Education Min Phongthep admits Thai education system unsatisfactory

Traveling Sailor · June 25, 2013

It's good he is actually admitting what everyone has known for years but with around two years to go to the new ASEAN grouping does he expect they can clap their hands and all the years of neglect, corruption, poor standards etc. etc. will be put right ?

In all my involvement with Thailand I have never failed to be amazed at how everything gets left to the last minute with the very theatrical attitude of " it will be alright on the night ". It will take two years to sort out a teaching programme, test and refine it, sort out textbooks, get suitable teachers in place and so much more and that's presuming everyone is on board which is highly unlikely.

I would also have to say the more money that's put into teaching reform only means the more that will disappear.

Thailand is playing catch up and will be for a very long time.

I agree! It will take a generation or two to get it working right. I wish them luck but will not hold my breath.

aussieinthailand · June 25, 2013

How many THAI UIN grads you know can recite the times tables? now the average Aussie 5th grader? where are the big times tables posters for kids rooms here in Thailand? Oop's opportunity knocks??? BUGGA !!! cat's outa the bag now. stop it! it's my idea...

Suroo · June 25, 2013

My wife's daughter goes to an "upgraded" school in BKK. Her daily "English" lesson consists of copying a paragraph from the board into her notebook. Doesn't have to read it or understand it, just has to copy it. I'm sure there is lots of opportunity for improvement on something like that.

On a similar subject, I wonder how the Tourist Police are doing with their "fluency in English in six months" that was promised, oh, about six months ago.

They may also consider hiring some actual teachers instead of backpackers with easily-purchased TEFL certificates straight off the copy machine, who just want to stay longer than their tourist visa allows so they can party and bed as many young girls (or boys) as possible. There are loads of qualified retired teachers from the states and UK who would probably love to take on some work - or would the incompetent Thai teachers then 'lose face'?

I happen to be an early retired head primary teacher(28 yrs. experience) now living here. I'm a dedicated practioner of discovery learning and as such what passes here for learning is painful in the extreme to me. I would dearly love to get into just one of these "chalk and talk" rote memory anti learning buildings and kick ass left and right. But I won't lower myself because here in Thailand the only professionals NOT PAID an amount equal to a western salary are foreign TEACHERS.

paulmw · June 25, 2013

'Bring in more English speaking teachers'?

Schools are under the impression that Thai English teachers are 'English speakers'.

My daughter's English teacher is Filipino. It might be better than a Thai, but not much, especially as her Thai is limited!

If they're serious about English skills they need native English speakers.

Anyway, at the moment it is brave words from the minister. Doesn't seem to indicate that the tablets have been a roaring success for improving education standards.

And if the NES teacher ever mentioned this, he was pillared classed as a trouble maker and recommended not to renew his contract

aussieinthailand · June 25, 2013

My wife's daughter goes to an "upgraded" school in BKK. Her daily "English" lesson consists of copying a paragraph from the board into her notebook. Doesn't have to read it or understand it, just has to copy it. I'm sure there is lots of opportunity for improvement on something like that.

On a similar subject, I wonder how the Tourist Police are doing with their "fluency in English in six months" that was promised, oh, about six months ago.

They may also consider hiring some actual teachers instead of backpackers with easily-purchased TEFL certificates straight off the copy machine, who just want to stay longer than their tourist visa allows so they can party and bed as many young girls (or boys) as possible. There are loads of qualified retired teachers from the states and UK who would probably love to take on some work - or would the incompetent Thai teachers then 'lose face'?

I happen to be an early retired head primary teacher(28 yrs. experience) now living here. I'm a dedicated practioner of discovery learning and as such what passes here for learning is painful in the extreme to me. I would dearly love to get into just one of these "chalk and talk" rote memory anti learning buildings and kick ass left and right. But I won't lower myself because here in Thailand the only professionals NOT PAID an amount equal to a western salary are foreign TEACHERS.

28 years in the game so you are well in the know, also heard The pay off is seeing the penny drop, the light going on in their eyes,,, not the pay packet, western amount or another, lots'a mates are "chalkies" say this to me.

paulmw · June 25, 2013

A couple of years ago I was employed by one of the north eastern provincial governments as an NES, not the best in the world but can hold my own.

At a seminar to review the terms benefits to the hiring of 6 foreign teachers to teach English for ASEAN.

Before I start I’m not knocking another race of teachers.

It consisted of three Cameroon teachers, one good, two poor at English, 2 Filipino teachers one good, one poor.

Bearing in mind this was an English program.

What came out was Oh don’t worry, the two Cameroon teachers one is teaching them football the other is teaching them French? The Filipino can sing and dance very well?

But I thought this was an English program, was told you worry too much falang don’t make problems.

bangon04 · June 25, 2013

I have observed that the reason Thais don't understand lots of things is because of the Thai language, when educational literature is translated from English to Thai it becomes, literally a joke.

Thai as a language has no place in the modern world, coming to Thailand as Sanskrit as an ancient language was bastardized into a new language (Thai previously was mainly only a spoken language)

Fix the the English skills first so the Thai people can learn the other subjects otherwise just accept that Thailand will always be a backward country as is many African states that refuse to give up their crippled and inadequate languages. The Thai language is incapable of explaining complex subjects,

In a thousand years English will be the only language on the planet except for a few desperately poor backward areas (the planets native language) so the sooner the education ministry accepts that the better.

When sentences of Thai are directly translated to English it resembles what one would regard as "Cave Man Language"

ie;

When in a high class restaurant the Thai will say "Me hungry much" or just "hungry"

When asked is Khun Chy at home all day today? the Thai will answer "in"

When asked exactly how many kilometers is the the next village down this road. The reply is: "far" or "far much"

Its very good the minister agrees with me, so perhaps now moves can now be made to change the ancient system?

Do any other TV bloggers have any more gems of Thai expressiveness?

All very true. The more Thai I learn the more I realise how limited it is as a language. Part of the reason why Thai music is so crap is that the tonal nature of the language, along with the limited number of sounds, severely limits what they can sing.
ASEAN is the next big thing in SE Asia, but you can be sure the Malays aren't going to be learning Indonesian, the Burmese aren't going to be learning Vietnamese, and nobody is going to be learning Thai. There's only one international language that they all share.

Chinese?

rametindallas · June 25, 2013

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." William Arthur Ward.

The Education Minister is just talking. There will be no action by the bureaucracy because the fine Minister will be gone in the next cabinet reshuffle and the next Minister, as unqualified as the last, will have new schemes that usually have more to do with making money than improving the education system in Thailand.

14 years ago I attended a famous Thai school in Chiang Mai to learn a very complicated routine. The school lasted 22 days and I spent the next six months trying to understand WHY each step was important and WHAT it was supposed to accomplish. I went back to the school two years later, after becoming very proficient in the routine I had learned, and had the procedure done on me at the school. In my mind I knew exactly what step was coming next, as the practitioner was knowledgeable, but it was one of the worst routines I have ever witnesses/experienced because the practitioner didn't know the whys or whats of what he was doing; he was just 'going through the motions'.

Any Western educated person witnessing the Thai method of 'rote' learning can immediately see a hundred ways the system could be improved but, since it is run by Thais who 'have always done it this way', it will NEVER change. It used to bother me as did many other things but now I subscribe to 'TIT' as in: this is Thailand and they don't do things the same way things are done where you come from. I have been frustration free since I accepted that fact.

Edited June 25, 2013 by rametindallas

PaullyW · June 25, 2013

I have observed that the reason Thais don't understand lots of things is because of the Thai language, when educational literature is translated from English to Thai it becomes, literally a joke.

Thai as a language has no place in the modern world, coming to Thailand as Sanskrit as an ancient language was bastardized into a new language (Thai previously was mainly only a spoken language)

Fix the the English skills first so the Thai people can learn the other subjects otherwise just accept that Thailand will always be a backward country as is many African states that refuse to give up their crippled and inadequate languages. The Thai language is incapable of explaining complex subjects,

In a thousand years English will be the only language on the planet except for a few desperately poor backward areas (the planets native language) so the sooner the education ministry accepts that the better.

When sentences of Thai are directly translated to English it resembles what one would regard as "Cave Man Language"

ie;

When in a high class restaurant the Thai will say "Me hungry much" or just "hungry"

When asked is Khun Chy at home all day today? the Thai will answer "in"

When asked exactly how many kilometers is the the next village down this road. The reply is: "far" or "far much"

Its very good the minister agrees with me, so perhaps now moves can now be made to change the ancient system?

Do any other TV bloggers have any more gems of Thai expressiveness?

Yes, I have observed this in my studies of the Thai language. The interesting things, however, is that Sanscrit and Pali (which Thai/Khmer came from) can be fantastically complex and describe very complicated concepts. I suppose some of that ability may have been lost in the 'bastardisation' of the language upon leaving India/Sri Lanka a long time ago.

I'm not an educator, but I think the biggest advantages for Thais who learn English fluently is 1) they will be better able to reason more thoroughly and 2) they will have access to a worldview and all manner of related information that exists in English language and not in Thai language.

Speaking English very well is a nice bonus as well, but as long as they can make themselves understood to others in English, one could argue that it is enough. It need not be perfect or very impressive for the native speaker. But, the reasoning, logic and world of information that is opens up may have an extraordinary impact on this country. You can't accomplish these things very easily or at all in Thai (which is a beautiful language but which is not suitable for learning, discussing most modern topics of importance or in places where you want to convey technical meaning with precision. It's the reason contracts in large companies here in Thailand are almost always done in English/German/Japanese, etc.

Thais think in Mickey Mouse terms because their language is a Mickey Mouse language. The impact of language on learning has been well studied.

Edited June 25, 2013 by PaullyW

PaullyW · June 26, 2013

^^ can't edit my above post.

