Education Commission Reviews Course Content For Tablet PCs: Thailand

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Obec reviews course content for tablets

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Minister wants materials to reflect focus on job skills

The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) is reviewing its digital instructional materials to ensure they are ready for installation in tablet PCs to be distributed to Prathom 1 students next semester under one of the government's key election policies.

Education Minister Woravat Auapinyakul last weekend told Obec to review the electronic instructional media it uses to teach Prathom 1 (Grade 1) students both online and offline to ensure they cover all the important subjects before they are installed in the tablets.

Woravat also wants other agencies within the Education Ministry to adjust their digital instructional media to ensure they accord with the ministry's new curriculum, which focuses on equipping students with skills tailored towards specific work fields.

Over the weekend, the minister called a twoday meeting with the agencies and had them present the digital instructional media they use to teach students at different levels. He reviewed the media created and used by the agencies, before leading a discussion on how to improve and adjust them to make them more suitable for Prathom 1 students and bring them in line with the new curriculum.

Chinnapat Bhumirat, secretarygeneral of Obec, said Woravat discussed the idea of distributing tablets to students in other levels as well, and was studying the feasibility of incorporating the tablets in the free compulsory education scheme.

"The minister said his idea was to include tablets in the list of resources available under the government's free education policy. It would be like a shopping list. So, students could decide what they need among such things as uniforms, textbooks or tablets. If one chooses a tablet, he or she will probably have to use the government subsidies given to them over three years to pay for the tablet," said Chinnapat.

Obec's new curriculum aims to teach skills in the following areas: agriculture, commerce; industry; professions that use creative thinking; and specific professions in different areas with different capabilities and resources.

"Obec is adjusting its curriculum in line with an 'education for career' policy. Upper secondary students will be offered an alternative to the current curriculum that will allow them to study vocational subjects. This will give them job skills and make it easier for them to get a job," Chinnapat added.

"We can't wait until parents and students change their attitude, or until more students opt for a vocational education. Obec has to act and provide more vocationalskills training to students," he said.

To aid in this process, Woravat said at the meeting he wanted the agencies to adjust their electronic instructional materials to encourage students to learn about careers.

Changing or adjusting the digital media would be done in time for the launch of the new curriculum, which the ministry expects will occur in the next academic year.

Local executives of US tech giant Apple have reportedly contacted Woravat to discuss the issue. They are expected to meet him this week.

The ministry plans to hand out the tablets in the first semester of the next academic year and seeks Bt1.6 billion for the government's One Tablet PC Per Child policy. Around 470,000 Prathom 1 students under Obec, the Office of Private Education Commission and the Office of Higher Education Commission are expected to receive the tablets. The Interior and other ministries that oversee primary schools will also seek budgets to buy tablets for their Prathom 1 students.

Approximately 560,000 Prathom 1 students under the supervision of various ministries are in line to receive the tablets, out of a total 850,000 firstgraders countrywide.

Chinnapat said directors of education service area offices would survey and select eligible schools in their areas of responsibility. Chinnapat expected that around 50 per cent of the 38,000 schools under Obec would be given the tablets.

"Teachers and especially school administrators who show they are active and eager to use the tablets to teach will be considered. If they are enthusiastic to try using the new technological tools, it won't be difficult to train them how to use them in their teaching."

The secretary general hoped that the tablets would help ease the teacher shortage problem, particularly those who teach important subjects, including mathematics, English and science at schools in remote areas. "Using the tablets to teach English, students can hear how native English speakers pronounce words without paying expensive salaries to hire them."

Meanwhile, Srinakharinwirot University is studying the pros and cons of using tablets to teach Prathom 1 students at five schools in different regions of the country. The university will see how the tablets affect students' learning behaviour, their academic performance and their health. The research is expected to be concluded in February next year, Chinnapat said.

-- The Nation 2011-11-21

[mrwebb8825]

There are pros and cons to this; Thailand's future support base (students) will be heading in the right direction from a technology stand point but, in 12 years, who will work in the factories? Thailand's unemployment rate (pre-flood) was around 1%. Makes me wonder (and worry a bit) what it will be in 12 - 15 years.

[sparebox2]

It will be good for our children future.

rather than using the money to build casino.

[KKvampire]

"The secretary general hoped that the tablets would help ease the teacher shortage problem, particularly those who teach important subjects, including mathematics, English and science at schools in remote areas. "Using the tablets to teach English, students can hear how native English speakers pronounce words without paying expensive salaries to hire them."

So they can also save 8000 bht a month paying a graduate Thai teacher . this will do wonders for recruiting quality new teachers in the country, something that will make a difference to a childs education rather than this wasteful exercise, Do Thailand education policy makers know anything about Education? Oh silly question.

Edited November 21, 2011 by KKvampire