Thai Educational System Need Overhauling

[webfact]

Thai Students Ranked Lower in English Skills

BANGKOK: -- A recent study measuring the English skills of students in 10 Asian countries ranked Thailand in the middle of the pack. Researchers said the Thai educational system need overhauling. They also suggested that Thai students should learn a second foreign language besides English.

Mr. Anake Permvongsenee, the secretary of Education Council, reported that Thai students ranked 5th among 10 Asian nations in a study that compared the students’ English skills. He added that Vietnam was ranked higher than Thailand.

The study was part of a cooperative venture by Asian countries to compare policies and strategies in teaching foreign languages to students. The study noted fundamental flaws in Thailand’s educational system to teach a foreign language, with problems both inside and outside the system.

Thailand needs to improve the fundamentals of studying and teaching English and other foreign languages in a more systematic way. Related organizations should work together solve this urgent problem, the study stated.

The study also suggested that in the future Thai people should not study only English and Chinese language, but also other Asian languages, especially in neighboring countries. Within the next 20 years, Thai children should be able to speak three foreign languages, the study recommended.

The researcher said that the government policy of using the English language in Thailand still doesn’t have a clear strategy. Mr. Anake said he has talked with the secretary of the committee to develop bureaucratic systems. One proposal is that in the future, both English and Thai language should be included in official documents of all government units.

Mr. Anake will share the study results in future meetings with major educational organizations. The goal is to set up clear objectives for teaching English to Thai children with specific targets to be accomplished.

Source: http://www.pattayada...english-skills/

-- Pattaya Daily News 2012-07-28

[EarthAlien]

Thai Educational System Need Overhauling

,... No Kidding?

[1weatherman]

Mr. Anake said he has talked with the secretary of the committee to develop bureaucratic systems.

Just what a country needs, more bureaucracy.

[Payboy]

Just 5th among 10 Asian nations isn't all that bad. Wonder who thought that fib up?

[Maseratimartin]

Behind with the major language english but then directly promising more than they can jew ..."in 20 years they will speak 3 foreign languages"!?!

Review the basic school system ....teach english and then when you managed this you can start dreaming....in 20 years....

[apalink_thailand]

Students repeat after me: "YOU!" ..."come inside please!"...

Lesson over.

[ricardofel]

What an understatement...........it's disgraceful

[drdoom6996]

Thai Educational System Need Overhauling

,... No Kidding?

+1

[hhiser]

Why not CCTV in the classroom to catch all the teachers sitting around on their butts. Because if they actually tried to teach something then they would lose money because students would not have to go to their extra-classes.

[Cardiff1963]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

[AjarnMartin]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

Good question! I can't imagine any nation (apart from maybe the USA) who are more traditionally lazy when it comes to learning a second language because we arrogantly believe that everyone should be able to speak English. Some Brits even believe that English is more easily understood if one increases volume! :-)

[Arkady]

What the author fails to point out is that keeping the Thai electorate uneducated and stupid is an absolutely paramount imperative at both ends of the political spectrum. It is abundantly clear to all politicians that no one with the ability for critical thought would believe in their lies and myths and continue to vote for them. Therefore the Education Ministry will continue to be regarded by politicians as a mere plaything to be plundered for years to come. When Thai unskilled workers are complaining of slave conditions in Burma, they might just realise there was a problem.

Edited July 28, 2012 by Arkady

[Nigel1500]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

Good on you Cardiff. I'm also sick and tired of all these ex-pats whinging about the country they have the luxury of living in.

Back on topic:

I remember a report about 10 years ago that less than 50% of American elementry school kids knew that milk came from a cow!!!

In Australia, more than 50% of high school graduates will make more than 3 mistakes when reciting the multiplication tables from 2 to 10. Less than 13% could count up to 100 in multiples of 13 - 13, 26, 39, 52 ... etc.

[traveler103]

I have been teaching at a Temple school for the past 5 years. The older teachers cannot teach English and do not support any efforts to bring the student levels up. I cannot get the school to purchase Thai/English Dictionaries. The Government wants to increase the level of English but the local schools resist. I find the newer teachers much more helpful and I am encouraged with their support. It will take another 5 years for the older teachers to retire and then there might be some hope.