Only thing I might disagree with is the number of sounds point you made. Thai in fact has more sounds (individual phonemes) than are found in standard English. Thai particularly has a whole range of vowel sounds that are not found in English. So, sound wise, there's enough there, in my opinion, to be interesting. I really like the way Thai sounds -- esp as compared to other regional languages. I find the tones interesting to listen to.

newermonkey · June 26, 2013

Chinese?

No I don't believe so, even in China they are all learning English because they realize that it is the language they will need to use on the international arena. Even when you go to Beijing most people in the street will speak English better than that of those in Bangkok.

Thai at Heart · June 26, 2013

Chinese?

No I don't believe so, even in China they are all learning English because they realize that it is the language they will need to use on the international arena. Even when you go to Beijing most people in the street will speak English better than that of those in Bangkok.

They have pinyin to help. Thailand can't even come up with a unified way to spell Ekkamai, Ekammai, Ekhamai, or my personal favourite, Phattaya.

Makes it sound a lot posher that way.

wilcopops · June 26, 2013

The fact you need pinyin just to do basic techno and scientific things underlines how you can NEVER replace English in some areas of human endeavour......no matter how much in the ascendance China and Asia may be or become.

Edited June 26, 2013 by wilcopops

Thai at Heart · June 26, 2013

The fact you need pinyin just to do basic techno and scientific things underlines how you can NEVER replace English in some areas of human endeavour......no matter how much in the ascendance China and Asia may be or become.

Well, having watched anyone trying to type mandarin in a word document, it is truly a painful process. the pinyin translator is a marvel for that. Chinese (or Thai) obviously wasn't set up to be typed by mere mortals. It would appear it is suitable for people with 12 fingers.

The fact that the Thai language hasn't come up with a unified official English transliteration shows how far behind and truly insular they are. Pinyin helped me attain a reasonable use of mandarin in 6 months. Far quicker than I achieved in Thai.

Edited June 26, 2013 by Thai at Heart

cup-O-coffee · June 26, 2013

Education Minister Phongthep says the ministry has drawn up some solutions to the problem such as changing students’ and teachers’ perspectives by urging them to think and analyze instead of memorizing known as “rote learning”.

The minister further reveals that Thai students desperately need to improve their English language, especially the listening and speaking skills, in which Thai students are far behind those students in other ASEAN countries. The ministry will, therefore, bring in more English-speaking teachers to teach Thai kids.

Mr Phongthep adds that there are both crisis and opportunity for Thailand in entering the ASEAN Community. Therefore, Thai students need to learn all aspects about ASEAN and turn that crisis into opportunity for the sake of the country.

He says that does he?

Well, why then didn't he address these issues (Headlines from the last 12 months):

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Student Aptitude

Thai Students Poor In Math, Science:

Precharn Dechri, deputy director of the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology, said today that Thai students' disappointing performances in the two subjects were revealed in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

Fewer Thai Children Seen Frequenting Libraries: Education:

The habit of reading seems to be on the decline among Thais; BMA urged to make efforts to promote the habit. Associate Professor Kulwara Chupongpairod, a former lecturer at Srinakharinwirot University, with expertise in library science and story-telling to promote the reading habit in children, said Thai people preferred watching or listening rather than reading as that activity required more concentration.

For Thai Education, Grand Vision Needs Consistent Policies:

Every Thai education minister enters the stage with a bang and, in quick succession, leaves with a whimper. Editorials have been written and warnings sounded, but the powers-that-be still see Thai education as a political revolving-door playground. More than 10 education ministers have come and gone in the governments associated with Thaksin Shinawatra alone. That number speaks for itself of the failure of political will and sincerity to upgrade the quality of our schools, teachers and students.

Exam Scandal Exacerbates An Ongoing Problem: Thai Editorial:

The quality of education in this country cannot improve until teachers' working conditions and teaching standards are upgraded. While nearly every quarter of Thai society preaches the necessity of educational reform, the recent scandal at the Education Ministry over alleged fraud in the examinations for assistant teachers shows that students will continue to struggle with low-quality teaching.

School Closure - Misguided Plan Could Defeat Its Own Object: Thai Editorial:

Under the ministry plan, 5,962 schools with fewer than 60 students each would be closed because of their below-par academic results. The ministry blames the poor quality of education in these schools on the fact that fewer students means less funding. Merging the students into larger schools will raise standards overall and make better use of the budget.

Thousands Oppose School Closure Plan:

More than 10,000 people have expressed their opposition in an online petition to the Education Ministry's plan to close and merge low-quality small schools. Phongthep insisted yesterday his policy aimed to upgrade the quality of education and that it would not affect stakeholders badly.

Isaan Teachers Warned To Keep Away From Gambling:

Many complaints about teachers betting at casinos in a neighbouring country were sent to the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Education Personnel

Thai Education Standards 'In Free Fall':

"Thai students' performance has dropped from 'good' in 1985 to 'fair' in 1998 and 'poor' in 2000. And the international scores of Thai students have continued to drop, according to universal scores," said Chainarong Indharameesup, chairman of the Institute for Research and Quality Development Foundation.

Thai Officials Hands 'Tied' By Limits On Punishments:

Interschool Violence: Pradit said that other than awarding poor behaviour scores, Ovec could not do much about the problem. The Child Protection Act 2003 limited their options, Pradit said; teachers cannot cane students or move them to study elsewhere, and are liable to be sued by parents if they break the rules on punishment.

So Much Revision, But Thai Education System Still Failing:

New ministers and policies arrive every few months, while education remains without a long-term vision

Thai Youth Forgetting How To Communicate:

Ohec deputy secretary general Arporn Kaenwong: Young people are having problems with interpersonal skills because instead of having face-to-face conversations, they are talking more via digital means, the Office of Higher Education Commission (Ohec) revealed yesterday.

Our Kids' I Q Is Down? It's The Education, Stupid!:

Thai Talk: Thai kids' IQ and EQ haven't improved in the past 10 years. Our children aged six to 15 are lagging far behind their counterparts in Singapore and Malaysia. Bhutan, which is economically behind Thailand, has placed more emphasis on improving its children's IQ than we have. Senate's Health Subcommittee chairman, Surin Senator Dr Anant Ariyachaiyanich: if the trend continues, today's children won't grow up to be intellectually and emotionally competent enough to compete with others on the regional, not to mention international, stage.

Thailand's Education Has Been Deemed By Many As A Failure;

Think-Tank Proposes Overhaul: The policy think-tank, Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), has proposed an overhaul of the Thai education system, focusing on inducing incentives for teachers to care for their pupils.

The think-tank revealed that its study into the Thai education system has shown that teachers have not been made accountable for their students' education. The institute's president, Somkiat Tangkitvanich, said that students' performance accounts for only 3 per cent in the consideration of teachers' pay-rises and promotion. It should be made to account for over 50 per cent of those, he said.

The think-tank also suggested that inspections on schools by external inspectors should be scrapped. External inspectors should be used only on badly performing schools, it said.

Among other suggestions, the think-tank also calls for school syllabuss to be modernized to suit the 21st century. It also proposes that the current national tests, which seek to test students on knowledge of contents, be replaced by a new test called the "literacy-based test", which will seek to test students on understanding of how to acquire knowledge.

Thailand's education has been deemed by many as a failure. (No! This is actually another article)

Thai students are among those spending the longest time in class in the world. Yet, Thailand ranks among the worst for educational output, according to Pearson, an education firm .

New School Term Expenses To Reach Bt53 Billion:

The Thai public’s expenses for the coming school term are expected to reach Bt53 billion, a 6.7-per cent rise. Thai Chamber of Commerce University (UTCC)'s Economic and Business Forecasting Center director Thanawat Polvichai said a survey was recently conducted among 1,200 parents nationwide.

Thai Experts: Child Tablet May Be Gateway To Online Gambling:

Mr. Paisan Limsatit (ไพศาล ลิ้มสถิต), an academic from Health Laws and Ethics Center ,Thammasat University, stated during a meeting on gambling prevention among youths, that, according to records, 16.7 million people regularly visit online casino related websites; more than half of that figure are youths aged between 15-19 year-old.

Beware Of Children Gambling On Internet, Thai Experts Warn:

A survey showed that Thai children as young as seven had tried online gambling, Siriporn Yodkamonsat, an academic at the Centre for Gambling Studies, said at a discussion in Bangkok yesterday on gambling among juveniles during school break.

Most Thai Students Afraid To Work In Other ASEAN Countries:

Survey: A recent survey by Chulalongkorn University has revealed that most of the Thai education personnel and students are afraid to work in other ASEAN countries, citing language as the barrier.

And I was truly beggared at the number of articles about Student Behavior. Why didn't Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana have anything to say about this?:

Foreigners Attack Hazing Ritual At Thai Universities:

The Thai version of hazing freshmen at universities is stupid and a barbaric form of bullying, according to several foreigners attending Thai colleges. Their negative comments in the social media made it a recent hot topic.

Almost 10,000 join anti-freshmen initiation protest online:

An online movement opposed to the infamous orientation activities for Thai college freshmen, known locally as SOTUS, has gained momentum in the past few days

5-Year-Old Kindergarten Boy Seriously Beaten By 7-Year-Old Prathom 1 Student:

A five-year-old Suphan Buri kindergarten boy who was seriously injured in an alleged assault by a seven-year-old Prathom 1 student earlier this week must remain on respiratory aid for at least six weeks.Yesterday afternoon,the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women's founder Pavena Hongsakul, took the boy's grandmother Somkuan Rungthong, mother Kornphaka Feungfoo and aunt Suwanna Samthong to visit the boy. Later yesterday evening, Pavena said she would take the family to the Education Ministry to ask for measures to take care of students during lunch break.

