Poor Overall Showing By Thai Students

[webfact]

GAT/PAT EXAMINATIONS

Poor overall showing by students

The Nation

Tests give average 39.6 out of 300 for math, less than 50% in other subjects

BANGKOK: -- Thai students are failing in math and doing miserably in all other subjects on average, the national testing agency said yesterday.

The General Aptitude Test (GAT) and Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) showed, on average, that students scored only 39.64 out of 300 points in mathematics and also less than 50 per cent in all subjects.

Samphan Phranphruek, director of the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS), said an analysis of the results found there were 284,754 GAT testtakers and their average score was 130.59 out of 300 points, with 0 as the minimum and 300 the maximum.

GAT 1 had 284,739 testtakers with an average score of 80.14 points and 0 as the minimum and 150 as the maximum. GAT 2 had 284,750 testtakers averaging 50.45 points with 0 as the minimum and 150 the maximum.

The PAT1 (math) exam had 200,693 testtakers averaging 39.64 out of 300 points with 0 as the minimum and 288 the maximum. The PAT2 (science) exam had 173,048 testtakers averaging 91.59 out of 300 with 0 as the minimum and 248 the maximum. PAT3 (engineering) had 39,488 testtakers averaging 83.45 out of 300 with 32.44 as the minimum and 267 as the maximum. PAT4 (architecture) had 14,057 testtakers averaging 122.24 out of 300 with 44.53 as the minimum and 291 the maximum. PAT5 (teacher profession) had 175,548 testtakers averaging 149.43 out of 300 with 2 as the minimum and 242 the maximum. PAT6 (arts) had 22,501 testtakers averaging 135 out of 300 with 0 as the minimum and 233.50 the maximum. PAT7 with six foreign languages saw average scores ranging from 8494.45 out of 300 points.

NIETS is accepting requests to read the answer sheets until February 7 and will reveal the answer sheets on February 25.

Sompong Jitradap, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, said these GAT/PAT results were an indicator of education quality issues that weren't seriously solved.

The education system didn't teach learning and thinking processes that would help students meet the goal set by the GAT/PAT exams. The exam questions were tough but schools didn't teach students the requisite problemsolving skills.

The government should focus on raising education quality and taking care of students rather than handing out tablets or solving teachers' debts.

The Education Ministry was far behind in terms of curriculum and teaching. They should get rid of the parts of the curriculum that were irrelevant for the GAT/PAT.

Most low scoring students didn't go to tutoring schools while high scoring students went to prep schools that provided content ahead of what was taught at the students' schools. The Education Ministry has to learn from this and develop quality education at schools.

If they let the problems go on, next year's scores will be just as low, he added.

-- The Nation 2012-02-01

[TheWalkingMan]

All tests were less than 50%? Actually, I remember the ex's kid scored 30% on some important test and a lot of comes down to the parents being actively involved with the kid's studies.

Scores ran from 0? Scary.

The government needs to get moving and revamp the education sector.

[belg]

i guess this is one of the reasons, when i thai is looking for a job out of thailand, their "degree" is considered worthless and ending up in the restaurantion or cleaning business... if half your points / degree is gotting by just attendance, than you know the leven of the education here

[ricardofel]

When you have "teachers" who buy their degrees what do you expect and students who pay for answers to their exams this is what you get from the educational system. With their new PC tablets they'll have more time to play and not learn. Not one educational minister has proved his worth. It is disgraceful!

[Jerrytheyoung]

All tests were less than 50%? Actually, I remember the ex's kid scored 30% on some important test and a lot of comes down to the parents being actively involved with the kid's studies.

Scores ran from 0? Scary.

The government needs to get moving and revamp the education sector.

it is not revamping the sector, it is a full restructuration. Except few school around Bangkok, education system is a disaster in the Country; teachers are more focusing on their career than on the students: except few of them, the vast majority is not committed.

[spidermike007]

A recent study has math teachers taking the same exam they give to their students, and the failure rate was 86%. This is an exam they have given how many times? Until Thailand starts to improve the quality of teachers there will be little progress. On so many levels, Thailand is getting left behind by many within ASEAN, and the region.

[swerver]

When calculators were allowed to be brought in the classroom I said, “That’s the end of Thais having great knowledge of calculating”

How right I have proven to be.

Now with PC tablets not only being allowed to be brought in the classroom, but even being given free of charge to students by the Thai Government, this will be the end of Thais being able to write and think for them self, even there thinking for them self never was anything to write home to mother about.

Thailand is following exactly what the New World Order clique wants to have full control of the world.

Working-class Thais who I warned for years to stay away from credit cards now I see (if they cannot prevent me from seeing) with a wallet full of credit cards and using one credit card to pay another credit card. Of course these Thais now after 15+ years are not too interested in talking to me anymore, especially when I was asked to give 150,000 Baht to repair the roof on the house, 300,000 Baht to buy a car, why list anymore, the stable door is open and the buffalo is gone.

