less dominant and will have new and more appropriate functions.

Advanced countries are just beginning to adapt to the new environment. Thailand obviously still has a way to go, and non-urban Thailand is still a long way off, so they'll fall even further behind their compatriots in the city and way too far behind the first world to provide more than a poorly compensated supply and service function to the bigger economies.

Urban Thailand, with a serious surge in funding and application, could catch up. Thailand has US$150 billion in dollar reserves. If there was some indication the money would be managed effectively, a tiny amount of this could be put into pilot programs where new models of teaching and learning, using both traditional and contemporary technologies could be trialled.

Things are moving fast; no country can afford to just wait and see what happens.

[elshaheen]

The education minister is not doing his job. He doesn't attend to the quality of education. He only attends to teachers' funerals and anything that will get him in the news. There are no strategic plans on which field of study Thailand has to promote to get ready for the future. In fact there are no plans at all even to promote education. Students go to school just to have friends and show off their new mobile phone or their new hairstyle, new car, etc. Those girls who can't compare will eventually go into prostitution, Boys who cannot compare will eventually start to sell drugs. Advertisements are replacing education. Students concentrate on media more than the materials in their textbooks.

When I worked for AYC, I had the chance to meet the 2nd person in charge of the MOE, while he was in the lounge area waiting to speak to the boss. The guy was quite pleasent and had a little time to chat before going back out to work. I asked the guy if anyone at his level had been teachers or somehow actually involved in Education, I mean actually got their hands dirty in a classroom. The guys response was basically, that most of the people in the MOE had never came out of Education or stepped foot into a Thailand School, let alone a government school. Nice guy, but that was about it.

[michaeljordan]

Funny that some people say money does not matter when it comes to education.

It matters in everything else we see.

Teams that spend more money get the better players and thus win most often.

If you want the better lawyer, you spend more money.

But some of you say money does not matter when it comes to getting good teachers?

Nonsense.

All the people in Thailand with money send their children to private schools and most of the very wealthy send their children to the UK or America for schooling.

So they think money matters.

[MJP]

Education, even basic skills, are essential in any society. Where it goes off the rails is when children are not allowed to question - interactivity between teachers and class when it comes to 'understanding' is negated widely thus children sit and get bored if understanding is not allowed on the agenda. This has happened due to cultural (in)sensibilities, in a country where only Royals were allowed to be educated around 1887 and the first schools for public was only introduced in 1923. Elitists deliberately keep the populace under control by 'lack' of education and teaching 'their' system. This reduces competition later in life and woe betide those not born into families with money.

To educate is a start, to understand and question, expands minds. The "bus-ticket" procession of people getting a piece of paper at so called Universities is a disgrace. The degrees are barely comparable to any western degree and only a few universities in Thailand have an international standing and education qualification. It is all about 'belief' and giving families more 'face' over their educated progeny.

The standard of the teaching and ability of students is measured by the wealth of parents able to afford high (over) priced education and 'branding'. As education, like everything else in Thailand, is geared to making money, quality suffers. But at least the Government has allowed international education now, albeit horrifically expensive, but for those who believe education is the answer, it is "caveat emptor" - let the buyer beware. At least those that can afford it may have a chance in life but look at the list of the worlds billionaires. Less that 10% have a university education and that 'spells' it out very clearly.

Education and internet will work cohesively and will cost very little - with minimal supervision and soon most likely becoming the breakaway group of the future, allowing students to learn at their own pace and not get caught by the slow kid in the class putting up his hand saying "khortort na khrup, mai loo, mai cal jai!" at which time the whole class stops waiting on catch up. But until Thailand changes its cultural/social attitude towards education and raises the standard for all, not just the wealthy, they will be a long time coming out of the dark ages.

I found it little different going through private then state schooling in the UK and worse still 'University'. The 'Professors' would become highly irritable if you questioned anything, to the point of rudeness and even anger. Little more than con-artists.

[Oberkommando]

There were 266,010 drug-related arrests last year, up from the previous year by 11.6 per cent. Youths aged 20-24 years old were the largest group of offenders in terms of drug taking. Addiction impact is most acute among unskilled workers and unemployed people," the report said.