[Petertimo]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

Good question! I can't imagine any nation (apart from maybe the USA) who are more traditionally lazy when it comes to learning a second language because we arrogantly believe that everyone should be able to speak English. Some Brits even believe that English is more easily understood if one increases volume! :-)

If a foreigner is coming to life in the Netherlands (thats were im from) he or she will have to learn the language before they arrive (when they come from outside the EU). Actually they have to follow an integration course, for which they have to do a ridiculous exam that most Dutch people will actually fail. I think it is more than reasonable to learn Thai if you stay in Thailand for the longterm. You should integrate in the country you choose to life in otherwise you should have stayed home.

[sirchai]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

You're so right! Most people complaining about Thais do not speak a second language.

[atyclb]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

Good question! I can't imagine any nation (apart from maybe the USA) who are more traditionally lazy when it comes to learning a second language because we arrogantly believe that everyone should be able to speak English. Some Brits even believe that English is more easily understood if one increases volume! :-)

If a foreigner is coming to life in the Netherlands (thats were im from) he or she will have to learn the language before they arrive (when they come from outside the EU). Actually they have to follow an integration course, for which they have to do a ridiculous exam that most Dutch people will actually fail. I think it is more than reasonable to learn Thai if you stay in Thailand for the longterm. You should integrate in the country you choose to life in otherwise you should have stayed home.

it is true what you say about learning the language of the country you live, HOWEVER; a high % of expats motivation/ reason for living in Thailand is related to social life for which there is an abundance of girlie (some boyly) interpreters/ facilitators available for a fee. Actually if one is a pensioner wanting to have fun, tough to criticize them for not learning a new language(realistically speaking)

English skills for Thai people is about "the language of business" and not about simply needing to speak another language. Chinese is also an important business language but seems a dismally low % of Thai's speak it, while mainland Chinese have significantly better English skills than Thai's.

In the USA a significantly high % of people do indeed speak 2 languages. Spanish is the second language after English and many are bilingual. As English is the language of business for the global community, North Americans are lucky in that English alone can suffice. I might add that Spanish is one of the United Nations languages and there are MANY globally important trade countries speaking it including but not limited to an EC country, Spain.

In the global community / economy, unfortunately Thai is of very limited usefulness.

Edited July 28, 2012 by atyclb

[Unkomoncents]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

Good on you Cardiff. I'm also sick and tired of all these ex-pats whinging about the country they have the luxury of living in.

Back on topic:

I remember a report about 10 years ago that less than 50% of American elementry school kids knew that milk came from a cow!!!

In Australia, more than 50% of high school graduates will make more than 3 mistakes when reciting the multiplication tables from 2 to 10. Less than 13% could count up to 100 in multiples of 13 - 13, 26, 39, 52 ... etc.

And yet somehow both countries mentioned manage to sustain massive service sectors whose fundamental raison d'etre is the peddling of knowledge. The citizens of both countries also pull in much higher per capita incomes that enable significantly greater social mobility among the majority. Strange.

[sirchai]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

Good question! I can't imagine any nation (apart from maybe the USA) who are more traditionally lazy when it comes to learning a second language because we arrogantly believe that everyone should be able to speak English. Some Brits even believe that English is more easily understood if one increases volume! :-)

If a foreigner is coming to life in the Netherlands (thats were im from) he or she will have to learn the language before they arrive (when they come from outside the EU). Actually they have to follow an integration course, for which they have to do a ridiculous exam that most Dutch people will actually fail. I think it is more than reasonable to learn Thai if you stay in Thailand for the longterm. You should integrate in the country you choose to life in otherwise you should have stayed home.

You're talking about a course they have to take. Including reading, speaking and writing skills, guess very similar to Germany. If most Dutch people wouldn't pass such an enormous complex test, it just means that they don't know their own language?

But I do agree that most people here explaining, can't even order a noodle soup after ten years in Thailand. And of course you're right, you can't expect that all Thai people here can speak English, German, Dutch ,Russian or Chinese.

It's always nice to have a chat with people from the country I'd chosen to live in.......

[sirchai]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

Good question! I can't imagine any nation (apart from maybe the USA) who are more traditionally lazy when it comes to learning a second language because we arrogantly believe that everyone should be able to speak English. Some Brits even believe that English is more easily understood if one increases volume! :-)

There's actually a good joke about it. What do you call somebody who speaks only one language? An American..............