[tragickingdom]

The ladies and gentlemen teaching are too busy with commenting on politics. Academics are taken way too serious in Thailand. They are mostly made up of losers in the possession of old money. They have an opinion about everything but walk into a Thai school or university and if you are lucky the teachers and professors come prepared if they appear at all.

It is not the students but the educators and the system who are to blame. As long as the system does not encourage freedom of speech, creativity and does not allow criticism students will keep on doing poor. The smell of dust is prevalent in Thai schools and universities.

[Scott]

One unnecessarily negative, Thai bashing post has been removed.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Scott

[IAMHERE]

Isn't there any devil's advocats here? I'll try. The students are doing as well today as they ever have. Education of Thai youth is over rated. How much brain power does it take to work on a factory floor, drive a tuk tuk, clean a hotel room, etc...? The Thai's that count are getting a good enough education and all the rest are getting an equally valid good enough education for their lot in life. The Thai's you see everyday, how much better would they be doing their jobs if they had a much better education? Doubtful a better education would be of value to many of them. Lets face it, not everyone is cut out to be a doctor or lawyer or highly educated janitor.

[thequietman]

.' PAT7 with six foreign languages saw average scores ranging from 8494.45 out of 300 points.'

no matter what way you look at it, thats a pretty impressive result.

8494.45 out of 300.

did he/she get an extra 8194.45 for innitiative or maybe the parents are very well connected.

well done.

[ross163103]

The free I-pads the government's handing out should turn this this situation around immedietly!

[KKK]

Isn't there any devil's advocats here? I'll try. The students are doing as well today as they ever have. Education of Thai youth is over rated. How much brain power does it take to work on a factory floor, drive a tuk tuk, clean a hotel room, etc...? The Thai's that count are getting a good enough education and all the rest are getting an equally valid good enough education for their lot in life. The Thai's you see everyday, how much better would they be doing their jobs if they had a much better education? Doubtful a better education would be of value to many of them. Lets face it, not everyone is cut out to be a doctor or lawyer or highly educated janitor.

So you'd deny children the right to ALL have the same opportunities and education chances...Go back to the 18th century where that idea belongs...

[bkk_mike]

The fact that nobody got 100% in Maths suggests a problem with the questions actually.

(or if there is a choice of answers, with at least one one that is deemed wrong.)

Maths - you're either right or wrong and there should be (not many admittedly) some kids bright enough to get 100% unless the questions are flawed in some way.

[metisdead]

Posts commenting on moderation issues have been removed. If you have an issue on moderation, PM the moderator in question or address the issue in an email to support at thaivisa.com

[sparebox2]

When calculators were allowed to be brought in the classroom I said, “That’s the end of Thais having great knowledge of calculating”

How right I have proven to be.

Now with PC tablets not only being allowed to be brought in the classroom, but even being given free of charge to students by the Thai Government, this will be the end of Thais being able to write and think for them self, even there thinking for them self never was anything to write home to mother about.

Thailand is following exactly what the New World Order clique wants to have full control of the world.

Working-class Thais who I warned for years to stay away from credit cards now I see (if they cannot prevent me from seeing) with a wallet full of credit cards and using one credit card to pay another credit card. Of course these Thais now after 15+ years are not too interested in talking to me anymore, especially when I was asked to give 150,000 Baht to repair the roof on the house, 300,000 Baht to buy a car, why list anymore, the stable door is open and the buffalo is gone.

Calculators were allowed to be brought in the classroom? maybe in US or Europe, but NOT in Thailand.

Calculators are never allowed in school (not sure about uni). Ask any student what is the Cosine of 14.5 degree. He will say that there is no such thing. Cosine only comes in 0, 30, 45, 60 and 90 degree intervals (which he/she can recite).

[tombkk]

When calculators were allowed to be brought in the classroom I said, “That’s the end of Thais having great knowledge of calculating”

How right I have proven to be.

Now with PC tablets not only being allowed to be brought in the classroom, but even being given free of charge to students by the Thai Government, this will be the end of Thais being able to write and think for them self, even there thinking for them self never was anything to write home to mother about.

Thailand is following exactly what the New World Order clique wants to have full control of the world.

Working-class Thais who I warned for years to stay away from credit cards now I see (if they cannot prevent me from seeing) with a wallet full of credit cards and using one credit card to pay another credit card. Of course these Thais now after 15+ years are not too interested in talking to me anymore, especially when I was asked to give 150,000 Baht to repair the roof on the house, 300,000 Baht to buy a car, why list anymore, the stable door is open and the buffalo is gone.

Calculators were allowed to be brought in the classroom? maybe in US or Europe, but NOT in Thailand.

Calculators are never allowed in school (not sure about uni). Ask any student what is the Cosine of 14.5 degree. He will say that there is no such thing. Cosine only comes in 0, 30, 45, 60 and 90 degree intervals (which he/she can recite).

It depends on the lecturer. When I hand in the exam questions to the university, there is a form with several check marks I have to fill in. One of them is whether calculators are allowed. Since I don't teach math, I always allow them to use calculators, won't help them a bit.

Note that these are university-approved calculators. Notably, they don't have internet access.