Education gaps 'cost country trillions'

SAOWANEE NIMPANPAYUNGWONG

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Without help, 5 million underprivileged children whose parents cannot afford to give them a proper education are fated to become low-skilled workers, an outcome that could cost the country trillions of baht in the long run. To prevent this scenario, the Education Ministry has been urged to ensure that these children are properly educated.

Amornwich Nakhonthap, a board member and adviser of the Quality Learning Foundation, said a survey counted 5 million underprivileged children, 3 million of whom had not been in school for the past decade. And a study by the Office of the Education Council showed that from 1997-2008, 20 per cent of schoolchildren had dropped out before completing Matthayom 3 (Grade 9) and 30 per cent before completing Matthayom 6 (Grade12). Only 35 per cent of students pursued higher education.

"This has resulted in a low-quality workforce. More than 60 per cent of Thai workers have education profiles lower than Matthayom 3. Based on income differentials between private-company employees with bachelor's degrees and those with Matthayom 3- and Matthayom 6-level educations, our calculations found that the cumulative losses to the country in the next 40 years will be Bt37.5 trillion, or five times the country's current gross domestic product," he said.

The education of more than half the country's schoolchildren has been overlooked, Amornwich said, adding that people only pay attention to the 35 per cent who are in higher education.

LOW RANKING IN EDUCATION

"According to the Human Development Index, Thailand is ranked 71st, lower than Malaysia, Lithuania, Croatia and Tonga. The Mental Health Department said the intelligence quotient (IQ) of children aged 6-15 is very low. The province with the lowest IQ [scores] is Narathiwat, while Nonthaburi has the highest.

"One third of children live with their grandparents due to teenage pregnancy problems. Relevant agencies know that all children must have equal access to education. However, the figures reflect that the education gap persists," he said.

Amornwich added that academic competition among students and schools had contributed to the disparity, with the quality of teachers and schools varying. He urged the Education Ministry to try to produce qualified or good teachers in all parts of the country.

Teachers' performance should be assessed in terms of the knowledge they pass on to their students. Many do not care sufficiently for their students' learning and development, he said.

"Our foundation is encouraging provincial agencies to work with our educational development networks and to invest more in education. Each province should be given a per-student budget and should be allowed to manage the budget themselves.

As well as ensuring teachers perform satisfactorily, each province should employ teachers as counsellors, nurses, nutritionists and psychologists to assist students. Counsellors could help students who are at risk of dropping out to remain in the education system," he said.

He urged the ministry to allocate more of its Bt400-billion annual budget to student development activities, while reducing operational costs, including teacher salaries and management costs.

-- The Nation 2012-08-29

I'd say the Prime Minister should set up a committee right away to find out more about this problem!

Does he really mean reduce teacher's salaries?

That seems counterproductive to getting better teachers to me. Maybe I am just dumb!

It is sad to see the true future of Thailand lessened by the lack of professionalism within the Education ministry. It is the government that as allowed this to persist. They talk about education as if it is topic they care about but face it only as a vote generator not a basic human right and need.

The advisory board to the minister is only a token panel that has no rights or power, yet the minister seldom are in their position for more than a year. Who is running the education system in Thailand. a Purchasing agent for the government?

It doe snot matter the colour of the shirt in power, it has been a low priority ministry under all parties. It has of course made lots of people in power made money from it, but of the many at the trough few have earned their feed.

It is not a matter of more committees they have enough at the trough time to call the ministry and past ministers to account for their not take heed to what they were told was needed. I jest as until the people expect their elected people to serve them there will be no changes as a uneducated population is easier to buy votes from.

Ask any Thai elected official if your party is unlike just change your party nobody cares the person only the colour. Simple in India they use pictures of logo to vote here we use colours so who needs to read or write to vote. The colour and the number is all you need, names don't matter.

I'd say the Prime Minister should set up a committee right away to find out more about this problem!

Then wshe can be a hub and fix it all in 90 days.

but wait, thailand is know for no skilled cheap (sex) labour

why change or why they think they can change this in the first place ?

investors would back out after they suddenly start increasing salaries for no reason ... oh sorry, they did, and now unemployment rates start to skyrocket and nobody overthere has a clue why

Does he really mean reduce teacher's salaries?

That seems counterproductive to getting better teachers to me. Maybe I am just dumb!

Thai teachers’ salaries have increased quite dramatically over the past few years; the problem is the teaching standards have dropped the same quite dramatically also (no accountability).

This myth that Thai government teachers are poorly paid is just a myth, just ask most Thai government teachers what their salary is before all the government guaranteed loans they have are taken out of their salary.

but wait, thailand is know for no skilled cheap (sex) labour

why change or why they think they can change this in the first place ?

investors would back out after they suddenly start increasing salaries for no reason ... oh sorry, they did, and now unemployment rates start to skyrocket and nobody overthere has a clue why

"Unskilled sex labour"

Think you summed it up well.

I have commented on Thai education elsewhere but I believe that the powers that be, whatever colour, do not in all honesty want an educated country where the masses have access to and equity in education which is relevant and progressive. The last thing they want is a questioning, thinking populace. Furthermore I would say that Thai script has been purposefully left difficult in order to disenfranchise the poor. Thai students spend an inordinate amount of curriculum time mastering their script at the expense of other areas of study. It suits the rich and powerful to have a ready supply of cheap labour on their building sites and unskilled trades etc.

Ah Education another Thairish stew. The Thai Ministry of education has focused on the problems of teaching in Thailand and tried to implement its policy to abolish Rote learning in the year 2000. The teachers tried frantically to cling to the old school of Rote learning with strikes and threatened all other kinds of industrial action.

What theThai Ministry of Education finished up with was a half hearted attempt to adapt to project learning with a mixture of the old Rote methods and the new. Teachers are insiders too and they know how to manipulate the system in a way that garnishes there income while avoiding and increase in effort. The Ministry, being insiders themselves handle their teachers, also insiders, with Kidd gloves in the way that all Thai organisations that are sheltering insiders do. They 'organisations of insiders' avoid head on conflic

poorly educated children......pay less for teachers....

no customers in your bar....increase prices...

can't sell your house/condo....increase price....

PRICELESS

I thought having millions of people condemned to low skill jobs was exactly what the HiSo elite want though? It's what keeps them rich after all.

Just give them all a tablet computer problem sloved ?

The question is not whether having the uneducated sector will cost Thailand money, but whether having NO uneducated sector will cost certain 'Influential Persons' money.