Moreover, in the fourth quarter alone, there were 77,839 of these arrests, a 7.2-per-cent increase from the third quarter, and a 36.8-per-cent increase from the fourth quarter of 2009.

Proof absolute that crime is spiralling out of control under this government.

[dumball]

'MJP' timestamp='1299341742' post='4260954']

'asiawatcher' timestamp='1299288667' post='4259505']

Education, even basic skills, are essential in any society. Where it goes off the rails is when children are not allowed to question - interactivity between teachers and class when it comes to 'understanding' is negated widely thus children sit and get bored if understanding is not allowed on the agenda. This has happened due to cultural (in)sensibilities, in a country where only Royals were allowed to be educated around 1887 and the first schools for public was only introduced in 1923. Elitists deliberately keep the populace under control by 'lack' of education and teaching 'their' system. This reduces competition later in life and woe betide those not born into families with money.

To educate is a start, to understand and question, expands minds. The "bus-ticket" procession of people getting a piece of paper at so called Universities is a disgrace. The degrees are barely comparable to any western degree and only a few universities in Thailand have an international standing and education qualification. It is all about 'belief' and giving families more 'face' over their educated progeny.

The standard of the teaching and ability of students is measured by the wealth of parents able to afford high (over) priced education and 'branding'. As education, like everything else in Thailand, is geared to making money, quality suffers. But at least the Government has allowed international education now, albeit horrifically expensive, but for those who believe education is the answer, it is "caveat emptor" - let the buyer beware. At least those that can afford it may have a chance in life but look at the list of the worlds billionaires. Less that 10% have a university education and that 'spells' it out very clearly.

Education and internet will work cohesively and will cost very little - with minimal supervision and soon most likely becoming the breakaway group of the future, allowing students to learn at their own pace and not get caught by the slow kid in the class putting up his hand saying "khortort na khrup, mai loo, mai cal jai!" at which time the whole class stops waiting on catch up. But until Thailand changes its cultural/social attitude towards education and raises the standard for all, not just the wealthy, they will be a long time coming out of the dark ages.

I found it little different going through private then state schooling in the UK and worse still 'University'. The 'Professors' would become highly irritable if you questioned anything, to the point of rudeness and even anger. Little more than con-artists.

Funny you should say that , how things have changed in the UK , we were always taught to ask questions to seek better understanding , my first boss told me to often ask the question " Why " when we were told to do something we did not understand , it is of great importance in the learning stage to understand why we are doing things a certain way , it opens up the brain to be inquisitive .

In all of my teaching in the mechanical field , I encouraged questioning as part of my methodology to broaden my students knowledge base by sharing with class-mates , what I was unaware of was researched and the answers given the following day , we all increased our basic awareness . We had the odd hour of " Stupid questions " with only logical answers required , it added 'fun-time' to what could have been a boring day .

[rubl]

There were 266,010 drug-related arrests last year, up from the previous year by 11.6 per cent. Youths aged 20-24 years old were the largest group of offenders in terms of drug taking. Addiction impact is most acute among unskilled workers and unemployed people," the report said.

Moreover, in the fourth quarter alone, there were 77,839 of these arrests, a 7.2-per-cent increase from the third quarter, and a 36.8-per-cent increase from the fourth quarter of 2009.

Proof absolute that crime is spiralling out of control under this government.

Drugs related crime you mean. The only proper solution of course is another war on drugs as we had in 2004, only about 2500 odd dead at that time

Edited March 5, 2011 by rubl

[stepenwolf1958]

