Poor Marks For 25% Of Free-Education Kids

[webfact]

Poor marks for 25% of free-education kids

By The Nation

Thailand's 15-year free compulsory education - from kindergarten to 12th grade levels - has recorded failures in basic academic efficiency tests, and below-par in the Intelligence Quotient (IQ), among one-fourth of pre-high school youth, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was told yesterday.

Average national results in basic academic efficiency tests in main subjects were lower than 50 per cent, while the average IQ level of 25 per cent of schoolchildren between 6 and 12 years was lower than 90 - where 90-100 is regarded as moderate intelligence. However, another 40 per cent had an IQ ranging from 90-109.

Ages between 6 and 12 are the most crucial for children's brain and skill development, said the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), citing national studies as references.

The Emotional Quotient scores among children at 3-5 years, and at 6-11 years were lower but still within normal range. No other details on EQ were available.

The 15-year free education, initiated by the Abhisit Vejjajiva government, has helped 12,471,611 students, said the studies.

The scheme helped more than 5.6 million people to learn extra-curricula subjects and another 200,000 students who were poor, underprivileged or with impairment - from a previous figure of 3 million.

The NESDB proposed provision of additional outside-classroom learning and greater quality of distance learning at the undergraduate level.

-- The Nation 2011-08-30

[kurnell]

Free or not, it is the same educators and curriculum that is teaching a new generation of Thais to be non thinkers.

[thaicbr]

curriculum.....thats a joke. Almost every school uses different books etc.. the Ministry of Education should be embarrassed to have 'education' in it's title.

The curriculum is just a loose idea. It's no wonder kids are having trouble passing any tests if they haven't actually learnt anything to do with the tests.

[Scott]

These results are significant because in Thailand most teaching is focused primarily on passing exams. It's uncommon to find a teacher who tries to give a comprehensive knowledge of the subject. The purpose of education is to pass tests here.

[slipperx]

The blind leading the blind - with conviction!!

[anterian]

This sounds like good news for the Department of Childhood Indoctrination.

[awayego]

My wife has two sons and I took them out of the local government school and have sent them to a private school 25km away. While not necessarily as good as many European schools, it is a world away from the free govt school and both boys have come on enormously. The teachers are committed and enthusiastic, even offering Saturday classes to those who need extra tuition. The teachers of the local government schools are the opposite - often dismissing many pupils as having little or no potential because they come from poor farming families. Teachers were frequently out of class doing their own thing - many are insurance agents on the side! The head teacher of our local school even told my wife that he thought her younger son had learning and behavioural difficulties and neither of her boys would last long at a private school. Having spent most of my working life as a teacher, including teaching kids with learning difficulties, that was when I changed their school. That was four years ago and both boys are now doing well and actually enjoying school, in spite of an hour's mini-bus ride each way, and the older one, now in his final year, is planning to go to university. As I said to the local head teacher four years ago, "If government schools are so good, why do almost all teachers send their own kids to private schools?!".

[SICHONSTEVE]

My wife has two sons and I took them out of the local government school and have sent them to a private school 25km away. While not necessarily as good as many European schools, it is a world away from the free govt school and both boys have come on enormously. The teachers are committed and enthusiastic, even offering Saturday classes to those who need extra tuition. The teachers of the local government schools are the opposite - often dismissing many pupils as having little or no potential because they come from poor farming families. Teachers were frequently out of class doing their own thing - many are insurance agents on the side! The head teacher of our local school even told my wife that he thought her younger son had learning and behavioural difficulties and neither of her boys would last long at a private school. Having spent most of my working life as a teacher, including teaching kids with learning difficulties, that was when I changed their school. That was four years ago and both boys are now doing well and actually enjoying school, in spite of an hour's mini-bus ride each way, and the older one, now in his final year, is planning to go to university. As I said to the local head teacher four years ago, "If government schools are so good, why do almost all teachers send their own kids to private schools?!".

My wife and I are owners of a private kindergarten school and can confirm that the education is superior to the equivalent, free, government schools. I teach a limited amount of English in our school and when they pass on to the next stage of schooling (6 years+) those government schools are very keen to take pupils from our school as their abilities and capabilities are far superior to children that have been schooled in the traditional way.

The people are actually proud of the fact that their children come from our school and to see the children smiling and hear them laughing when they get off the school buses or their parents motorcycles in anticipation of spending another day in the school makes it very rewarding for us!!!!

[khaowong1]

Free or not, it is the same educators and curriculum that is teaching a new generation of Thais to be non thinkers.

Agreed. I was teaching some conversation English to some 9 - 11 year olds in a small school in Lopburi Province, and trying to get them to ask questions was near impossible. Their just taught not to ask questions. How can you learn if you don't ask questions? Something has got to be done with the teaching methods.