The foundation received many complaints about student fighting or molesting during lunch breaks because there was no teacher to supervise them.

Teenage Gang Nabbed For Over 60 Robberies: Bangkok:

Kunchart Utaiwichakul, a Chulalongkorn student, positively identified the thieves, who attacked him at a bus stop in front of his campus after he refused to hand them his cellphone.

One Killed In Buriram School Attack:

A group of 10 men yesterday carried out a daring attack against Kan Boriban School's director Watcharapol Thongsiri and other employees in downtown Buri Ram's Muang district. Watcharapol said he believed a rival may be behind the drama, as he was attacked in July last year in a similar daytime raid by two men on a motorbike. At that time, he sustained a knife wound that required 100 stitches.

Thailand Struggles To Curb High Teen Pregnancy Rate:

When Mallika told her parents she was pregnant at 17, they pulled her out of school and ordered her to marry the baby's father. But the marriage didn't happen and the one-time aspiring singer now cares for her baby girl alone. The boy's family wanted to pay me to shut up and stay away from them.

Thailand's Population Of Teen Mothers Rising, Pregnancy Age Falling:

An average 370 babies are born daily from Thai teenage mothers and about 10 babies from girls below age 15 years old, the Public Health Ministry reported today. Public Health Minister Cholanan Srikaew told of the increasing trend of teen pregnancies at younger ages, about 15-16 years, and only 55 per cent of teenagers use condoms during their first-time sexual intercourse.

Bangkok: Student, Unable To Take Exam, Decides To Hold Woman Hostage:

Nattawut told police that he succumbed to stress after realizing that his failure to pay the THB10,000 tuition fee disqualified him as an exam taker.

Student trio arrested for cutting off rival's fingers:

Nares said the suspects in custody had confessed to assaulting the victim with knives because they thought he was from a rival-college group that had just thrown a "ping-pong bomb" at them onboard a No 25 bus. They also offered an apology to the victim for acting mistakenly in the heat of the moment and urged fellow gang-members involved in the brawl to surrender to police. The three were charged with attempted murder, and carrying knives in a public place without sound reason. They were also taken to the scene yesterday for a re-enactment of the crime.

14 Year-Old Boy Kills His Mother In Bangkok; Mum Wouldn't Let Him Play Computer Games:

The boy's father and his cousins told police that he had had autistic syndrome and been cured. However, he had a suppressed personality and was always scolded by his mother. He allegedly used to say he would want to kill his mother.

Dog survives firecracker explosion in its mouth:

The dog’s injury occurred over New Year’s, when a group of kids forced the explosives onto him.

Too Much Time On Facebook ' Can Harm Your Child's Mental Health':

"Thai children aged eight to 18 spend about eight hours daily watching television, using cellphones or playing on the computer, although experts say children, especially those in primary school, should spend no more than two hours per day on any of these activities," Amornwich said

Thailand sees 1,000 new juvenile smokers daily:

Dr Prakit Vathesatogkit, secretary general of Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand, called on parents and educators to fight against smoking among juveniles given the latest figure of 400,000 smokers aged 15-18.

Rowdy Students Severely Beat High School Teacher: Samut Prakan:

A school teacher was set upon and severely beaten by a gang of high-school students and their relatives at a school in Samut Prakan’s tough Samrong District on Wednesday.

Thai Adults Drinking Less, But More Teenagers Gulp More Booze

One In Three Thai Youth Ready To Go ‘Under The Knife’: Survey:

About one in every three Thai teenagers and university students say that they intend to use diet pills and to undergo cosmetic surgery in the hope of getting more slim and beautiful figures, while half of all children skip breakfast

Violent Students To Be Drafted Into Army Automatically:

Thailand: rom now on, students from vocational schools who are regarded as troublemakers or have a history of violence will be automatically conscripted to the Army as soon as they reach the correct age, Army chief General Prayuth Chanocha announced yesterday. However, he said, this policy would be shortterm and might even be cancelled if it succeeds in preventing or reducing violence between rivalling schools.

Thai Army To Turn Violent Students Into 'Gentlemen':

The Royal Thai Army has agreed to help the Education Ministry arrange the "Vocational Gentlemen" programme to reform the behaviour of some 130 vocational students with histories of violence.

Students fight as House panel seeks solution to violence:

While solutions to the problem were being worked out, students of Donmuang Technical College yesterday launched a machete attack on three vocational students from a rival school, seriously wounding one and slightly hurting two others.

Families Of Student Brawl Call For Tougher Measures: Bangkok:

On Wednesday evening, a group of six technical college students opened fire at rival students from Thaivichitsilp School on the Rangsit-Victory Monument bus resulting to the deaths of Thaivichitsilp freshman Wanchai Thongsongkaew, 21, and female passenger Yupa Plaingam, 48, and injuring two others.

17-Year-Old Student Admits Fatal Bangkok Bus Shooting,

Police Say: A 17-year-old student who police say admits shooting at a public bus in Don Muang last week expressed remorse yesterday for the death of two passengers but denied intending to murder anyone. "I'm so deeply sorry for what I did and accept the mistake," said the student, who cannot to be named.

14-Year-Old Girl Arrested For Running Underage Prostitution Ring In Samut Prakan:

Undercover agents pretended to solicit sex arranged by the girl, who was charging THB2,000 each for two other underage girls aged 14 and 16.

Teen Confesses To Stabbing To Death Arts Teacher: Bangkok:

A 18-year-old man has reportedly confessed to stabbing an arts teacher after mistaking him for a rival student.

Cleavage Alert: Young women uploading boob shots for 'likes' on Facebook:

The women, many of them teenagers studying in high school, post the revealing photos on pages devoted to the practice, where some have amassed over 400,000 “likes” on the social network

Thailand Grapples With Killer Student Gangs:

"I stabbed a student in the head," says Pond, a pimply 18-year-old who escaped prosecution for the assault but was fined a few dollars for carrying a knife. "Sometimes I feel bad about it, but it's what happens. We do it because it's a legend, passed down from the seniors in our school. We do it for pride."

Six More Thai Students Held Over Shooting Death: Bangkok:

Thanakrit reportedly drove the pickup for the other eight students when they ran into the rival group that was reportedly spray painting their college's symbol, so they opened fire at the group. Some 20 BCT students on motorbikes joined the melee, before burning the rival group's motorcycle.

9-year-old in govt drug-rehab programme:

The youngest drug addict participating in a government rehabilitation scheme is 9, while young addicts are prone to new consumption methods in which amphetamines or other substances are mixed with cough syrup and carbonated drinks

Bangkok: 41 Students Detained In Anti-Brawl Measure:

City police yesterday rounded up 41 students at Krungthon Technology School from a crowded bus in front of the Dao Khanong Market in Bangkok's Thon Buri area. A search found 25 students were carrying knives, which they claimed was for self-defence against rival students who often ambushed them.

And let's not forget the health benefits of sending your child to a Thai school:

Four Thai Children Develop Symptoms Like Hand, Foot And Mouth Disease:

Kanchanaburi: KANCHANABURI, July 10 – Four two-year-old children in a childcare centre in Kanchanaburi have developed symptoms similar to those of hand, foot and mouth disease and tests are being conducted to determine the virus strain.

Students' Blood Scare In Kalasin:

Some 148 students from Khammuang Industrial And Community Education College in Kalasin were forced to undergo a blood test because of fears of possible communicable diseases after it was found that fake doctors used one needle for blood tests on many people

41 infected with 2009 H1N1 avian flu in Nakhon Ratchasima:

According to the initial investigation, one hospital worker was infected with the flu virus from his daughter who fell sick on June 8, with all members of the family subsequently infected with the disease.

Lead Paint Found In Pre-Kindergarten, Nursery Schools In Bangkok

Police probe online pic of toddler smoking drugs:

The picture was probably taken at a kindergarten or nursery, judging from the mattress laid down in a spacious room, he said.

High Levels Of Lead Contamination Found In Rayong School Playground Equipment

Thailand Remains On Alert For Hand, Foot And Mouth Disease Outbreak:

Mae Hong Song publichealth chief Dr Paisarn Tanyawinijkul said: "...if they find more than five students coming down with the HFMD in a class, the class must be suspended. If there are more than five such classes, the school should be closed down temporarily."

Test ordered in death of 2 year-old:

Disease Control Department directorgeneral Dr Pornthep Siriwanarangsan said if more than two students in the same the class caught HFMD, that class should be suspended.

29 schools in Bangkok cancel classes:

The prestigious CU demonstration primary school: The school's director Assoc Prof Supranee Jiranarong said four students were diagnosed with the disease on July 12, and four days later 18 more students caught the same disease. "So, we have decided to close down the school temporarily and contacted a nearby public-health service centre to spray proper disinfectant across classrooms," she said.

Hmfd Cases No That Bad: Thai Scientists:

The bad news is HFMD will likely return every rainy season, as students go back to school for the new term.

Strain Of Hfmd Killed Toddler: Doctors:

As hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) continues to alarm parents around Thailand, virology experts yesterday concluded the 2-year-eight-month-old girl who died last week at Bangkok's Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital succumbed to Enterovirus 71, which can cause HFMD.

Experts To Examine Cause Of Two-Year-Old Girl'S Death: Hfmd:

Now, the school has begun cleaning its facilities twice a day.

171 Cases Of Hand-Foot-Mouth Syndrome In Chaiyaphum:

The Chaiyaphum Provincial Public Health Office revealed that the number of children in the province afflicted with hand-foot-mouth syndrome has already exceeded 171, but the strain of disease is not fatal.

Assumption College Closes Abruptly As Teachers Ask For Pay Rise: Bangkok:

Assumption College on Friday abruptly suspended all classes for a week, with effect from today, reportedly in response to teachers' demand for a pay rise and to internal conflicts.