... residents here all see the problem ... many lament what "should be" and what "ought to be" and "they should" this and that.<BR><BR>... none of that will happen ... we know that ... we know it..<BR><BR>... this country is deeply infected with inferior cultural values ... interminably so ... think about that<BR><BR>... the values commonly practiced here have been impressed upon the Thai people by generations of entitled elites to pacify the population and repress them into an inescapable feudal system ... the system has been refined over generations ... the Thai ruling classes have done a good job of perfecting a soul-killing social machine, creating generations of underclass, who have little idea of ust how deprived of the basic human privileges they are.<BR><BR>... the article cites the only consequences a system as this can produce ... I guess the amataya long ago, could not have expected it to be so visible and apparent to the rest of the world.<BR><BR>... now, combine the dysfunctional government and social system with the Thai national average IQ of 91, documented elsewhere by The Nation and Bangok Post, and you've got yourself quite a sad situation ...a deeply sickened nation ... incidentally, 8% of the Thai population tests at mentally retarded (IQ below 70), compared to average of 2% ... and, another 16% of the Thai population is within 5 points of mentally retarded ... that explains much about Thai behavior that is not language, or cultural misunderstanding.<BR><BR>... I'd say the ruling elites of Thailand have acommplished exactly what they wanted ... through different methods (a more gentle "Thai way"), they have achieved what Hitler, Ceaucescu, Kim, Mao sought in their incidious social engineering schemes.<BR><BR>... if foreigners took over Thailand, fully, and immediately implemented modern systems of governance, education, rule of law, the teaching of humane values, and on, and on, and on, it would take generations to correct the deficiencies perpetrated on the Thai people by the Thai elitists who have long controlled this nation.<BR><BR>... shame on this society ... shame.

Yes, the list if wrong things would be very long.

But, country IS lovely and they should make reforms, radical reforms. In all segments of society so they could really become a LOS one day.

To look down on any other neighboring nation but to glorify itself is pretty wrong when we can see under the surface what is really going on(in wrong way and out of standards and norms in international community)

It is sad to have so beautiful country, good potential in people but not to use as an advantage and base for progress.

OBEC, basic education commission found that 88% of teachers is INCOMPETENT to teach children.

They should be IMMEDIATELY in one year program for to be replaced by younger teachers(or other-if young).

But no, for to keep social peace-they will stay at work and that is out of mind.

They have a lot of young hearts, teachers who graduated and waiting over 2-3 years for job.

But again famous sabai sabai made them to SEE they have a problem but nothing serious to do to solve it. So sad.

[stepenwolf1958]

Funny that some people say money does not matter when it comes to education.

It matters in everything else we see.

Teams that spend more money get the better players and thus win most often.

If you want the better lawyer, you spend more money.

But some of you say money does not matter when it comes to getting good teachers?

Nonsense.

All the people in Thailand with money send their children to private schools and most of the very wealthy send their children to the UK or America for schooling.

So they think money matters.

Of course money matters and you are right about it but the money goes to schools but it's spent in many other things, wrong things i would say.

Long time i am telling that schools has to be"at the market" in proper way. To compete to each other giving better conditions for work so they would get better teachers(foreigner as Thais showed how much they worth-88% of them are incompetent to teach, at all)

Schools should to give attractive offers so they would have good teachers, with the good backgrounds.

What they do instead? they discriminate people on native-non native-Filipino and others, in 3 payment rates. It's humiliation and discrimination but who cares?

In the best case, you will participate in final mark, grades of students just with 30%.

You will not be treated as part of team and many times you will face oppressions of many kinds, cultural, professional(fussy and to strict). You will be forced to leave the school after one year, in most of cases or you will not renew the contract whatever you do as good. Answers to your asking why would be very short like school policy or even worse-that is because we pay you.

No one will invite you(or in 90% of cases) to meetings of academy staff(where you should belong, right?)

Every time when school administration do some wrong about papers, you will have to pay in immigration or labor office the fee and money will be not refunded to you...etc

Many times, you will be cut in payment, they will violate the agreement just to try to get some more money left. Yes money matters(but if goes to them)

[Steely Dan]

I would like to think the internet could become a catalyst for change, but I'm not so hopeful. From the evidence I can see Thai children seem to be more inclined to play video games on a computer than to connect with the world around them. Language is one problem as by definition a large proportion of web based content will be in English and what is available in Thai may suffer from the same cultural constraints that hold traditional education back. The spark which seems to be missing is that of curiousity, it is almost as if this has been actively discouraged through various methods of control - it's less overt than Chinese indoctrination but still seems to be a concious strategy to maintain the status quo perfected over many years. English teachers in China are told explicitly what subjects are not to be discussed, I've never taught here but would be curious as to whether similar restrictions are placed on foreign teachers here?