But I haven't met many Brits either who could communicate in another language.

Funny is that Brits make jokes about Americans and their IQ.

Some movies made in Great Britain have English subtitles that other nations can understand what's going on.

Edited July 28, 2012 by sirchai

[thaicbr]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

As far as I'm aware this Thread is about a Thai that is whinging about Thai students lack of English.

English is the international language and that does make it easier for English (and Welsh) to not speak Thai.

But of more importance it's going to be the language of ASEAN.

Sent from my GT-P1010 using Thaivisa Connect App

Edited July 28, 2012 by thaicbr

[NoshowJones]

I have been teaching at a Temple school for the past 5 years. The older teachers cannot teach English and do not support any efforts to bring the student levels up. I cannot get the school to purchase Thai/English Dictionaries. The Government wants to increase the level of English but the local schools resist. I find the newer teachers much more helpful and I am encouraged with their support. It will take another 5 years for the older teachers to retire and then there might be some hope.

As long as the young blue eyed blonde bar hoppers get preference over older more capable experienced teachers, there will always be a problem with teaching in Thai schools.

[sunkist]

My wife is a teacher...or was. She returned from US and found she is no longer qualified to be a teacher because of new educator standards. She speaks fluent English and was a Chemistry teacher in upper grades for several years and now cannot teach. I volunteered to help at local school with English speaking and Immigration said I could not because also need certificate to teach and meet immigration criteria. Meanwhile the classrooms at my daughters school have 40+ students in classroom. Chinese have sent hundreds of teachers from China at their cost to teach Mandarin in the local schools and seem to get around all these requirements.

[NHJ]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

i do speak two foreign languages one being english.

[Mosha]

As long as the Thai English teachers in the sticks, are unable to converse in English. The kids have no chance.

[rubik101]

I teach privately; around 4-6 students a week. They are mostly Uni graduates. They all suffer from the same problem; they have no experience of speaking any English. They can read, write and up to a point, listen, fairly well. Until the teachers are taught to conduct the classes only in English and speak only English in the classroom, the students have no hope.

btw, I speak three languages.

[Unkomoncents]

How many of you whingers on here speak a second language

Me. I speak two other languages, and, shockingly, I am American.

Edited July 29, 2012 by Scott

[ajarnyai]

The only real problem with Thai students learning English is that they don't use it, and they don't think they ever will. I tell my technical college students that they only need to understand words and phases related to their job, and they still won't try to learn. If the Thai government really wanted to firmly integrate English into the Thai culture, they would correct the spellings on all the signs, require government employees to pass a reading, writing, and speaking test, require English language content on TV and other such measures. Thai will be my third language, and it's only because I do NEED to use it. No employer or anyone else will be impressed, if I can't use it to live or make money. This is the way most Thais and Americans think. How many of you can still do algebra?

When well educated and experienced Thais lose jobs to less qualified workers with better language skills, the market for better teachers, language schools and such will boom, and Thais might be a bit more motivated to practice foreign languages with each other.

Until then, no one gives F(&K. I'm still amazed that I have a job.......

[cdnski12]

I think the main problem may be the Thai Language. Elementary and High School Students spend an inordinate amount of time on Thai Language Studies, rather than Science, Maths, Physics. This will not change. The elite Thai's have Thailand exactly where they want it.

Edited July 29, 2012 by Scott
Royal reference edited out

[kerrysum]

What I learned..... the pint is a pound the World round.......

Hmmmmmmmm interesting isn't it?

I had a very good friend in Thailand that was frustrated, that he had spent soooooo... much money to teach his children English.... So I had to ask him... what language do you speak at home? Issan Khrap.... My advice to him was to send his children to a country that spoke the language... It happens everywhere...... So my question is? How will they learn if they are not challenged......

I am often called a prick, because I won't speak my wife's language at home.... I have been in both situations, when you are there, you better learn the lingo...... It just might come in handy......

He finally heeded my advice, and they went to another country, and he was amazed......

My wife is now in the LOS, and guess what she is doing? She is tutoring her nieces and nephews..... so was I such a prick?

It is not that they might be lazy, it is because of the way their language and my language is formed..... Acually we speak in reverse, now we must teach them to speak differntly?

They must live in a one language situation, so that they learn.....

Just a thought........

Kerry