Haircut Rule Relaxation Worries Some: Thai School Regulation

Si Sa Ket School Faces Disciplinary Action For Toddler Death:

The management of a Si Sa Ket school where a child fatally suffocated in a pick-up truck on Tuesday will also face ministerial disciplinary action

Alarm Raised Across Thailand Following Deaths Of Children Left In School Vans

Teachers Face Jail Term For Thai Toddler's Death:

Police are preparing to press harsher charges against a teacher and an assistant teacher over the death of a young girl who was accidentally locked inside a school van early this month.

3-Year-Old Thai Girl Still In I C U After Left Unattended All Day In Parked School Van:

The teacher and driver were not aware that Manassanan Thongphoo left inside the locked vehicle until the end of the school day.

And he also overlooked parental and adult behavior, I guess:

Academics Call For New Agency To Deal With Domestic Violence: Thailand

Divorce, domestic abuse on the rise in Thailand:

The rate of divorce in Thailand has tripled from 10.8 per cent in 2009 to 33 per cent in 2012, while domestic violence has been recorded in at least a third of Thai families.

Conditions for the poor get worse in Thailand

Spousal Killings On Rise In Thailand, With Bangkok Seeing The Highest Number

Teen Girl Sexually Assaulted By Three Police Officers, A Taxi Driver And Her Father: Pathum Thani:

In a shameful case of sexual crimes, a ninth grade girl reported being raped by three policemen, and later raped by the taxi driver whom she had fled to for help. She also later revealed to police that she had been raped by her father since the age of 7.

3 Reports Of Violence Against Children Or Women Are Made Every Hour In Thailand

Friendly Thailand stares down the barrel of rising gun crime:

"Thailand has become a Wild West movie," says politician Chuwit Kamolvisit, a former massage-parlor tycoon who says he used to pay off local police to run his seedy businesses. "People pull out their guns at a moment's notice."

Survey: 1 In 2.8 Thai Married Couples Divorced Within Recent Years

Half Of Surveyed Thai Women Face Sexual Abuse: Nida Poll:

Asked about the problems Thai women facing in their lives now, nearly half – just over 47 per cent -- said Thai women face sexual abuse, followed by 43 per cent with family issues and nearly one in three – 31.5 per cent – with teenage pregnancies.

Rehab officials 'killed youth':

Some 200 youths broke out of a drug rehabilitation centre in Krabi's Muang district yesterday, claiming that officials had beaten one inmate to death and badly injured others.

Grandmother confesses to killing her grandson:

The grandmother of Bangkok schoolboy found dead in a flat in Bangkok's Prawet district last week, confessed yesterday that she had an argument with the boy and unintentionally killed him when she struck him on the head.

And I wonder if he is looking into his own back yard when he restructures the "system":

Thai Education Ministry's Website Hacked For The 102Nd Time:

Late on Thursday night, the Education Ministry's website showed a large black banner featuring a white skull and a message reading: "We are the new generation. Please teach us what we can use in the future, and not only how to do exams." No comment from any MP

Regions Must Decide Punishments For Exam Cheating:

Thai Education Minister Pongthep: Pointing out that his ministry had set up a fact-finding committee led by Education Ministry inspector-general Phisanu Tulsuk, while the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) had concluded that 514 test-takers had scored unusually high, Pongthep said any probe undertaken by a central agency would cause undue delay, hence the OTEPC subcommittee of each educational zone had been asked to help investigate.

Witnesses In Cheating Case Face Threats: Assistant Thai Teachers:

Key witnesses in the case related to cheating in the recruitment exams for assistant teachers have complained that they are facing threats and intimidation.

Education new strategy will be 'free of politics':

Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana promised yesterday that he would not let politics interfere with the improvement of education in the country as his ministry was in the process of drafting a national education plan and strategy to enhance education and address current problems.

Education Min Phongthep admits Thai education system unsatisfactory:

Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana admits that the Thai education system is unsatisfactory and behind other countries in the ASEAN region. To tackle the problem, the ministry has drawn up some measures to restructure the system. (About 6 months before this article)

Thailand's English Skills Lowest In S E A:

The JobStreet.com English Language Assessment (JELA) results show Singapore workers have the highest average score while Thai workers have the lowest.

Is Homework The Key Issue Of Concern?:

The Education Ministry wants schools to lessen homework... Educators, meanwhile, reasoned that doing homework forces students to spend time constructively and helps prepare them for the next lesson.

Education Ministry to prepare workforce required for rail system overhaul: (a bit off-track from taking care of the kids?)

Minister Pongthep indicates he will forward information about the required workforce to the Office of the Higher Education Commission and the Office of Vocational Education Commission, so the two agencies can make adjustments to their policies of labor development.

Ministry of Education Website Hacked by Teen Rebels:

The website of the Ministry of Education was hacked by apparent teenagers who posted rebellious messages. The hackers proclaimed teenagers live by their own rules and adults have no right to control them.

And event he PM gets in on the act by advising and urging (in spite of all the chaos):

Pm Advises Children To Keep Discipline, Seek Knowledge Outside Classroom:

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra instructed young people to have discipline and be eager to learn outside the classroom

Yingluck Urges Thai Workers To Upgrade Skills:

She emphasised that workers needed to better their skills.

Yingluck Campaigns To Stop Violence Against Women And Children:

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra presided over a seminar focusing on informing Justice Ministry’s personnel of issues concerning violence against women and children.

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The sheer lunacy of going back one year and reading all of this makes just about anything these idiots say as worthless as a tit on a male pig. It is proof that Thais regurgitate rhetoric as often as they open their mouths and nothing ever gets done.

Promises are made, but the behavior of the children and adults around them says a lot more than what comes out of the mouths of these corrupt and absolutely ignorant politicians.

The only alarming truth I see in all of this is the behavior of the students. Thailand: This is your life!

MaxLee · June 26, 2013

Everybody pre passes, and nobody cares... Business as usual

culicine · June 26, 2013

Well I never, a government minister who talks some sense.

Yingluck should have him stuffed.

She will, she's just busy at a wedding today!

My son attend a privat school in Surin 1 class or patum 1 or what they call it, english program. The english book they are using is written by two thais, i guess well paid for their effort. It is just terrible. When i complain to the teachers they just say, yes its all about practise. But when a 7 year old have to learn words he dont understand, i understand why the thais dont speak english. And i pay 25000 bth a term for this kind of rubbish, im at a loss what to do. Move to Bangkok or Chiang Mai to get him into an international school or what.

The total cost of books for my son was about 2000 baht for the year. He is in grade 4. These are mostly books from Singapore which are fine. They basically follow the primary course from the UK, Singapore style. The science book is based on the Thai curriculum but written by foreigners. I've not found any conceptual or grammatical errors in any book so far. There's no need to use material poorly written by overpaid Thais who don't have fluent grasp of the language, and won't accept there are any errors in their work!

Cullcine

Could you be so kind as to let us know the series of books you have bought for your son. Is the whole school on the same system.

affen02

25000 a term seems a lot for outside Bangkok/Chiangmai/Phuket. My daughter is in the best school in the town (population in and in the immediate surrounds 450 000 + ) and school fees are 6500 per term. Write down all the errors in the english book and go straight to the Director of the school, maybe try and get hold of an alternative (Cullcine could be a help here).

Hi My son used the "new syllabus maths series" for maths, and a book called 'understanding science' for science. The english book 's 'megaflash plus' and 'jump abroad' These are quite ok for English program kids but a little advanced for Thai school kids (who only get 6 periods a week with a foreign teacher). Note that he just has foreign teachers for his main subjects and Thai teachers for Thai language , social , buddhism, art, PE. Apart from Thai the main subjects are in english. I had my son in the Thai program for a couple of years and struggled there - the kids are really pushed beyond their grade level; big focus on rote learning and little on understanding that I could see. Kids could also not ask questions - that's a BS way to educate children. He's much happier now and doing well:)

As for a 'term' are there two terms a year or 4 terms? We call it two semesters (two terms per semester). Parents at my school pay about 110-120K a year.

Thai at Heart · June 26, 2013

Education Minister Phongthep says the ministry has drawn up some solutions to the problem such as changing students’ and teachers’ perspectives by urging them to think and analyze instead of memorizing known as “rote learning”.

The minister further reveals that Thai students desperately need to improve their English language, especially the listening and speaking skills, in which Thai students are far behind those students in other ASEAN countries. The ministry will, therefore, bring in more English-speaking teachers to teach Thai kids.

Mr Phongthep adds that there are both crisis and opportunity for Thailand in entering the ASEAN Community. Therefore, Thai students need to learn all aspects about ASEAN and turn that crisis into opportunity for the sake of the country.

He says that does he?

Well, why then didn't he address these issues (Headlines from the last 12 months):

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Student Aptitude

Thai Students Poor In Math, Science:

Precharn Dechri, deputy director of the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology, said today that Thai students' disappointing performances in the two subjects were revealed in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

Fewer Thai Children Seen Frequenting Libraries: Education:

The habit of reading seems to be on the decline among Thais; BMA urged to make efforts to promote the habit. Associate Professor Kulwara Chupongpairod, a former lecturer at Srinakharinwirot University, with expertise in library science and story-telling to promote the reading habit in children, said Thai people preferred watching or listening rather than reading as that activity required more concentration.

For Thai Education, Grand Vision Needs Consistent Policies:

Every Thai education minister enters the stage with a bang and, in quick succession, leaves with a whimper. Editorials have been written and warnings sounded, but the powers-that-be still see Thai education as a political revolving-door playground. More than 10 education ministers have come and gone in the governments associated with Thaksin Shinawatra alone. That number speaks for itself of the failure of political will and sincerity to upgrade the quality of our schools, teachers and students.