[blazes]

Funny that some people say money does not matter when it comes to education.

It matters in everything else we see.

Teams that spend more money get the better players and thus win most often.

If you want the better lawyer, you spend more money.

But some of you say money does not matter when it comes to getting good teachers?

Nonsense.

All the people in Thailand with money send their children to private schools and most of the very wealthy send their children to the UK or America for schooling.

So they think money matters.

Of course money matters and you are right about it but the money goes to schools but it's spent in many other things, wrong things i would say.

Long time i am telling that schools has to be"at the market" in proper way. To compete to each other giving better conditions for work so they would get better teachers(foreigner as Thais showed how much they worth-88% of them are incompetent to teach, at all)

Schools should to give attractive offers so they would have good teachers, with the good backgrounds.

What they do instead? they discriminate people on native-non native-Filipino and others, in 3 payment rates. It's humiliation and discrimination but who cares?

In the best case, you will participate in final mark, grades of students just with 30%.

You will not be treated as part of team and many times you will face oppressions of many kinds, cultural, professional(fussy and to strict). You will be forced to leave the school after one year, in most of cases or you will not renew the contract whatever you do as good. Answers to your asking why would be very short like school policy or even worse-that is because we pay you.

No one will invite you(or in 90% of cases) to meetings of academy staff(where you should belong, right?)

Every time when school administration do some wrong about papers, you will have to pay in immigration or labor office the fee and money will be not refunded to you...etc

Many times, you will be cut in payment, they will violate the agreement just to try to get some more money left. Yes money matters(but if goes to them)

This is a sad statement, but I think, from the little I know (my gf is a high school teacher) it has the ring of absolute truth.

Depressing....what do good young "revolutionary" teachers like this do?

[pogal]

Well,... at least they got ranked "high" in something 55555

[Oberkommando]

Drugs related crime you mean. The only proper solution of course is another war on drugs as we had in 2004, only about 2500 odd dead at that time

An unfortunate but extremely popular policy and one that had 'official sanction' and couldn't have been conducted otherwise.

[Oberkommando]

I would like to think the internet could become a catalyst for change, but I'm not so hopeful. From the evidence I can see Thai children seem to be more inclined to play video games on a computer than to connect with the world around them. Language is one problem as by definition a large proportion of web based content will be in English and what is available in Thai may suffer from the same cultural constraints that hold traditional education back.

The problem is also cultural and as long as 'sanuk' has prominence in Thai culture and society education will remain a second priority.

[Macmundi]

When a person with several university degrees cannot convert centimetres to millimetres (seriously, no joke), one has to question the quality of education here...

short and smack on the point!!

[Macmundi]

The education minister is not doing his job. He doesn't attend to the quality of education. He only attends to teachers' funerals and anything that will get him in the news. There are no strategic plans on which field of study Thailand has to promote to get ready for the future. In fact there are no plans at all even to promote education. Students go to school just to have friends and show off their new mobile phone or their new hairstyle, new car, etc. Those girls who can't compare will eventually go into prostitution, Boys who cannot compare will eventually start to sell drugs. Advertisements are replacing education. Students concentrate on media more than the materials in their textbooks.

I would agree with above. Only one thing in your post is not true and i think just because you are not informed about change.

The truth is and it must be said that the Ministry has brought a three-year program that the government has adopted. A separate problem is that the program was destined to fail. Due to the haste and incompetence.

Since I had access to the program, I realized that almost half of the items is useless waste of money.

The worse example that bothered me in this plan was an item that is projected a sum of 500 Million Baht for IMPROVEMENT OF MORALITY of teaching staff.

I was wondering WHAT WAY they are going to improve that?

Moreover, i was in shock as in any western system you can't teach at all if you are not moral person. In western educational systems morality is something that is expected when you apply for teaching position.

Due to this fact, this investment is just a waste of money.

My global impression was that this plan was passed without much expertise and is hasty.

As someone was rushing to grab some political points by making the program.

Well, just like other ministers, the Ministry of Education's sole target is to have a share of the annual budget pie. Not more than 20 percent of these money actually went to their allocated purposes at all. Improvement of morality. What a load of crap. How could they even care speak out that proposal????

