Seminar Told Education System's Failing Millions Of Deprived Thai Kids

[anterian]

I'd have to agree that on the whole, the system is terrible and needs fixing literally from top to bottom. But you'd have to pay off the deadwood you were getting rid of at the same time that you were replacing them with- what?... It's not just an educational problem, it's a sociological problem. What would Thailand- as it currently is- DO with a highly educated populace- have them plant rice while singing foreign language songs? (this may already be happening)-- at the highest education levels, the problem is not so much the lack of people as it is the lack of jobs which would fit their qualifications- that's why many of them go abroad. It is the MIDDLE ground where there is a hiring crisis, because they want to employ people in middle class positions with theoretically middle class educations- and there's where the void is. There's plenty of 'hi-so' education (relatively speaking, as a percentage of the population), and plenty of VERY low-so education, but not much middle class education to provide the moderately-well-educated managers, bureaucrats, and technicians which are needed both to supervise the uneducated workers and report to the more educated higher-level project leaders.

Since the people who would normally populate this class ARE the middle class- and they have no one to support them educationally- if they DO manage to get into the 'hi-so' schools, they're outta there- why would they stick around in middle class jobs and be paid peanuts? And if they don't make it there, they aren't really qualified for the jobs. The so-called bilingual and semi-international schools that seem to be getting opened by every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a few million baht just don't cut it.

Indeed so, what you are writing about is MOTIVATION. Perhaps through ASEAN pupils may come to see the benefits of education when they start to loose out to their better educated foreign neighbours.

[Markaew]

I don't see anything wrong with the Thai educational system.

It is entirely suitable for a population in a feudal society.

As if the western education system is so special, turning out students that have an overinflated image of their self-worth, that are dissatisfied for their entire lives.

When the revolution comes, hope you're first up against the wall to be shot.

[Markaew]

I'd have to agree that on the whole, the system is terrible and needs fixing literally from top to bottom. But you'd have to pay off the deadwood you were getting rid of at the same time that you were replacing them with- what?... It's not just an educational problem, it's a sociological problem. What would Thailand- as it currently is- DO with a highly educated populace- have them plant rice while singing foreign language songs? (this may already be happening)-- at the highest education levels, the problem is not so much the lack of people as it is the lack of jobs which would fit their qualifications- that's why many of them go abroad. It is the MIDDLE ground where there is a hiring crisis, because they want to employ people in middle class positions with theoretically middle class educations- and there's where the void is. There's plenty of 'hi-so' education (relatively speaking, as a percentage of the population), and plenty of VERY low-so education, but not much middle class education to provide the moderately-well-educated managers, bureaucrats, and technicians which are needed both to supervise the uneducated workers and report to the more educated higher-level project leaders.

Since the people who would normally populate this class ARE the middle class- and they have no one to support them educationally- if they DO manage to get into the 'hi-so' schools, they're outta there- why would they stick around in middle class jobs and be paid peanuts? And if they don't make it there, they aren't really qualified for the jobs? The so-called bilingual and semi-international schools that seem to be getting opened by every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a few million baht just don't cut it.

The hi-so education is bought and paid for where the student literally does nothing and ends up with nothing education wise. (I am agreeing with you). If the poorer areas were truly educated in the high school where there is little or no additional money required, wouldn't that give them the opportunity and confidence to go abroad for those better jobs. The problems here cannot be fixed but these poorer students could be given options. I moved to a poorer area and experienced the teachers just spending their time jockeying for position and the students education is clearly unimportant. So what I am saying...give the the non-hi-so student the chance to leap frog the uneducated hi-so student.

Edited April 3, 2012 by Markaew

[Markaew]

I'd have to agree that on the whole, the system is terrible and needs fixing literally from top to bottom. But you'd have to pay off the deadwood you were getting rid of at the same time that you were replacing them with- what?... It's not just an educational problem, it's a sociological problem. What would Thailand- as it currently is- DO with a highly educated populace- have them plant rice while singing foreign language songs? (this may already be happening)-- at the highest education levels, the problem is not so much the lack of people as it is the lack of jobs which would fit their qualifications- that's why many of them go abroad. It is the MIDDLE ground where there is a hiring crisis, because they want to employ people in middle class positions with theoretically middle class educations- and there's where the void is. There's plenty of 'hi-so' education (relatively speaking, as a percentage of the population), and plenty of VERY low-so education, but not much middle class education to provide the moderately-well-educated managers, bureaucrats, and technicians which are needed both to supervise the uneducated workers and report to the more educated higher-level project leaders.

Since the people who would normally populate this class ARE the middle class- and they have no one to support them educationally- if they DO manage to get into the 'hi-so' schools, they're outta there- why would they stick around in middle class jobs and be paid peanuts? And if they don't make it there, they aren't really qualified for the jobs. The so-called bilingual and semi-international schools that seem to be getting opened by every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a few million baht just don't cut it.

Indeed so, what you are writing about is MOTIVATION. Perhaps through ASEAN pupils may come to see the benefits of education when they start to loose out to their better educated foreign neighbours.

Thais stay in a state of denial and ignore the outside world. The outside world will change but Thais will not notice.

[belg]

help the 100.000 pregnant with a free abortion

[smedly]

I honestly think that the Thai authorities i.e. government are dilusional and fail to see just how incompetent they really are, as I have said before I believe they align themselves with Singapore MalaysiaS.Korea Japan when in fact they are firmly entrenched with Cambodia Vietnam Burma and in many ways are dropping behind, they are so busy filling their own pockets and progressing agendas of destruction like repatriating criminals from abroad that the country as a whole is actually going backwards, I have no doubt there are smart people here but they seem generally left out in the cold by a bunch of uneducated baffoons that have neither the skills or the credentials to run a noodle stall never mind a government office, There may have been some hope with Absith but dirty money from abroad and idiotic election promises saw an end to him, this country is going down the toilet fast and it's time someone put an end to this madness before it's too late to do anything about

[Ijustwannateach]

Actually, at the really good schools the students get a very good education indeed- and work VERY hard. The top end of Thai education is very, very, good- and it's not the nouveux riches who go to the do-nothing semi-international schools; I'm talking the full international schools plus the top end of the 'public' education system (which is very different from the bottom end, even though it is all 'public'). But the numbers of students involved in these schools is maybe only a few thousand per year, maximum, out of an annual graduation class that is closer to a couple million people.

The poor students lack a number of normally privately paid resources that will make competing very difficult for them, even assuming that the education itself is equal (a long shot):

1. little quality tutorial time

2. lack of knowledge of scholarship and/or sponsorship programs, and potential prejudice in competition for those programs

3. fewer electronics and computers at home

4. fewer chances to spend significant time abroad (and thus improve language abilities privately)

THEN you get to the under-resourcing of the schools, the poorer quality of education of the public teachers, lack of motivation to work for so little money, etc., etc., etc. It's a long, uphill battle, even assuming that one of your family doesn't get sick and you don't have to drop out to take his job so the family survives.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

So if we accept that then Thailand's education is in worse shape than it was ten years ago.

Sounds to me like you care about politics more than education.

This is a fundamental cultural/social/economic more than a political (as in sides/colors/parties) problem, as deep and important as corruption and rule of law.

Changing the puppets at the top doesn't solve such problems any more here than it does back home.