Teachers Service Providers: Thai Education Minister Suchart

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Teachers service providers: Suchart

Chularat Saengpassa

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- New Education Minister Suchart Tadathamrongvech sees teachers as service providers in the education industry who should be subjected to performance appraisals by their students. "As 'customers', children should be allowed to assess teachers' performances.

The performance scores will count for pay raises and academic promotions," Suchart recently told Nation Multimedia Group.

The scores given by students should account for 70-80 per cent of a teacher's evaluation and the rest by the scores from school directors, he said.

Suchart counts himself as a real expert in the education field. When it comes to policymaking, he does not have to consult research findings.

"No need. I myself am a professor." Just like his predecessor, Woravat Auapinyakul, Suchart has come up with many new ideas. While Woravat initiated the English Speaking Year campaign, the new minister would also give priority to Mandarin.

With assistance from the Thai-Chinese Culture and Economy Association, the Education Ministry was calling on China to send 5,000 instructors to teach Mandarin at Thai schools.

According to the association, China was interested in supporting the programme and willing to provide some financial aid. China has offered to help Thailand create suitable Chinese language courses, hold youth camps for the teaching of Mandarin, organise Chinese language contests in Thailand and even launch a "sister school" project among Thai and Chinese academic institutions.

Suchart is scheduled to visit China to clinch a bilateral agreement late this month.

However, he vowed never to ignore the importance of English. Tens of thousands of native English speakers and Indians would be imported to accelerate the development of English language skills in the country.

Suchart was rather non-committal about education reform. Although the reform plan in its second decade (2009-18) has already been released, Suchart did not express full support for its implementation.

He was enthusiastic, though, about the "One Child One Tablet PC" scheme.

"We can no longer resist tablets because technology will continue to be developed. Students will have to learn how to use them. Using tablets makes life more convenient.

"This is similar to the transition from using slate to paper when I was a child. Even though paper was more expensive at the time, we eventually had to replace slates with paper since it was more convenient to use," he said.

Suchart had hoped that the Cabinet at its last meeting would approve a budget of Bt800 million-Bt900 million so that 300,000 more tablet PCs can be distributed to schoolchildren, but the proposal was not taken up.

He vowed to bring up the request at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

The tablet policy management committee has agreed to increase the distribution of tablets for the upcoming academic year from more than 600,000 units at a total cost of Bt1.9 billion to 900,000.

The ministry is trying to start handing out the tablets in May.

Suchart has new ideas for educational development.

Teachers would be encouraged to keep improving their knowledge by having them take tests to get certificates - the higher the level they can reach, the higher the pay they will get.

Teachers who want to become school directors would take only the objective test related to administration and management and skip the interview to stop corruption among some of the committees' members.

The problem of tea money at schools would also be addressed.

"Anybody who knows or witnesses any officials [school directors or teachers] receiving bribes can report and send us the evidence. We'll take legal action against them."

However, Suchart has not explained in detail how he will be able to implement all his ideas within the education system.

Suchart said he would supervise those who are under his ministry like his family.

"With the student-centred approach commitment, we'll take care of students like they're our children. They won't be dominated by people in the older generation, but will be free to think and imagine under a suitable scope. Then, the country will be developed."

-- The Nation 2012-02-06

[noitom]

That's exactly the wrong approach. Putting the fox in the chicken coop. If students are "grading" and rating teachers, it will provide even more incentive to teachers to not teach but to reward. The teacher appraisal system needs a multi-dimensional approach that empowers the students with a small part of the evaluation process. Student performance is the key not their opinion. Performance metrics need lots of development in Thailand, and there are prerequisites such as revision of the entire tea money system. The other thing that needs to be a part of the evaluation is to upgrade the student admission standards to include logical thinking and problem solving.

[Unkomoncents]

"Suchart counts himself as a real expert in the education field. When it comes to policymaking, he does not have to consult research findings." With these kinds of experts, who needs research? The omniscience is quite splendid. It's too bad these experts don't work in the water management ministries.

It's interesting because as a teacher enmeshed in Thailand's international school system, I find these kinds pronouncements meaningless. The education system in Thailand, on the whole, is utterly decentralized and ossified to the extent that no central policy will have any measurable effect for years, if at all. Multiple sub-ministries and local governments manage portions of the school market. This kind of thinking will have absolutely no effect at all on students enrolled in Thailand's (overpriced) international schools. Naturally, because those schools actually have set curricula and standards to abide by, no student-rating system could ever be implemented. This is meant to satisfy Thai schools and administrators as a temporary palliative gesture. It's also highly unlikely, given the current rate of successful policy proposal-to-execution dynamics in the Thai government, that any of this will even bear on Thai schools. What will happen here is a whole of bunch of tablet PC folks will bite into the tea money and a few people will get rich while a few Thais enjoy a short-lived, ill-planned technological venture the ends with online video games and nothing else. All this reminds me of Thaksin's "One Student, One Dream" policy whereby the government sponsored international education and travel for Thai students. Within two years, well over the government figure of 10% of students had returned to Thailand and given up their scholarships and one had committed suicide. The policy was dead in the water within three years.