[Bagwan]

Q. Why do elephants never forget?

A. Because nobody tells them anything.

Could it be that school children are not encouraged to ask questions because most of the teachers don't know the answers? Are not the teachers themselves victims of the 'education' system?

I was told once that the Chinese alphabet has so many characters that only scholars could read or write and thus the coolies were kept in the dark i.e. control maintained by limiting education and knowledge. Would this also apply to other Oriental languages? Surely competency in English, the language of technology, is a must if Thailand is not to be left trailing, never to catch up.

[brahmburgers]

trace amounts of MSG has been shown, in lab experiments with rats, to kill brain cells. Thais eat a lot of MSG. Go figure.

There are so many angles to this discussion. Pardon me for not reading the thread.

I work with hill tribers and with Thais. Besides many similarities, there are differences. Hill tribers are more closely tied to the land and nature, so they're not spooked about getting their hands dirty, so to speak. Thais are many things, good and not so good, but since we're generalizing here, I'd say they're too quick to indicate they understand something, when they don't. You could have a class full of Thais, and be explaining something, and each student would be nodding his/her head with sweet studious looks on their faces. Yet, you could stop at any point, and ask any student to elaborate on a specific item, and they'd be stumped (along with obligatorily looking at the smartest kid in class, and giggling).

[fogoyes]

i used to be teacher in thailand since close to 4 years - i have met many very good thai teachers and a great number of very talented students. actually i was working till mid of february at a world class standard school in samut prakan, but i lost my job because i ask my employer - a teacher agency - to often for legal work conditions (Non B visa and work permit) and this in a public way after i don't get any response from the owner of this agency. edknovate/smartkurve - kirk phatumanun - the owner - is son of the adviser of the minister of natural recourses - suwit khunkitti - and both are shareholders on this agency/and earn money from this business. agencies just take big money for foreign teachers from schools - maybe 50% get the teacher as salary/the other 50% is profit of the agency - and this is a big and easy earned money on costs of education system. further more the curriculum of the most of this agencies are useless and far away from good education.

as long as schools spend their budgets for agencies like edknovate the kids will loose!

and additional - their is a very small respect vs. foreign teachers and if you try to change something you're the bad farang.

if thailand continue this way of education/take care the youth/acting with foreign teachers/and don't change the mind of many teachers and especially the attention of the parents to the progress of the children at school - thailand will be a province of china, cambodia, laos or burma in 5/10 years.

[robint]

There are two problems with education here. One is a lack of competent teachers and administrators, the other is the society. Both are intertwined and overlap.

I taught English here for 3 years and was appalled by the lack of modern teaching methods used here. It was like being transported back to the 1930's or further. Teachers pontificate, the knowledge flies through the air, and goes into the ears and brains of the students where it is lodged forever and never forgotten. Nice fantasy, but this just isn't true. The students need to take this knowledge and do something with it, use it, create something with it. Basically, they need to use their right hemispheres. I think if you did a brain scan of Thai people, the left brain would be nice and healthy and normal, but the right side would look like a shriveled up little pea that rolled under your refrigerator 6 months ago and you just found it while cleaning the kitchen. Thai people don't want to think. Until Thais are challenged to think and do something with knowledge, they will just languish in mediocrity.

Laziness and stubbornness are parts of the culture that need to be addressed. I have no idea how to tackle laziness, maybe shame them into getting it into a higher gear? The stubbornness really used to bother me. If you try to get Thai people or teachers out of the dark ages, they get an attitude like you don't know what the heck you're talking about. How does one nicely tell somebody that they are completely clueless and that teaching methods have progressed? It's like they just want to bury their heads in the sand and not grow or progress, or take advice from people that come from developed, successful countries. Why do they hire us, if they don't want us to share our knowledge and success with them? They have to do it the Thai way, but the Thai way has failed miserably. Everything's OK, just slide by, mai pen rai, mai pen rai...

The only Thai people I can stomach dealing with now are ones that have lived out of Thailand for a couple years or more. They're honest, open, willing to learn, and can handle criticism much better. What does that tell us about this clueless, isolated, insular, backward country we call Thailand?

I agree with you Pooket

I too helped out as a teaching assistant so have some experience in the "System".

