Health Ministry Aims To Raise IQs of Thai Kids

BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Public Health has been developing a project to increase the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of Thai children from the year 2000.

The project involves expanding the knowledge base of three age groups of Thai child intelligence developing technology: from birth to 5 years old, from 6 to 11 years old, and adolescents from 12 to 18 years old.

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The prototype has been created for the boosting of children’s intelligence and developing information systems extending to the local government. The government’s focus on Thai child development is concerned with increasing intelligence, or the intelligence quotient (IQ); as well as emotional intelligence, or the emotional quotient (EQ).

The goal is not to fall below the international standard of the intelligence tests, said Dr. Chonnan Seekaew, deputy minister of the Public Health Ministry. A 2011 survey of the IQ of students across the country found that Thai children averaged an IQ of 98.59 points, lower than the present international IQ standard of 100 points.

The highest IQ area was in Bangkok and central Thailand, which averaged 101.29 points. The next highest was the northern area, with 100.11 points; followed by the southern area with 96.85 points. The lowest IQs were in northeast Thailand, which averaged 95.99 points.

In 2013, the Ministry of Public Health made a policy to support the children to cultivate a higher IQ, which focused on three areas of improvement. The first was to create healthy children clinics in hospitals across the country. The second was to create 20,000 child development centers nationwide. The third was to teach parents how to improve their skills in raising their children.

Mothers were encouraged to only breastfeed their child for the first 6 months to build the baby’s IQ. Parents were also taught how to monitor their children to notice any developmental disorders, which could be better fixed if detected early, to help children develop to their full potential.

The Ministry plans to conduct another survey in 2016. The health minister feels confident that by that time the Thai children’s IQ will have reached 100 points to meet international standards.

The government also has been working on the development of emotional intelligence, or EQ, in Thai children. The 2011 survey by the Ministry of Mental Health in Thailand found that in the 6 to 11-year-old age range, the national average EQ score was 45.12, lower than normal EQ standard of 50 points.

Full story: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2013/02/20/health-ministry-aims-to-raise-iqs-of-thai-kids/

-- Pattaya Daily News 2013-02-20

Mission impossible.

They can start by teaching something more in schools than just Buddhism and one important man. Many Thais don't even know where Singapore is, who is Hirohito was or even that the Vietnam war even existed. Those last 2 affected Thailand greatly.

Even basic jobs here are advertised with the criteria of uni degrees which just shows you how bad the mainstream education must be if employers are insisting on degrees just to work in shops.

Yet again another status busting, look good announcement by the ever funny Thai politicians.

Edited February 20, 201313 yr by rinteln

Hmmm accord to this site, the average IQ for Thailand is 91, the same as Cambodia.

http://www.photius.com/rankings/national_iq_scores_country_ranks.html

IQ does not change , so the average IQ for the country and the IQ for the children

should be the same.

At the top of the IQ list is Singapore, which coincidentally also

tops the lists for having the least amount of corruption...I wonder if there is a

correlation, when the assets of a country are reinvested back into the well being

of its children, rather than being used for new Mercedes, mia nois, and plump

Swiss bank accounts......

Who's going to raise the IQ of the Health Ministry though?

"The project involves expanding the knowledge base of three age groups of Thai child intelligence developing technology"

<deleted> does this mean please???

They can start by teaching something more in schools than just Buddhism and one important man. Many Thais don't even know where Singapore is, who is Hirohito was or even that the Vietnam war even existed. Those last 2 affected Thailand greatly.

Even basic jobs here are advertised with the criteria of uni degrees which just shows you how bad the mainstream education must be if employers are insisting on degrees just to work in shops.

Yet again another status busting, look good announcement by the ever funny Thai politicians.

And the way the teach and how the check and and and....

I think a worthwhile study would be whether those with lower IQ's eat a disproportionate amount of sticky rice during infancy.

Edited February 20, 201313 yr by Thai at Heart

There is no mention of 'how' they intend to raise the level? Love to see the methodologies. And only feeding breast milk for six months? <deleted>.

Take a look at this related TV link to get the low down on the latest education expert's take on homework.

Yes, I posted in there too.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/620473-homework-performance-link-queried-thailand/

If the ministry wants to cultivate children's IQ's by teaching, 'parents how to improve their skills in raising their children.', then I suggest they start with improving the parent's IQ's first.

The project involves expanding the knowledge base of three age groups of Thai child intelligence developing technology:

You don't need technology to encourage critical thinking.

yes, it is called ... give them a cheap chinese tablet or promise of it

Another issue that certainly will not be raised, is how these children are brought up.

Countless thousands of kids are raised by elderly grandparents. The Thai

dad is long gone, and the mom is on a bar stool somewhere. As near as I can

tell, breast feeding is almost unheard of here as well. So the government would

have to make some major social changes to correct this issue.