[whybother]

I know a few teachers who I would have given poor results for when they were first teaching me, but over the years (while still at school) I realised how good they were.

Student feedback should be taken into account, but there is no way that a student would really know what is good for them at that stage, so having it at 70-80 % of evaluation isn't going to work.

[HeavyDrinker]

Well maybe this will winkle out all of these "teachers" who are nothing of the sort.

I fail to see however how he thinks Student's feedback will in anyway be of any use whatsoever. Ludicrous nonsense.

[FOODLOVER]

This could work. Its insanely possible that this man is an evil genius! Muahahahahaha ha. Or not.

[thaicbr]

This is the same guy that last week said that clever students would never become teachers as they would get more money in industry... He really has NO Clue......calling teachers DUMB

[kerryk]

"It's misleading to suppose there's any basic difference between education and entertainment." - Marshall McLuhan

[Moruya]

I'd like to see this guy go and teach for a week in Pattani.

[Diverse]

However, he vowed never to ignore the importance of English. Tens of thousands of native English speakers and Indians would be imported to accelerate the development of English language skills in the country.

In his dreams. Tens of thousands of native English speakers. Who in their right mind would want to come here and work for a pittance whilst being treated as a dumb farang with less rights than the soi dog. How can he put NES and Indians in the same group of English imports. Or is he going to offer the same salary to the Indians as is offered to Phillipino's?

[Reasonableman]

Time for teachers to re-read Dale Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people", so they get high popularity ratings FROM students, rather than good performance ratings FOR students.

[Reasonableman]

"It's misleading to suppose there's any basic difference between education and entertainment." - Marshall McLuhan

The medium is the massage

[toybits]

What a ridiculous idea! These people obviously have not watched Fareed Zakaria's show titled Fixing Education (GPS Sunday Primetime Special) on CNN. Brilliant show. Kudos to Fareed and his team.

[DoctorG]

The student evaluation method is used in China. I was surprised that my university invited me to stay a second year because I am a real bastard, I made them actually work hard

[Darkman]

The teacher appraisal system needs a multi-dimensional approach that empowers the students with a small part of the evaluation process. Student performance is the key not their opinion.

Spot on.

Our school has that very system, students are empowered with a small part of the evaluation process and the overall appraisal system works well. Shame about the rest of the education system.

[Darkman]

I'd like to see this guy go and teach for a week in Pattani.

I'm sure your misguided, he's a Professor, he said so, it must be true.

[chainarong]

So , I am not the only one out with the fairies, Now I've got company, welcome dear sir.

[sirchai]

"No need. I myself am a professor."

Which means that all professors on this planet do not have to continue learning anything else, because they already know nothing.

"With assistance from the Thai-Chinese Culture and Economy Association, the Education Ministry was calling on China to send 5,000 instructors to teach Mandarin at Thai schools."

​A nice way to bring Mr Thaksin back without punishment. Guess he speaks Mandarin well......

Edited February 6, 2012 by sirchai

[siampolee]

Suchart counts himself as a real expert in the education field. When it comes to policymaking, he does not have to consult research findings.

"No need. I myself am a professor."

So Minister where do you get your expertise from.

Perchance are you a spiritualist perhaps and seeking divine guidance?

Sadly I think you will find that the. ' Oracles at The Temple of Delphi,' were declared redundent many a year back

[FriedMyLittleBrain]

cheap Blah Blah Blah and scare full - what can be more awful than a person who "No need. I myself am a professor."- his "new' ideas coming from this "deep'' & "outstanding'' way of thinking...like Socrates antipod first -"all I know is that I know nothing"& he know that he know everything & bit more (LOL)But seriously ,who need here really good education? (except children of high society)how they will manipulating people with cheap promises & showing on TV how kind & careful they are when give pack of rice for old (& this way people really think that they care about )or present couple sport balls for school ...-sad sad sad

[sparebox2]

If student are trated as customer, I am sure they all all get grades depending on how much they pay.

[wintermute]

If student are trated as customer, I am sure they all all get grades depending on how much they pay.