One important thing you missed out as a serious impediment to learning is the Crticism of any kind is totally taboo. Thais can never be wrong, mistaken or lose face. So no one fails, Its just that some win more than others (depending how much the parents pay)

I tried to introduce a little thinking into my english lessons. I got a map of SE Asia and started quizing the kids on where the major cities, rivers and countries were. This was fine, the kids enjoyed it and began to get better at the "show me" game. After the third week my teacher friend - a very genuine decent lady - suggested that this type of instruction wasn't permitted by the school principal - no explanation of course. Even my inflatable world globe was proscribed. Im sure you can guess the reason.

After about 6 months, the police chief dropped by our house for a beer and a social chat as he often did as he lived just down the road. He whispered with some embarassment that I should stop helping at the school because there had been complaints. I was shocked, what offense could I have made? My wife reluctantly explained that some of the neighbouring schools were jealous and complaining that my school was getting an unfair advantage by using my help and they were going to complain to immigration because I'd no work permit. Naturally, and much to the disappointment of the kids - as they would come in specially on Saturday for my lessons, I quietly faded from the scene

That was the last time I ever again sought to help local people TIT.

After all remember the famous words from Mr T "Thai people don't need help from foreigners, Thai teachers can teach english to the Thai children themselves"

[TheWalkingMan]

I agree with you Pooket

I too helped out as a teaching assistant so have some experience in the "System".

One important thing you missed out as a serious impediment to learning is the Crticism of any kind is totally taboo. Thais can never be wrong, mistaken or lose face. So no one fails, Its just that some win more than others (depending how much the parents pay)

I tried to introduce a little thinking into my english lessons. I got a map of SE Asia and started quizing the kids on where the major cities, rivers and countries were. This was fine, the kids enjoyed it and began to get better at the "show me" game. After the third week my teacher friend - a very genuine decent lady - suggested that this type of instruction wasn't permitted by the school principal - no explanation of course. Even my inflatable world globe was proscribed. Im sure you can guess the reason.

After about 6 months, the police chief dropped by our house for a beer and a social chat as he often did as he lived just down the road. He whispered with some embarassment that I should stop helping at the school because there had been complaints. I was shocked, what offense could I have made? My wife reluctantly explained that some of the neighbouring schools were jealous and complaining that my school was getting an unfair advantage by using my help and they were going to complain to immigration because I'd no work permit. Naturally, and much to the disappointment of the kids - as they would come in specially on Saturday for my lessons, I quietly faded from the scene

That was the last time I ever again sought to help local people TIT.

After all remember the famous words from Mr T "Thai people don't need help from foreigners, Thai teachers can teach english to the Thai children themselves"

Other schools threatened to rat you out? The schools should have asked you if you had any friends who also wanted to help out.

Short sighted thinking.

TheWalkingMan

[crazydrummerpauly]

In the few instances that I have come into contact with schoolteachers I have come away shaking my head at what I perceive to be their lack of intelligence. Whatever is the point of teaching a young girl how to find the cubed root of a number and yet percentages are ignored? My 11 year old niece, who has been coached by me on my infrequent visits up country, now acts as a support to the feeble minded individual tasking with teaching her. She has taught the teacher the tricks that I taught her, such as to multiply by 50 move the decimal point one place to the right and multiply by five. Alternatively move the decimal point two places to the right, inserting zeros if this operation produces spaces, and then divide by two. Hardly rocker science.

Why these headline catching stories of computers in classrooms? By the time I was 15 I had mastered arithmetic, algebra, geometry and trigonometry. All the tools my teachers employed were textbooks, a blackboard and a piece of chalk. I am all for access to the Internet but please can we put the horse before the cart?

Can the 'fruit salad' that civil servants sport be dispensed with? It just makes them look ridiculous. Medals should be for meritorious service (US Armed Forces and others please note) and I've yet to see anything produced, created or performed by any Thai Civil Service department that approaches that. In similar vein dispense with giving a selection of answers in examination papers. It would help in assessment if it could be ascertained what a scholar knows rather than whether they are good guessers. I've never in any activity seen the carrot and stick method of inducing achievement being put into action. Kids that are awarded high marks should be publicly praised and those that don't enjoined to try harder - and longer. Introduce the spirit of competition, it will help them to get on in real life. Those who are not strong enough to counter and make a positive response to any failure on their part will never come to much any way and factory fodder will all that they are capable of becoming.

