Education Minister should start with a clean sheet: Thai editorial

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
Education Minister should start with a clean sheet
The Nation

Too many changes of leadership and too many misguided policies that focus on quantity rather than quality add up to failure in our schools

NAMGKOK: -- Education Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng has the privilege of being one of only two new Cabinet members who are trusted by the public. The other is Social Development and Human Security Minister Paveena Hongsakul. This may be due to his one-year term at the ministry during the Thaksin administration in 2005, or his standing as one of the "cream" of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party. Whatever the case, he has scored high in opinion polls as a suitable change. Still, judging from the present state of Thai education, he has a mountain to climb, especially if he is serious about reform.

First things first: Chaturon will have to look closely at what past ministers have left him. Since Yingluck Shinawatra took office in August 2011, there have been three ministers - Worawat Auapinyakul, Suchart Taddthamrongvej and Pongthep Thempkanjana. Certainly, Chaturon may not recall all the work and policies initiated by his predecessors. The public can't either. It is hard to expect something concrete from a government that fills Cabinet portfolios for political reasons rather than qualifications.

To be fair, none of the three had a chance to complete their pet projects. First Worawat came up with a plan to have students learn at least one new English word a day. That fizzled out, and so did his tenure, after about six months. Suchart declined to keep the word-a-day effort going, although he stayed in post a little longer than Worawat. His brainstorm was giving prominent schools permission to accept "tea money" for admissions. Pongthep, meanwhile, unveiled an ambitious plan for drastic curriculum change and the merging of small schools.

One doesn't need a magnifying glass to see that education reform is going nowhere. An obvious reason is discontinuity. If a policy is any good at all, it is forgotten almost every time there is a change at the top. Good education ministers in the past, including the late ML Pin Malakul and Sippanon Ketthat, had in common a background as teachers and a passion for education. They are among the greatest education reformers in Thailand's modern history. Their visions are still valid. ML Pin, for instance, emphasised the importance of training teachers, after a lifetime career as a teacher himself. He also established Triam Udom Sueksa, the first co-ed school in Thailand, which is still one of our top secondary schools. Likewise, Sippanon has been praised as a reformer, and he also contributed more work during this retirement.

Whether Chaturon will have the luxury of staying in his job longer than his predecessors remains to be seen. Last time he was at the helm for just a year before being ousted in the coup. This time, as the fourth choice of Prime Minister Yingluck, he is determined to continue Pongthep's policy. Many academics doubt if he will. Apart from unfinished work, the new minister will also have to look closely at the discouraging fact that Thailand's English-language proficiency among Asian countries has slipped from 43rd in 2012 to 52nd. Among Southeast Asian countries, it is ranked eighth, ahead only of Laos and Myanmar. A World Economic Forum study also shows Thailand at an appallingly low proficiency level.

English is just one of many indicators, but considering the budget allocated to the ministry, it is depressing that past ministers could not do better. The actual reality of Thai students' English proficiency is far from the objectives set out in the 11th National Economics and Social Development Board Plan, which called for English to be promoted as a second language and other Southeast Asian languages to get more attention. Three years to go under the present plan and there are no concrete results from any of the past ministers.

Chaturon can consider himself starting anew, since so little has been accomplished since this government came to power. He can start by sticking to the NESDB master plan. The ministry still has some prestige - it grooms our future generations. He should aim to follow in the path of great ministers like ML Pin, while examining the failures of more recent ministers. He must encourage teachers, parents and students to participate in the process. With so many frequent changes at the top, critics say hope for affective reform has been lost because there has been no clear leader to spearhead the arduous task. Chaturon can seek to be different and be a true leader, or he can be one among many ministers who have left the public mystified as to their contributions to Thai education.


-- The Nation 2013-07-11

[nachiket]

The actual reality of Thai students' English proficiency is far from the objectives set out in the 11th National Economics and Social Development Board Plan, which called for English to be promoted as a second language and other Southeast Asian languages to get more attention. Three years to go under the present plan and there are no concrete results from any of the past ministers.

Let's wait and watch. Snail will move ahead for sure, no matter what is the speed.

[Tatsujin]

English is just one of many indicators, but considering the budget allocated to the ministry, it is depressing that past ministers could not do better. The actual reality of Thai students' English proficiency is far from the objectives set out in the 11th National Economics and Social Development Board Plan, which called for English to be promoted as a second language and other Southeast Asian languages to get more attention. Three years to go under the present plan and there are no concrete results from any of the past ministers.

There's some simple answers/solutions to this issue. Make the students actually "learn" properly rather than the typical rote memorization/repeating they practice here, plus make the exam results actually accurate, instead of the more normal student fails badly, then miraculously passes after a "donation" is received from the parents. The "no fail" policy (whether it is publicly acknowledged or not) has never worked and makes a mockery of the whole system.

[culicine]

English is just one of many indicators, but considering the budget allocated to the ministry, it is depressing that past ministers could not do better. The actual reality of Thai students' English proficiency is far from the objectives set out in the 11th National Economics and Social Development Board Plan, which called for English to be promoted as a second language and other Southeast Asian languages to get more attention. Three years to go under the present plan and there are no concrete results from any of the past ministers.

There's some simple answers/solutions to this issue. Make the students actually "learn" properly rather than the typical rote memorization/repeating they practice here, plus make the exam results actually accurate, instead of the more normal student fails badly, then miraculously passes after a "donation" is received from the parents. The "no fail" policy (whether it is publicly acknowledged or not) has never worked and makes a mockery of the whole system.

Very few students in western systems fail either - they just get the grade that reflects their input, unlike in Thailand. I have a large number of students who will get through with a '50' for many subjects. The mockery is they still pay their way into university and somehow manage to graduate with a 'degree'. There's a good reason why most mega projects (e.g BTS) in Thailand are headed by foreign companies!

[Xangsamhua]

Thailand's English-language proficiency among Asian countries has slipped from 43rd in 2012 to 52nd. Among Southeast Asian countries, it is ranked eighth, ahead only of Laos and Myanmar.

They're gilding the lily a bit. According to a seminar earlier this year, Thailand's TOEFL scores are the lowest in the ASEAN region, on average 50 points lower than those for Laos and Myanmar.

http://www.edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/news/news/1626270/Thais_score_lowest_in_English_proficiency.html

[lee b]

yeah start with school