Politicians Must Take Hands Off Education, Say Academics

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Politicians must take hands off education, say academics

By Chularat Saengpassa,

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Politicians should stay away from directing the country's educational development, but play a supportive role instead.

Continuity of educational policy is crucial for improving education in the long run, academics recently told a discussion.

They also called for educational improvement to be put seriously on the national agenda.

Academics from different institutions, as well as representatives from the country's key political parties, met recently at a roundtable discussion titled "Political Party Policy and the Thai Education System" held by The Nation and its sister publications. Participants were asked to present their ideas on how to strengthen the country's education.

The academics also gave useful comments on the political parties' educational policies.

"I don't believe political parties can lead the improvement of the nation's education. The educational policy of every party is not different from what we call 'populist' policy. They don't solve the root of the educational problems," said Associate Professor Chuangchote Bhuntuvech, president of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University.

"We have to issue a royal decree prohibiting politicians from changing educational policy. Education is not business. We need continuity," he said. "Ministers should only follow the development. They should not be able to direct and remove what they want. Israel has kept politicians away from its educational development by issuing a decree."

Democrat Party representative Professor Kanok Wongtrangan, an adviser to the prime minister, said the national agenda for education was quality. He said he wanted all stakeholders to participate, especially people and the private sector.

Academics also presented their own interesting ideas on how to boost education quality.

Dr Dilaka Lathapipat, a research specialist at the Thailand Development Research Institute, wanted to force students who failed the Ordinary National Educational Test to repeat their classes for a whole academic year. This would force them to pay more attention and improve their quality. "If basic-education students perform poorly, they won't be able to do well when they become higher-education students."

He also suggested awarding teachers based on their students' achievements. Each school should reveal students' academic achievements to the public. Then, they should set goals to make their students do better, he said.

Chainarong Indharameesup, chairman of Boyden global executive search, as a representative from the private sector, said: "To reform education, we should not do it because we are angry or feel that education is in crisis. We have to believe we can solve the problems."

He urged Thailand to go back to basics - literacy and numeracy skills. "The United Kingdom exhorted its students for four years to understand maths and reading after their performance was found to have declined in 1997. They had better literacy and numeracy skills.

"Thailand is a follower in Asean," he said. "Singapore has announced on its websites how it will produce human resources for the coming Asean Economic Community, but Thailand has not moved on the issue. We should raise people's awareness so we are in the group of Asean leaders."

The businessman added that the Thai education system always used the same methods of producing graduates, like a factory that produced the same clothes.

He urged the use of different methods to produce personnel with different proficiencies. For example, the knowledge of people who run their own business should be compared to bachelor's-degree level.

As teachers are key to success, Chuangchote suggested encouraging them to study and work hard not only for higher positions or academic standing, but for the sake of their students.

"Teachers who study four years for a bachelor's degree are able to teach primary-level students. There is no need to study longer."

Dr Thitiwat Prachatham-rongphiwat, the representative from the Pheu Thai Party, said its education policy focused on preparing people to embrace changes or challenges in the changing world.

Thus, it had a "One Tablet One Child" policy to give students the chance to learn using modern technology, harnessing "edutainment" so they have fun at the same time. The party would also focus on internships to prepare students for working life, and guarantee minimum monthly salaries for bachelor's degree graduates of Bt15,000.

The Democrat Party said it would focus on extending educational opportunities to underprivileged people, including the disabled, children in poor families, those in border areas and juvenile delinquents, Kanok said.

"We will also focus on quality, not only giving opportunities."

The party would also boost the skills of vocational students to increase the country's competitiveness. The newly established Competency Promotion Institute would help measure their competency in line with appropriate wages.

-- The Nation 2011-05-06

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Pretty hard to disagree with the premise of the article's title, until you read what the academics have to say.

I cannot believe I am actually saying this; but if this guy is reflective of the academics who are trying to influence national policy, firstly...

1. lol.
2. but not really. Really not all that - funny - for Thailand.
3. anyone who - thinks - like this, cannot be allowed within a cubic nautical mile of a discussion which might affect national policy directives, or influence strategy, or heck...where people might be potentially quoted, by any media, of any kind.

Dr Dilaka Lathapipat, a research specialist at the Thailand Development Research Institute, wanted to force students who failed the Ordinary National Educational Test to repeat their classes for a whole academic year. This would force them to pay more attention and improve their quality. "If basic-education students perform poorly, they won't be able to do well when they become higher-education students."

Why stop at one year? The test ostensibly crams 9 (?) years of education into a single day. Where does this guy pull a year from, as punishment for having a bad day? So random.

You want to see students 'perform'? Make them repeat the 9 years if they have a bad day.

Also, killing a fixed %, for having a really bad day, would also spurn the nation's students forward, in their 'learning'. I thought we were brainstorming, no idea is a bad idea? Well, he started it.

[trisailer]

The desire to learn is a natural, but it gets shut down by most current approaches and curriculums because educators and parents never plant the seed. Without a desire to learn a kid can repeat grade school until he's 50 and still won't get it. Everyone learns differently and at a different pace and as long as education systems continue trying to do it on the cheap with crappy teachers it will not change.

Parents are the key and also the weak link.