Edited February 20, 201313 yr by EyesWideOpen

"The project involves expanding the knowledge base of three age groups of Thai child intelligence developing technology"

<deleted> does this mean please???

It's big on what they want to acheive - but the "how" is non-existent.

It probably means adding iodine to the salt if past exercises are a guide

Who's going to raise the IQ of the Health Ministry though?

If you want magic numbers then I would suggest Kittirat is your man!

Easy to increase the IQ of Thai children - just fix the figures at the same time as they are fixing school examination results.I also believe that to increase the IQ of a Thai politician will require brain transplants however, after being approached regarding brain swaps, the monkey population declined on the grounds that it would be unfair to monkeys!

It is possible to increase the average IQ, but its not through schools.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-is-average-iq-higher-in-some-places

This just boggles the mind. The morons in the Health Ministry have showed that intelligence, any intelligence, is not required for a government job in Thailand. The article is full of complete stupidity presented as facts. No mentioning of education so I suppose that has nothing to do with the use and evolution of children's brains? Or rather the lack of same.

Turn off the TV.

When typical Thai kids watch typical Thai TV, their IQ goes down.

That explains why they let us breed here....

Who's going to raise the IQ of the Health Ministry though?

Plodprasop?

The project involves expanding the knowledge base of three age groups of Thai child intelligence developing technology

I can only hope that in Thai this made more sense. Unless the intell. developing technology ages in groups of course. Mind you expanding the knowledge base of Thai children makes sense, more so than the gimmick on IQ raising.

BTW "Mothers were encouraged to only breastfeed their child for the first 6 months to build the baby’s IQ". It's good for babies health and the social/emotional bond, but will be a terrible disappointment to all those who stress the need to use 'clean, vitamin enriched baby nutrition' dissolved/diluted in bottled water which need to be boiled first. Amongst those seem to be nurses at clinics

They can start by teaching something more in schools than just Buddhism and one important man. Many Thais don't even know where Singapore is, who is Hirohito was or even that the Vietnam war even existed. Those last 2 affected Thailand greatly.

Even basic jobs here are advertised with the criteria of uni degrees which just shows you how bad the mainstream education must be if employers are insisting on degrees just to work in shops.

Yet again another status busting, look good announcement by the ever funny Thai politicians.

"When you get 800 résumés for every job ad, you need to weed them out somehow."

SUZANNE MANZAGOL, an executive recruiter in the Atlanta area, on the increasing number of businesses requiring bachelor's degrees for even the lowest-level jobs."

NYT today.

And another article that seems like it's been taken straight out of the pages of a satirical magazine - if only we wouldn't have been informed that this shockingly oafish tripe is coming directly from the hallowed halls of the MInistry of Public Health.

As per the average prevalent IQ in Thailand, this sentence by a supposed journalist probably reveals much more than doubtful statistics ever could:

"The project involves expanding the knowledge base of three age groups of Thai child intelligence developing technology,..."

It also would be most interesting to learn what the IQ of the average Thai politician and/or ministry employee is. I am afraid it might turn out to be not very favourable, to say the least. And there is no end in sight either, because today's children with below average IQs are pre-destined to eventually enter local politics or join the distinguished police force, while children with higher IQs hopefully will opt to pursue real jobs and real careers in the future.

There might be another option. Exchange the children of the rich establishment with poor children from Cambodia and Burma. The IQ will suddenly rise dramatically in Thailand while it drops in the neighboring countries.

They can start by teaching something more in schools than just Buddhism and one important man. Many Thais don't even know where Singapore is, who is Hirohito was or even that the Vietnam war even existed. Those last 2 affected Thailand greatly.

Even basic jobs here are advertised with the criteria of uni degrees which just shows you how bad the mainstream education must be if employers are insisting on degrees just to work in shops.

Yet again another status busting, look good announcement by the ever funny Thai politicians.

I was not aware that all they teach in school here in Thailand is Buddhism.

I know there is Muslim schools that only teach Islam.

Are you telling me all those people working in 7/11 have a university degree.

Are you sure you have to have a university degree to sweep the street or pump out the drains on it.

I think you are a little bit short on geography your self. You are obviously not talking about Thailand.

The project involves expanding the knowledge base of three age groups of Thai child intelligence developing technology:

You don't need technology to encourage critical thinking.

Critical thinking will never be allowed on the agenda for obvious reasons.

Supermarket shelves here are piled high with IQ enhancing supplements as if you can be intelligent without the effort. You can't beat a decent education by inspirational teachers.

Thailand fails their children at so many levels and when they do succeed and get a degree it has no value.

E for effort.

That explains why they let us breed here....

Yes, all those IQ-rich farang genes being squirted about must do some good.

"The project involves expanding the knowledge base of three age groups of Thai child intelligence developing technology"

<deleted> does this mean please???

Are brain transplants medically possible ans where do they get the donors, Laos ?