Exam Scandal Exacerbates An Ongoing Problem: Thai Editorial:

The quality of education in this country cannot improve until teachers' working conditions and teaching standards are upgraded. While nearly every quarter of Thai society preaches the necessity of educational reform, the recent scandal at the Education Ministry over alleged fraud in the examinations for assistant teachers shows that students will continue to struggle with low-quality teaching.

School Closure - Misguided Plan Could Defeat Its Own Object: Thai Editorial:

Under the ministry plan, 5,962 schools with fewer than 60 students each would be closed because of their below-par academic results. The ministry blames the poor quality of education in these schools on the fact that fewer students means less funding. Merging the students into larger schools will raise standards overall and make better use of the budget.

Thousands Oppose School Closure Plan:

More than 10,000 people have expressed their opposition in an online petition to the Education Ministry's plan to close and merge low-quality small schools. Phongthep insisted yesterday his policy aimed to upgrade the quality of education and that it would not affect stakeholders badly.

Isaan Teachers Warned To Keep Away From Gambling:

Many complaints about teachers betting at casinos in a neighbouring country were sent to the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Education Personnel

Thai Education Standards 'In Free Fall':

"Thai students' performance has dropped from 'good' in 1985 to 'fair' in 1998 and 'poor' in 2000. And the international scores of Thai students have continued to drop, according to universal scores," said Chainarong Indharameesup, chairman of the Institute for Research and Quality Development Foundation.

Thai Officials Hands 'Tied' By Limits On Punishments:

Interschool Violence: Pradit said that other than awarding poor behaviour scores, Ovec could not do much about the problem. The Child Protection Act 2003 limited their options, Pradit said; teachers cannot cane students or move them to study elsewhere, and are liable to be sued by parents if they break the rules on punishment.

So Much Revision, But Thai Education System Still Failing:

New ministers and policies arrive every few months, while education remains without a long-term vision

Thai Youth Forgetting How To Communicate:

Ohec deputy secretary general Arporn Kaenwong: Young people are having problems with interpersonal skills because instead of having face-to-face conversations, they are talking more via digital means, the Office of Higher Education Commission (Ohec) revealed yesterday.

Our Kids' I Q Is Down? It's The Education, Stupid!:

Thai Talk: Thai kids' IQ and EQ haven't improved in the past 10 years. Our children aged six to 15 are lagging far behind their counterparts in Singapore and Malaysia. Bhutan, which is economically behind Thailand, has placed more emphasis on improving its children's IQ than we have. Senate's Health Subcommittee chairman, Surin Senator Dr Anant Ariyachaiyanich: if the trend continues, today's children won't grow up to be intellectually and emotionally competent enough to compete with others on the regional, not to mention international, stage.

Thailand's Education Has Been Deemed By Many As A Failure;

Think-Tank Proposes Overhaul: The policy think-tank, Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), has proposed an overhaul of the Thai education system, focusing on inducing incentives for teachers to care for their pupils.

The think-tank revealed that its study into the Thai education system has shown that teachers have not been made accountable for their students' education. The institute's president, Somkiat Tangkitvanich, said that students' performance accounts for only 3 per cent in the consideration of teachers' pay-rises and promotion. It should be made to account for over 50 per cent of those, he said.

The think-tank also suggested that inspections on schools by external inspectors should be scrapped. External inspectors should be used only on badly performing schools, it said.

Among other suggestions, the think-tank also calls for school syllabuss to be modernized to suit the 21st century. It also proposes that the current national tests, which seek to test students on knowledge of contents, be replaced by a new test called the "literacy-based test", which will seek to test students on understanding of how to acquire knowledge.

Thailand's education has been deemed by many as a failure. (No! This is actually another article)

Thai students are among those spending the longest time in class in the world. Yet, Thailand ranks among the worst for educational output, according to Pearson, an education firm .

New School Term Expenses To Reach Bt53 Billion:

The Thai public’s expenses for the coming school term are expected to reach Bt53 billion, a 6.7-per cent rise. Thai Chamber of Commerce University (UTCC)'s Economic and Business Forecasting Center director Thanawat Polvichai said a survey was recently conducted among 1,200 parents nationwide.

Thai Experts: Child Tablet May Be Gateway To Online Gambling:

Mr. Paisan Limsatit (ไพศาล ลิ้มสถิต), an academic from Health Laws and Ethics Center ,Thammasat University, stated during a meeting on gambling prevention among youths, that, according to records, 16.7 million people regularly visit online casino related websites; more than half of that figure are youths aged between 15-19 year-old.

Beware Of Children Gambling On Internet, Thai Experts Warn:

A survey showed that Thai children as young as seven had tried online gambling, Siriporn Yodkamonsat, an academic at the Centre for Gambling Studies, said at a discussion in Bangkok yesterday on gambling among juveniles during school break.

Most Thai Students Afraid To Work In Other ASEAN Countries:

Survey: A recent survey by Chulalongkorn University has revealed that most of the Thai education personnel and students are afraid to work in other ASEAN countries, citing language as the barrier.

And I was truly beggared at the number of articles about Student Behavior. Why didn't Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana have anything to say about this?:

Foreigners Attack Hazing Ritual At Thai Universities:

The Thai version of hazing freshmen at universities is stupid and a barbaric form of bullying, according to several foreigners attending Thai colleges. Their negative comments in the social media made it a recent hot topic.

Almost 10,000 join anti-freshmen initiation protest online:

An online movement opposed to the infamous orientation activities for Thai college freshmen, known locally as SOTUS, has gained momentum in the past few days

5-Year-Old Kindergarten Boy Seriously Beaten By 7-Year-Old Prathom 1 Student:

A five-year-old Suphan Buri kindergarten boy who was seriously injured in an alleged assault by a seven-year-old Prathom 1 student earlier this week must remain on respiratory aid for at least six weeks.Yesterday afternoon,the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women's founder Pavena Hongsakul, took the boy's grandmother Somkuan Rungthong, mother Kornphaka Feungfoo and aunt Suwanna Samthong to visit the boy. Later yesterday evening, Pavena said she would take the family to the Education Ministry to ask for measures to take care of students during lunch break.

The foundation received many complaints about student fighting or molesting during lunch breaks because there was no teacher to supervise them.

Teenage Gang Nabbed For Over 60 Robberies: Bangkok:

Kunchart Utaiwichakul, a Chulalongkorn student, positively identified the thieves, who attacked him at a bus stop in front of his campus after he refused to hand them his cellphone.

One Killed In Buriram School Attack:

A group of 10 men yesterday carried out a daring attack against Kan Boriban School's director Watcharapol Thongsiri and other employees in downtown Buri Ram's Muang district. Watcharapol said he believed a rival may be behind the drama, as he was attacked in July last year in a similar daytime raid by two men on a motorbike. At that time, he sustained a knife wound that required 100 stitches.

Thailand Struggles To Curb High Teen Pregnancy Rate:

When Mallika told her parents she was pregnant at 17, they pulled her out of school and ordered her to marry the baby's father. But the marriage didn't happen and the one-time aspiring singer now cares for her baby girl alone. The boy's family wanted to pay me to shut up and stay away from them.

Thailand's Population Of Teen Mothers Rising, Pregnancy Age Falling:

An average 370 babies are born daily from Thai teenage mothers and about 10 babies from girls below age 15 years old, the Public Health Ministry reported today. Public Health Minister Cholanan Srikaew told of the increasing trend of teen pregnancies at younger ages, about 15-16 years, and only 55 per cent of teenagers use condoms during their first-time sexual intercourse.

Bangkok: Student, Unable To Take Exam, Decides To Hold Woman Hostage:

Nattawut told police that he succumbed to stress after realizing that his failure to pay the THB10,000 tuition fee disqualified him as an exam taker.

Student trio arrested for cutting off rival's fingers:

Nares said the suspects in custody had confessed to assaulting the victim with knives because they thought he was from a rival-college group that had just thrown a "ping-pong bomb" at them onboard a No 25 bus. They also offered an apology to the victim for acting mistakenly in the heat of the moment and urged fellow gang-members involved in the brawl to surrender to police. The three were charged with attempted murder, and carrying knives in a public place without sound reason. They were also taken to the scene yesterday for a re-enactment of the crime.

14 Year-Old Boy Kills His Mother In Bangkok; Mum Wouldn't Let Him Play Computer Games:

The boy's father and his cousins told police that he had had autistic syndrome and been cured. However, he had a suppressed personality and was always scolded by his mother. He allegedly used to say he would want to kill his mother.

Dog survives firecracker explosion in its mouth:

The dog’s injury occurred over New Year’s, when a group of kids forced the explosives onto him.

Too Much Time On Facebook ' Can Harm Your Child's Mental Health':

"Thai children aged eight to 18 spend about eight hours daily watching television, using cellphones or playing on the computer, although experts say children, especially those in primary school, should spend no more than two hours per day on any of these activities," Amornwich said

Thailand sees 1,000 new juvenile smokers daily:

Dr Prakit Vathesatogkit, secretary general of Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand, called on parents and educators to fight against smoking among juveniles given the latest figure of 400,000 smokers aged 15-18.

Rowdy Students Severely Beat High School Teacher: Samut Prakan:

A school teacher was set upon and severely beaten by a gang of high-school students and their relatives at a school in Samut Prakan’s tough Samrong District on Wednesday.

Thai Adults Drinking Less, But More Teenagers Gulp More Booze

One In Three Thai Youth Ready To Go ‘Under The Knife’: Survey:

About one in every three Thai teenagers and university students say that they intend to use diet pills and to undergo cosmetic surgery in the hope of getting more slim and beautiful figures, while half of all children skip breakfast

Violent Students To Be Drafted Into Army Automatically:

Thailand: rom now on, students from vocational schools who are regarded as troublemakers or have a history of violence will be automatically conscripted to the Army as soon as they reach the correct age, Army chief General Prayuth Chanocha announced yesterday. However, he said, this policy would be shortterm and might even be cancelled if it succeeds in preventing or reducing violence between rivalling schools.