I've heard that's what the current system is already. It will just be business as usual,

[geriatrickid]

The teacher appraisal system needs a multi-dimensional approach that empowers the students with a small part of the evaluation process. Student performance is the key not their opinion.

Spot on.

Our school has that very system, students are empowered with a small part of the evaluation process and the overall appraisal system works well. Shame about the rest of the education system.

We rated our profs in university. I think it is a fair notion.

I'm sure a few teachers are going to be terrified. The beatings, favourtism and lack of preparation is going to bite them on the buttocks. For every horror story we hear about "bad" students, I know that there are kids eager to learn and that when exposed to an educator that knows his/her subject, those students flourish. The students are the consumer of the services and as clients that pay for a service. They are entitled to some say in the quality of services they are paying for.

The educational system along with healthcare is one of the worst offenders when it comes to accountability to its clients. If the public is paying the salaries, and the additional fees, then the public has a right to measure the quality of the service. To those that say the teachers that are strict or give too much work will be penalized, I doubt it. Kids will respect a strict teacher that is fair. And yes, there is a fondness for too much homework. Sorry, but the studies show that the junior grades do not benefit from the "tons" of homework approach. I don't remember much of the crap I took and I had tons of homework. Anyone that's had a challenging teacher knows that the teacher will most likely be revered and loved by the students if the challenge is done in a positive manner. I had an incredible old fossil for quanitative math and he was able to take complex ideas and explain them to simple folks like me. Our class loved it when he challenged us with some toughies because we wanted to try out what we had learnt. He really had an ability to take boring math and make it fun.

[scorecard]

The teacher appraisal system needs a multi-dimensional approach that empowers the students with a small part of the evaluation process. Student performance is the key not their opinion.

Spot on.

Our school has that very system, students are empowered with a small part of the evaluation process and the overall appraisal system works well. Shame about the rest of the education system.

We rated our profs in university. I think it is a fair notion.

I'm sure a few teachers are going to be terrified. The beatings, favourtism and lack of preparation is going to bite them on the buttocks. For every horror story we hear about "bad" students, I know that there are kids eager to learn and that when exposed to an educator that knows his/her subject, those students flourish. The students are the consumer of the services and as clients that pay for a service. They are entitled to some say in the quality of services they are paying for.

The educational system along with healthcare is one of the worst offenders when it comes to accountability to its clients. If the public is paying the salaries, and the additional fees, then the public has a right to measure the quality of the service. To those that say the teachers that are strict or give too much work will be penalized, I doubt it. Kids will respect a strict teacher that is fair. And yes, there is a fondness for too much homework. Sorry, but the studies show that the junior grades do not benefit from the "tons" of homework approach. I don't remember much of the crap I took and I had tons of homework. Anyone that's had a challenging teacher knows that the teacher will most likely be revered and loved by the students if the challenge is done in a positive manner. I had an incredible old fossil for quanitative math and he was able to take complex ideas and explain them to simple folks like me. Our class loved it when he challenged us with some toughies because we wanted to try out what we had learnt. He really had an ability to take boring math and make it fun.

The Thai unis where I lecture do continuous student surveys and there are numerous comprehensibe and relevant questions. The program directors talk quickly and seriously to lecturers if their scores are low.

On the other hand, the Thai uni my son attended has zero assessment of teachers. During his time at this place there were numerous protests outside the presidents office to complain about very poor quality lecturers. Luckily for my son, his faculty wasn't too bad, except for his English teacher:

- 18 yr old Thai girl (relative of the president)

- She cannot speak English, no qualifications whatever

- Arrived 30 / 40 minutes late for every class

- Had a one page handwritten handout for each lesson, ripped out of a notebook.

- Five or 6 sentences like 'I am already will was to go to shopping yesterday went' , and similar

- All hand written in upper case letters, no pronunciation marks

- Another 10 minute wait while a student went to got the handout copied.

- No explanation of the vocabulary or construction - whole class had to, in unison, verbalize each sentence 5 or 6 times.

- End of lesson, teacher disappears.

But luckily my son speaks close to native speaker English.

[sirchai]

cheap Blah Blah Blah and scare full - what can be more awful than a person who "No need. I myself am a professor."- his "new' ideas coming from this "deep'' & "outstanding'' way of thinking...like Socrates antipod first -"all I know is that I know nothing"& he know that he know everything & bit more (LOL)But seriously ,who need here really good education? (except children of high society)how they will manipulating people with cheap promises & showing on TV how kind & careful they are when give pack of rice for old (& this way people really think that they care about )or present couple sport balls for school ...-sad sad sad

Was n't Einstein saying: I know that I know nothing?. They don't know what many of us know and we don't want to know what they don't know.......