Ah yes - the gambler's preference: The multiple-choice questionnaire style of so-called education. You reminded me of a rare funny moment (in a dark way) when i taught social science at London Uni...i had just finished doing the chalk-and-talk part of a class on French 19th-C sociology, when a first-year student (so around 18 ) from S.Korea put up her hand and asked: 'Please sir, what is an essay ?' Give me strength time. But then, the drive to drag high-paying foreign students into UK universities irrespective of their suitability, language-skills etc., also produced the memorable question from a female Nigerian student: 'Please sir, could you explain the difference between Organic and Orgasmic ?' Yes, a serious question which my lesson-plan had definitely not prepared me for !

[Thaddeus]

Please sir, could you explain the difference between Organic and Orgasmic ?

Taste.

[crazydrummerpauly]

Please sir, could you explain the difference between Organic and Orgasmic ?

Taste.

[/quote

Nice, and maybe sound !

[mark45y]

Total drug-related arrests in Malaysia declined from 32,808 in 2005 to 14,489 in 2007, a 55.8% decline. The declining trend continued in 2008 with a further decrease of 14.7% to 12,354 arrests.

I suppose Malaysia did this by increasing quality education!

[mac1970]

I do not wish to comment this shocking news through the prism of politics.

These percentages of the overall deterioration of social life of Thailand are terribly sad.

It is extremely sad to love this country as much as most of us do but to watch as it destroys itself. Willingly, i could say.

It is very sad to watch how a country with so much potential, with so many nice things, with so many good people perish.

In all this, the saddest thing is that neighboring countries have shown slow or fast but definitely progress.

Thailand has but absolutely all the requirements to be in advantage upon all of these countries.

Thailand, thanks to all resources, should be far ahead of countries in the region.

Thailand could easily be the most important and most progressive of all countries in South-East Asia region.

Thailand is not and it seems a long time will not to be.

Thailand does not focus on the key things in advancing.

Thailand is struggling with the remnants of the past.

Thailand is hardly giving up the old way.

Thailand has been slow in transforming.

Me personally, can't watch the people I love, whole country, knowingly fail.

Many of us have loved this country and moved to Thailand.

One of the things that this country leads to destruction is the inability of teachers, school system in practice.

Theoretically, the school system is set up properly, but in practice gives negative results.

In any country world, where it is shown that 88% of teachers are unable to transmit knowledge to the youth, all powers in systems and especially governments, need to be focus exclusively on this issue.

Since the catastrophic 88% of those incompetent teachers is case of Thailand, it is not surprising that the results are such shocking as OP said.

Agree 100% this comment. But also the question is how to go ahead. During years new teachers have gone through this

education system which is providing poor base to be a teacher. Years pass by and cycle continues...

So how it should be stopped and the quality of teaching improved? If there is no totally new plan to stop cycles

and things get worse and worse. Maybe in some African countries people have better chances to get high quality education

than in Thailand...scary future but might be true

Should there be totally new approach like teaching teachers by foreigners, open up the society like other Asian

countries are doing much more efficiently and building up their society and the quality of education systems and industry. It seem to work pretty well in on their side, but somehow Thailand has never wanted to join to this way of building

future...or maybe I am wrong...anyway results are very poor

As visited some of those schools on country side, I have to say that there is clearly room for improvement and I also

somehow understand local teachers situation and thinking based on system, but this country clearly needs shape up and

it will not happen without help from outside.

There is too many other intrests which are driving things to the wrong direction again and again. And that cycle we

should stop and get rid of the past.

[stepenwolf1958]

I do not wish to comment this shocking news through the prism of politics.

These percentages of the overall deterioration of social life of Thailand are terribly sad.

It is extremely sad to love this country as much as most of us do but to watch as it destroys itself. Willingly, i could say.

It is very sad to watch how a country with so much potential, with so many nice things, with so many good people perish.