Thai Army To Turn Violent Students Into 'Gentlemen':

The Royal Thai Army has agreed to help the Education Ministry arrange the "Vocational Gentlemen" programme to reform the behaviour of some 130 vocational students with histories of violence.

Students fight as House panel seeks solution to violence:

While solutions to the problem were being worked out, students of Donmuang Technical College yesterday launched a machete attack on three vocational students from a rival school, seriously wounding one and slightly hurting two others.

Families Of Student Brawl Call For Tougher Measures: Bangkok:

On Wednesday evening, a group of six technical college students opened fire at rival students from Thaivichitsilp School on the Rangsit-Victory Monument bus resulting to the deaths of Thaivichitsilp freshman Wanchai Thongsongkaew, 21, and female passenger Yupa Plaingam, 48, and injuring two others.

17-Year-Old Student Admits Fatal Bangkok Bus Shooting,

Police Say: A 17-year-old student who police say admits shooting at a public bus in Don Muang last week expressed remorse yesterday for the death of two passengers but denied intending to murder anyone. "I'm so deeply sorry for what I did and accept the mistake," said the student, who cannot to be named.

14-Year-Old Girl Arrested For Running Underage Prostitution Ring In Samut Prakan:

Undercover agents pretended to solicit sex arranged by the girl, who was charging THB2,000 each for two other underage girls aged 14 and 16.

Teen Confesses To Stabbing To Death Arts Teacher: Bangkok:

A 18-year-old man has reportedly confessed to stabbing an arts teacher after mistaking him for a rival student.

Cleavage Alert: Young women uploading boob shots for 'likes' on Facebook:

The women, many of them teenagers studying in high school, post the revealing photos on pages devoted to the practice, where some have amassed over 400,000 “likes” on the social network

Thailand Grapples With Killer Student Gangs:

"I stabbed a student in the head," says Pond, a pimply 18-year-old who escaped prosecution for the assault but was fined a few dollars for carrying a knife. "Sometimes I feel bad about it, but it's what happens. We do it because it's a legend, passed down from the seniors in our school. We do it for pride."

Six More Thai Students Held Over Shooting Death: Bangkok:

Thanakrit reportedly drove the pickup for the other eight students when they ran into the rival group that was reportedly spray painting their college's symbol, so they opened fire at the group. Some 20 BCT students on motorbikes joined the melee, before burning the rival group's motorcycle.

9-year-old in govt drug-rehab programme:

The youngest drug addict participating in a government rehabilitation scheme is 9, while young addicts are prone to new consumption methods in which amphetamines or other substances are mixed with cough syrup and carbonated drinks

Bangkok: 41 Students Detained In Anti-Brawl Measure:

City police yesterday rounded up 41 students at Krungthon Technology School from a crowded bus in front of the Dao Khanong Market in Bangkok's Thon Buri area. A search found 25 students were carrying knives, which they claimed was for self-defence against rival students who often ambushed them.

And let's not forget the health benefits of sending your child to a Thai school:

Four Thai Children Develop Symptoms Like Hand, Foot And Mouth Disease:

Kanchanaburi: KANCHANABURI, July 10 – Four two-year-old children in a childcare centre in Kanchanaburi have developed symptoms similar to those of hand, foot and mouth disease and tests are being conducted to determine the virus strain.

Students' Blood Scare In Kalasin:

Some 148 students from Khammuang Industrial And Community Education College in Kalasin were forced to undergo a blood test because of fears of possible communicable diseases after it was found that fake doctors used one needle for blood tests on many people

41 infected with 2009 H1N1 avian flu in Nakhon Ratchasima:

According to the initial investigation, one hospital worker was infected with the flu virus from his daughter who fell sick on June 8, with all members of the family subsequently infected with the disease.

Lead Paint Found In Pre-Kindergarten, Nursery Schools In Bangkok

Police probe online pic of toddler smoking drugs:

The picture was probably taken at a kindergarten or nursery, judging from the mattress laid down in a spacious room, he said.

High Levels Of Lead Contamination Found In Rayong School Playground Equipment

Thailand Remains On Alert For Hand, Foot And Mouth Disease Outbreak:

Mae Hong Song publichealth chief Dr Paisarn Tanyawinijkul said: "...if they find more than five students coming down with the HFMD in a class, the class must be suspended. If there are more than five such classes, the school should be closed down temporarily."

Test ordered in death of 2 year-old:

Disease Control Department directorgeneral Dr Pornthep Siriwanarangsan said if more than two students in the same the class caught HFMD, that class should be suspended.

29 schools in Bangkok cancel classes:

The prestigious CU demonstration primary school: The school's director Assoc Prof Supranee Jiranarong said four students were diagnosed with the disease on July 12, and four days later 18 more students caught the same disease. "So, we have decided to close down the school temporarily and contacted a nearby public-health service centre to spray proper disinfectant across classrooms," she said.

Hmfd Cases No That Bad: Thai Scientists:

The bad news is HFMD will likely return every rainy season, as students go back to school for the new term.

Strain Of Hfmd Killed Toddler: Doctors:

As hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) continues to alarm parents around Thailand, virology experts yesterday concluded the 2-year-eight-month-old girl who died last week at Bangkok's Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital succumbed to Enterovirus 71, which can cause HFMD.

Experts To Examine Cause Of Two-Year-Old Girl'S Death: Hfmd:

Now, the school has begun cleaning its facilities twice a day.

171 Cases Of Hand-Foot-Mouth Syndrome In Chaiyaphum:

The Chaiyaphum Provincial Public Health Office revealed that the number of children in the province afflicted with hand-foot-mouth syndrome has already exceeded 171, but the strain of disease is not fatal.

Assumption College Closes Abruptly As Teachers Ask For Pay Rise: Bangkok:

Assumption College on Friday abruptly suspended all classes for a week, with effect from today, reportedly in response to teachers' demand for a pay rise and to internal conflicts.

Haircut Rule Relaxation Worries Some: Thai School Regulation

Si Sa Ket School Faces Disciplinary Action For Toddler Death:

The management of a Si Sa Ket school where a child fatally suffocated in a pick-up truck on Tuesday will also face ministerial disciplinary action

Alarm Raised Across Thailand Following Deaths Of Children Left In School Vans

Teachers Face Jail Term For Thai Toddler's Death:

Police are preparing to press harsher charges against a teacher and an assistant teacher over the death of a young girl who was accidentally locked inside a school van early this month.

3-Year-Old Thai Girl Still In I C U After Left Unattended All Day In Parked School Van:

The teacher and driver were not aware that Manassanan Thongphoo left inside the locked vehicle until the end of the school day.

And he also overlooked parental and adult behavior, I guess:

Academics Call For New Agency To Deal With Domestic Violence: Thailand

Divorce, domestic abuse on the rise in Thailand:

The rate of divorce in Thailand has tripled from 10.8 per cent in 2009 to 33 per cent in 2012, while domestic violence has been recorded in at least a third of Thai families.

Conditions for the poor get worse in Thailand

Spousal Killings On Rise In Thailand, With Bangkok Seeing The Highest Number

Teen Girl Sexually Assaulted By Three Police Officers, A Taxi Driver And Her Father: Pathum Thani:

In a shameful case of sexual crimes, a ninth grade girl reported being raped by three policemen, and later raped by the taxi driver whom she had fled to for help. She also later revealed to police that she had been raped by her father since the age of 7.

3 Reports Of Violence Against Children Or Women Are Made Every Hour In Thailand

Friendly Thailand stares down the barrel of rising gun crime:

"Thailand has become a Wild West movie," says politician Chuwit Kamolvisit, a former massage-parlor tycoon who says he used to pay off local police to run his seedy businesses. "People pull out their guns at a moment's notice."

Survey: 1 In 2.8 Thai Married Couples Divorced Within Recent Years

Half Of Surveyed Thai Women Face Sexual Abuse: Nida Poll:

Asked about the problems Thai women facing in their lives now, nearly half – just over 47 per cent -- said Thai women face sexual abuse, followed by 43 per cent with family issues and nearly one in three – 31.5 per cent – with teenage pregnancies.

Rehab officials 'killed youth':

Some 200 youths broke out of a drug rehabilitation centre in Krabi's Muang district yesterday, claiming that officials had beaten one inmate to death and badly injured others.

Grandmother confesses to killing her grandson:

The grandmother of Bangkok schoolboy found dead in a flat in Bangkok's Prawet district last week, confessed yesterday that she had an argument with the boy and unintentionally killed him when she struck him on the head.

And I wonder if he is looking into his own back yard when he restructures the "system":

Thai Education Ministry's Website Hacked For The 102Nd Time:

Late on Thursday night, the Education Ministry's website showed a large black banner featuring a white skull and a message reading: "We are the new generation. Please teach us what we can use in the future, and not only how to do exams." No comment from any MP

Regions Must Decide Punishments For Exam Cheating:

Thai Education Minister Pongthep: Pointing out that his ministry had set up a fact-finding committee led by Education Ministry inspector-general Phisanu Tulsuk, while the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) had concluded that 514 test-takers had scored unusually high, Pongthep said any probe undertaken by a central agency would cause undue delay, hence the OTEPC subcommittee of each educational zone had been asked to help investigate.

Witnesses In Cheating Case Face Threats: Assistant Thai Teachers:

Key witnesses in the case related to cheating in the recruitment exams for assistant teachers have complained that they are facing threats and intimidation.

Education new strategy will be 'free of politics':

Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana promised yesterday that he would not let politics interfere with the improvement of education in the country as his ministry was in the process of drafting a national education plan and strategy to enhance education and address current problems.

Education Min Phongthep admits Thai education system unsatisfactory:

Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana admits that the Thai education system is unsatisfactory and behind other countries in the ASEAN region. To tackle the problem, the ministry has drawn up some measures to restructure the system. (About 6 months before this article)

Thailand's English Skills Lowest In S E A:

The JobStreet.com English Language Assessment (JELA) results show Singapore workers have the highest average score while Thai workers have the lowest.

Is Homework The Key Issue Of Concern?:

The Education Ministry wants schools to lessen homework... Educators, meanwhile, reasoned that doing homework forces students to spend time constructively and helps prepare them for the next lesson.

Education Ministry to prepare workforce required for rail system overhaul: (a bit off-track from taking care of the kids?)

Minister Pongthep indicates he will forward information about the required workforce to the Office of the Higher Education Commission and the Office of Vocational Education Commission, so the two agencies can make adjustments to their policies of labor development.

Ministry of Education Website Hacked by Teen Rebels:

The website of the Ministry of Education was hacked by apparent teenagers who posted rebellious messages. The hackers proclaimed teenagers live by their own rules and adults have no right to control them.

And event he PM gets in on the act by advising and urging (in spite of all the chaos):

Pm Advises Children To Keep Discipline, Seek Knowledge Outside Classroom:

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra instructed young people to have discipline and be eager to learn outside the classroom

Yingluck Urges Thai Workers To Upgrade Skills:

She emphasised that workers needed to better their skills.

Yingluck Campaigns To Stop Violence Against Women And Children:

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra presided over a seminar focusing on informing Justice Ministry’s personnel of issues concerning violence against women and children.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The sheer lunacy of going back one year and reading all of this makes just about anything these idiots say as worthless as a tit on a male pig. It is proof that Thais regurgitate rhetoric as often as they open their mouths and nothing ever gets done.

Promises are made, but the behavior of the children and adults around them says a lot more than what comes out of the mouths of these corrupt and absolutely ignorant politicians.

The only alarming truth I see in all of this is the behavior of the students. Thailand: This is your life!

I wanna cry...., or I want to cry.....

culicine · June 26, 2013

Thai at heart

"So they are incapable of learning to reason in Thai?

Thai is constructed differently to English? So is French, but I never studied maths in French"

If you can't grasp the difference, either a) research learning and the impact of language and culture on it, ask your kids' teachers to explain, c) take your children out of that program if you still think its a waste of time.

They (I assume you refer to people in Thai only programs or learning English as a stand alone subject) will be capable of learning to reason in Thai and will then have to translate thought and logic constructs as well as words if studying text wriiten in English or trying to write Englsih. Those who learn to do this in Thai and English at an early age will have a good foudation and advantage if they want to study at higher level in English.

You can't reason on English until you've learnt English. I don't see an awful lot of point in forcing kids with very rudimentary English to study and be graded on their ability to do junior school mathematics or science in a second language.

Over a quarter my kids week is overtaken with duplicate lessons in two languages. They do not need to sit through having an unqualified English or science master teaching them science in English when only the day before, they sat through it in Thai.

A very good reason for learning other subjects in english includes the fact that many textbooks students use here are actually in english - I know of engineering, pharmacy and medicine that utilise english books (according to my graduate students). However, problems occur with younger kids when they have a weak grasp of the language. It's an uphill battle for them, and often the school will suggest to those parents to pull them out and focus on learning in Thai instead. Otherwise they end up deficient in maths/science as well.

Many of our upper level students also go to tutorial schools as they are concerned about Thai entrance exams. . They can pick up the relevant vocabulary there. Not sure why they would do that, as many end up going to International programs or overseas anyway who use their own entrance criteria - SAT's, IGCSE, etc.

Kilgore Trout · June 26, 2013

i wouldn't worry about ASEAN, if my predictions are correct Thailand will find some way to back out of all or most of the provisions.

I just cannot see them allowing other ASEAN members to work in certain fields that they will be allowed to do; restaurant workers, tour guides etc. I'm pretty certain it just won't happen.

In addition; Thailand will just blame somebody or something as to the cause and justify the lack of english and education with some ultra nationalist nonsense everyone will buy into.

Would love to be proved wrong; but not holding my breath

Thai at Heart · June 26, 2013

Thai at heart

"So they are incapable of learning to reason in Thai?

Thai is constructed differently to English? So is French, but I never studied maths in French"

If you can't grasp the difference, either a) research learning and the impact of language and culture on it, ask your kids' teachers to explain, c) take your children out of that program if you still think its a waste of time.

They (I assume you refer to people in Thai only programs or learning English as a stand alone subject) will be capable of learning to reason in Thai and will then have to translate thought and logic constructs as well as words if studying text wriiten in English or trying to write Englsih. Those who learn to do this in Thai and English at an early age will have a good foudation and advantage if they want to study at higher level in English.

You can't reason on English until you've learnt English. I don't see an awful lot of point in forcing kids with very rudimentary English to study and be graded on their ability to do junior school mathematics or science in a second language.

Over a quarter my kids week is overtaken with duplicate lessons in two languages. They do not need to sit through having an unqualified English or science master teaching them science in English when only the day before, they sat through it in Thai.

A very good reason for learning other subjects in english includes the fact that many textbooks students use here are actually in english - I know of engineering, pharmacy and medicine that utilise english books (according to my graduate students). However, problems occur with younger kids when they have a weak grasp of the language. It's an uphill battle for them, and often the school will suggest to those parents to pull them out and focus on learning in Thai instead. Otherwise they end up deficient in maths/science as well.

Many of our upper level students also go to tutorial schools as they are concerned about Thai entrance exams. . They can pick up the relevant vocabulary there. Not sure why they would do that, as many end up going to International programs or overseas anyway who use their own entrance criteria - SAT's, IGCSE, etc.

That is precisely my point. This duplication starts at 7-13. It is too young and an awful lot of the Thai speaking kids have only very rudimentary English at this age, but are put into English programs, and cannot keep up. My kids are pretty well bilingual, so, to they can manage it, but many close friends of mine with their kids in the same school struggle.

Beyond that, many need remedial Thai lessons because so much of the time is taken up with duplicating these subjects at a young age. If you can learn to read and write English proficiently, that is more important than learning junior school science or mathematics in two languages. An aptitude in mathematics isn't language specific at the age of 8, is it? For example, my son recites his times tables in English, but my daughter recites her's in Thai. Are they trying to achieve a standardisation of anything?

But their scores for say Science in English/Thai and Maths in English/Thai go towards their grade scores. I saw one kid get 3.8 in Science in Thai, but a 2 in Science in English All a bit silly in my opinion.

Are they learning Science or English?

Edited June 26, 2013 by Thai at Heart

gerrythepoet · June 26, 2013

i wouldn't worry about ASEAN, if my predictions are correct Thailand will find some way to back out of all or most of the provisions.

I just cannot see them allowing other ASEAN members to work in certain fields that they will be allowed to do; restaurant workers, tour guides etc. I'm pretty certain it just won't happen.

In addition; Thailand will just blame somebody or something as to the cause and justify the lack of english and education with some ultra nationalist nonsense everyone will buy into.

Would love to be proved wrong; but not holding my breath

Something I read before and quoted as an OP on another post was that with AEC, the MInister in charge said" Yes they can come to be Doctors but first they must pass the Thai test. So what is the point of English in Thailand. Nationalism rules

kannot · June 26, 2013

Yep they need to concentrate more on "Thainess" and Royal Languages to bring the super race to the forefront of Asia

Robby nz · June 26, 2013

We have a10yr old boy staying with P4 this year, he has been with us for a year now and his speaking and understanding English is improving every day but only because of the help he gets at home.

As far as reading and writing goes he only knows the alphabet and cant even sound the letters.

He is a very bright kid and I have started working with him on the reading and sounding of English and it probably wont take him long to catch on.

One problem is there is a tablet here and he is always wanting to get hold of it and play games, the Mrs keeps letting him play with it as its easier than doing anything with him.

There are some kids on his class at school who cant even read or write Thai so what hope have they got of learning English.

Thai at Heart · June 26, 2013

We have a10yr old boy staying with P4 this year, he has been with us for a year now and his speaking and understanding English is improving every day but only because of the help he gets at home.

As far as reading and writing goes he only knows the alphabet and cant even sound the letters.

He is a very bright kid and I have started working with him on the reading and sounding of English and it probably wont take him long to catch on.

One problem is there is a tablet here and he is always wanting to get hold of it and play games, the Mrs keeps letting him play with it as its easier than doing anything with him.

There are some kids on his class at school who cant even read or write Thai so what hope have they got of learning English.

Download Kytetime, if the tablet is Android.

It is fantastic. Can limit use of programs, can turn the thing completely off and limit daily usage of individual programs. Fantastic program. My son had a fit the first time minecraft went dead after 30 minutes. Now, plain sailing.

Noistar · June 26, 2013

Thai at heart

"So they are incapable of learning to reason in Thai?

Thai is constructed differently to English? So is French, but I never studied maths in French"

If you can't grasp the difference, either a) research learning and the impact of language and culture on it, ask your kids' teachers to explain, c) take your children out of that program if you still think its a waste of time.

They (I assume you refer to people in Thai only programs or learning English as a stand alone subject) will be capable of learning to reason in Thai and will then have to translate thought and logic constructs as well as words if studying text wriiten in English or trying to write Englsih. Those who learn to do this in Thai and English at an early age will have a good foudation and advantage if they want to study at higher level in English.