In all this, the saddest thing is that neighboring countries have shown slow or fast but definitely progress.

Thailand has but absolutely all the requirements to be in advantage upon all of these countries.

Thailand, thanks to all resources, should be far ahead of countries in the region.

Thailand could easily be the most important and most progressive of all countries in South-East Asia region.

Thailand is not and it seems a long time will not to be.

Thailand does not focus on the key things in advancing.

Thailand is struggling with the remnants of the past.

Thailand is hardly giving up the old way.

Thailand has been slow in transforming.

Me personally, can't watch the people I love, whole country, knowingly fail.

Many of us have loved this country and moved to Thailand.

One of the things that this country leads to destruction is the inability of teachers, school system in practice.

Theoretically, the school system is set up properly, but in practice gives negative results.

In any country world, where it is shown that 88% of teachers are unable to transmit knowledge to the youth, all powers in systems and especially governments, need to be focus exclusively on this issue.

Since the catastrophic 88% of those incompetent teachers is case of Thailand, it is not surprising that the results are such shocking as OP said.

Agree 100% this comment. But also the question is how to go ahead. During years new teachers have gone through this

education system which is providing poor base to be a teacher. Years pass by and cycle continues...

So how it should be stopped and the quality of teaching improved? If there is no totally new plan to stop cycles

and things get worse and worse. Maybe in some African countries people have better chances to get high quality education

than in Thailand...scary future but might be true

Should there be totally new approach like teaching teachers by foreigners, open up the society like other Asian

countries are doing much more efficiently and building up their society and the quality of education systems and industry. It seem to work pretty well in on their side, but somehow Thailand has never wanted to join to this way of building

future...or maybe I am wrong...anyway results are very poor

As visited some of those schools on country side, I have to say that there is clearly room for improvement and I also

somehow understand local teachers situation and thinking based on system, but this country clearly needs shape up and

it will not happen without help from outside.

There is too many other intrests which are driving things to the wrong direction again and again. And that cycle we

should stop and get rid of the past.

As always in life, simplest solutions are the best. All is needed to make any progress in education system in Thailand is a lot of work, perhaps overtime for many people and PATRIOTISM, love for the country.

I was member of the managing board in a school of my daughters in time of some 4 years(2000-2004) so i am sure that experience in life was valuable for me, helped me to see weaknesses in education here.

I am sure in MoE in Thailand is possible to find competent people with a lot of love and understanding for importance of education.

There was one lady in education, name Kassama. As i've heard she is retired when new Govt took the power. I think people like she is might help and help is definetely needed now.

Work in 2 sectors is needed and same time.

[Xangsamhua]

I am sure in MoE in Thailand is possible to find competent people with a lot of love and understanding for importance of education.

There was one lady in education, name Kassama. As i've heard she is retired when new Govt took the power.

I think people like she is might help and help is definetely needed now.

Work in 2 sectors is needed and same time.

Khunying (Dr) Kassama Varavarn retired on age grounds in, I think, 2009. She was an outstanding educator. I don't know what she's doing now.

The problem is not a shortage of competent people available for systemic education management, but the structural and cultural conditions necessary for them to make a difference.

[Pakboong]

What do you do with a population of 66 million when 33 million of those have an IQ below 91? Do you try to achieve actual potential, given that it is generally accepted that one cannot exceed potential? Knowing the weakest link theory along with other commonly accepted rules of nature it is generally accepted that you keep the population at or near their maximum productive level by any method at your disposal. It is often forgotten that change only requires effort while improvement requires both effort and wisdom. If you have a population of which half have IQs under 91, how much improvement is actually possible?

[Thaddeus]

What do you do with a population of 66 million when 33 million of those have an IQ below 91? Do you try to achieve actual potential, given that it is generally accepted that one cannot exceed potential? Knowing the weakest link theory along with other commonly accepted rules of nature it is generally accepted that you keep the population at or near their maximum productive level by any method at your disposal. It is often forgotten that change only requires effort while improvement requires both effort and wisdom. If you have a population of which half have IQs under 91, how much improvement is actually possible?

Read the OP again, it's a quarter not a half..... and that is standard for most countries in the world. IQ is not the problem.