You can't reason on English until you've learnt English. I don't see an awful lot of point in forcing kids with very rudimentary English to study and be graded on their ability to do junior school mathematics or science in a second language.
Over a quarter my kids week is overtaken with duplicate lessons in two languages. They do not need to sit through having an unqualified English or science master teaching them science in English when only the day before, they sat through it in Thai.

A very good reason for learning other subjects in english includes the fact that many textbooks students use here are actually in english - I know of engineering, pharmacy and medicine that utilise english books (according to my graduate students). However, problems occur with younger kids when they have a weak grasp of the language. It's an uphill battle for them, and often the school will suggest to those parents to pull them out and focus on learning in Thai instead. Otherwise they end up deficient in maths/science as well.
Many of our upper level students also go to tutorial schools as they are concerned about Thai entrance exams. . They can pick up the relevant vocabulary there. Not sure why they would do that, as many end up going to International programs or overseas anyway who use their own entrance criteria - SAT's, IGCSE, etc.

Hence my concern about the doctor who speaks English 'nit noi'. Wonder how up-to-date he is with modern medical practice. Also wonder what the hell he was doing when he should have been learning English!

culicine · June 26, 2013

Thai at heart

"So they are incapable of learning to reason in Thai?

Thai is constructed differently to English? So is French, but I never studied maths in French"

If you can't grasp the difference, either a) research learning and the impact of language and culture on it, ask your kids' teachers to explain, c) take your children out of that program if you still think its a waste of time.

They (I assume you refer to people in Thai only programs or learning English as a stand alone subject) will be capable of learning to reason in Thai and will then have to translate thought and logic constructs as well as words if studying text wriiten in English or trying to write Englsih. Those who learn to do this in Thai and English at an early age will have a good foudation and advantage if they want to study at higher level in English.

You can't reason on English until you've learnt English. I don't see an awful lot of point in forcing kids with very rudimentary English to study and be graded on their ability to do junior school mathematics or science in a second language.
Over a quarter my kids week is overtaken with duplicate lessons in two languages. They do not need to sit through having an unqualified English or science master teaching them science in English when only the day before, they sat through it in Thai.

A very good reason for learning other subjects in english includes the fact that many textbooks students use here are actually in english - I know of engineering, pharmacy and medicine that utilise english books (according to my graduate students). However, problems occur with younger kids when they have a weak grasp of the language. It's an uphill battle for them, and often the school will suggest to those parents to pull them out and focus on learning in Thai instead. Otherwise they end up deficient in maths/science as well.
Many of our upper level students also go to tutorial schools as they are concerned about Thai entrance exams. . They can pick up the relevant vocabulary there. Not sure why they would do that, as many end up going to International programs or overseas anyway who use their own entrance criteria - SAT's, IGCSE, etc.

Hence my concern about the doctor who speaks English 'nit noi'. Wonder how up-to-date he is with modern medical practice. Also wonder what the hell he was doing when he should have been learning English!

Actually I haven't met a doctor with rudimentary english here. Most speak quite well as the ones I've met are specialists and have spent time overseas. They are usually from well off families and thus had quite a bit of extra english language training as kids. Even with those with lower english speaking skills, their reading and comprehension is usually much better i contrast. That's been my experience anyway. I've also taught at least 6 students who have gotten into medical degrees and they speak english fine. English language skills have definitely improved among the middle class over the last decade or so; less so in communities who cannot afford / won't pay for foreign teachers.

Unkomoncents · June 26, 2013

i wouldn't worry about ASEAN, if my predictions are correct Thailand will find some way to back out of all or most of the provisions.

I just cannot see them allowing other ASEAN members to work in certain fields that they will be allowed to do; restaurant workers, tour guides etc. I'm pretty certain it just won't happen.

In addition; Thailand will just blame somebody or something as to the cause and justify the lack of english and education with some ultra nationalist nonsense everyone will buy into.

Would love to be proved wrong; but not holding my breath

Something I read before and quoted as an OP on another post was that with AEC, the MInister in charge said" Yes they can come to be Doctors but first they must pass the Thai test. So what is the point of English in Thailand. Nationalism rules

I've heard the same thing. That's precisely how Thailand will de facto prevent any real ASEAN employment integration from threatening Thais. Thailand's elites and politicians are well aware of the fact that Thais are increasingly uncompetitive when compared with peers from other ASEAN countries. That, on some level, is the whole idea. The outflows of information from the Thai government are indicative of just how knowledgeable Thai elites want the public to be. To deal with this 2015 "integration" everyone keeps talking about, Thailand will impose it's own language requirements to prevent Singaporeans, Malaysians, Philippinos and others from sweeping in and taking jobs from Thais (in many fields, Thai wages will keep foreigners from wanting to work in Thailand anyways; the doctors at Bumrungrad are all foreign-educated Thais anyways, and what Singaporean is going to want to work at another hospital in the Kingdom?). ASEAN integration will really only benefit/affect the citizens of countries that are committed to it. ASEAN is a completely toothless, non-binding association. Members can agree to ASEAN-wide initiatives and then openly violate the terms of those initiatives without any fear of repurcussion. As a result, you can be 100% that Thailand will do exactly that. Ultimately, this will gradually isolate Thailand and diminish the country's influence and significance, regionally. Thailand is already increasingly fading into ASEAN's recesses in terms of regional importance, so this will be nothing new to the Kingdom's denizens. Their increasingly deliberate efforts to ignore these things and exploit fervent nationalism (bordering on jingoism) are all symptoms of their awareness of these developments. It as though, afraid of a new bout of neo-colonialism, they are preparing their people with burning nationalistic pride. That has always been Thailand's preferred method of (hopefully) keeping foreigners from exploiting their largely ignorant, impoverished masses.

Noistar · June 26, 2013

i wouldn't worry about ASEAN, if my predictions are correct Thailand will find some way to back out of all or most of the provisions.

I just cannot see them allowing other ASEAN members to work in certain fields that they will be allowed to do; restaurant workers, tour guides etc. I'm pretty certain it just won't happen.

In addition; Thailand will just blame somebody or something as to the cause and justify the lack of english and education with some ultra nationalist nonsense everyone will buy into.

Would love to be proved wrong; but not holding my breath

Something I read before and quoted as an OP on another post was that with AEC, the MInister in charge said" Yes they can come to be Doctors but first they must pass the Thai test. So what is the point of English in Thailand. Nationalism rules
I've heard the same thing. That's precisely how Thailand will de facto prevent any real ASEAN employment integration from threatening Thais. Thailand's elites and politicians are well aware of the fact that Thais are increasingly uncompetitive when compared with peers from other ASEAN countries. That, on some level, is the whole idea. The outflows of information from the Thai government are indicative of just how knowledgeable Thai elites want the public to be. To deal with this 2015 "integration" everyone keeps talking about, Thailand will impose it's own language requirements to prevent Singaporeans, Malaysians, Philippinos and others from sweeping in and taking jobs from Thais (in many fields, Thai wages will keep foreigners from wanting to work in Thailand anyways; the doctors at Bumrungrad are all foreign-educated Thais anyways, and what Singaporean is going to want to work at another hospital in the Kingdom?). ASEAN integration will really only benefit/affect the citizens of countries that are committed to it. ASEAN is a completely toothless, non-binding association. Members can agree to ASEAN-wide initiatives and then openly violate the terms of those initiatives without any fear of repurcussion. As a result, you can be 100% that Thailand will do exactly that. Ultimately, this will gradually isolate Thailand and diminish the country's influence and significance, regionally. Thailand is already increasingly fading into ASEAN's recesses in terms of regional importance, so this will be nothing new to the Kingdom's denizens. Their increasingly deliberate efforts to ignore these things and exploit fervent nationalism (bordering on jingoism) are all symptoms of their awareness of these developments. It as though, afraid of a new bout of neo-colonialism, they are preparing their people with burning nationalistic pride. That has always been Thailand's preferred method of (hopefully) keeping foreigners from exploiting their largely ignorant, impoverished masses.

In other words the Thai "business as usual" attitude. The rules (laws) exist but are very selectively followed.

awayego · June 27, 2013

I have a part-time connection (as an accounting consultant!) with a TEFL school but I have had twenty five years teaching experience (though not English). Before I retired I was a Senior Lecturer with responsibility for quality of teaching and course delivery. Even allowing for a little unintended bias, I have to say that the quality of TEFL teaching, the teaching experience that is included in the course and the very positive feedback from both students and schools has been really excellent and quite revealing.

Many people are too quick to dismiss TEFL holders as merely "back-packers" or "casual teachers" with little or no commitment to teaching. In my experience, albeit limited admittedly, the opposite is more often the case, though of course there are exceptions. If half of the TEFL schools here are as effective as the one I am involved with at producing very capable and enthusiastic teachers of English (as a second or foreign language) then Thailand already has on its doorstep a substantial ready resource with which to really tackle the problem of poor English and the needs of ASEAN.

The problem is, as others have said, the WILL is simply not there - either in government or in the Thai mentality. As long as the government insists, as I understand they do, on all non-Thai teachers of English (as a SL or FL) having a degree in education then this (TEFL) resource is, at least officially, unavailable to them. It does not necessarily follow that a degree in education makes for a better teacher of English than a TEFL certificate holder. I know from my own experience where we (in UK) employed a very highly qualified and 'experienced' lecturer who lasted only two weeks because he was totally unable to communicate with his students!

Of course, if English is to be taught at a high academic level then clearly TEFL holders are not appropriate. However, Thailand has a huge and immediate need for even basic English communication and that need could be met, at least in great part, by the pool of TEFL holders already in the country. The main problem in insisting that English teachers should hold degrees in education is that salaries are woefully inadequate in order to attract them.

IMHO, being an effective teacher has less to do with a teacher's academic attainment and more to do with having skills/qualities such as effective communication, enthusiasm, ability to involve and motivate, commitment and even humour.

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