CUPT set to propose Thai education reform plans to NCPO

[webfact]

CUPT set to propose education reform plans to NCPO

BANGKOK, 5 June 2014 (NNT) - The Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT) is set to propose long-term and short-term education reforms to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

The council said after a meeting that one of the changes should include equal access to education for all Thai children. More courses on social responsibility and ethics should also become part of the existing curriculum.

The council elaborated that the short-term goal would be speeding up the review of education-related bills while in the long run, technology-assisted teaching is slated to be proposed to the NCPO.

The CUPT earlier stated that the Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC) should be upgraded into a ministry as the work scope of the Education Ministry is wide-ranging. The idea will be part of the reform proposal forwarded to the NCPO.

Reforms, including those in relation to economy and energy, are high on the agenda of the NCPO.


-- NNT 2014-06-05

[seajae]

lets hope they make it that the students have to pass each year by using their brains and ability not due to loss of face and we might start to see much better grades and attitudes, Making teachers actually work and teach the students would also be a big help rather than letting them do bugger all as they do now unless the students/parents slip them a bonus to do so. As always they need to start at the top and remove the cretins that allow all this to happen, until they are reigned in the graft will continue and students remain uneducated. Face has no place in a learning institution, it should be based on grades, if they cannot get the right grades they should fail and have to repeat, maybe they might learn some self discipline and to take a bit more responsibility for their own actions.

Edited June 5, 2014 by seajae

[scorecard]

All very nice, but where where where is the total reform of teaching and learning methodology

to create students who are pushed to analyze, to understand, to be able / want to construct and

verbalize discussion about what they are learning?

[slipperx]

All very nice, but where where where is the total reform of teaching and learning methodology

to create students who are pushed to analyze, to understand, to be able / want to construct and

verbalize discussion about what they are learning?

How can you expect that when the people in charge are products of exactly the current system. It takes exceptional people to see much outside their own experience and one or two are not enough. I don't see the upper echelons of power existing from 2013 filled with insightful Thais but rather with selfish corrupt muppets. It's rather despairing really! But maybe things have begun to change? Edited June 5, 2014 by slipperx

[Tatsujin]

The next item on the agenda is to outlaw "face" which will solve 90% of Thailand's problems . . .

[scorecard]

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All very nice, but where where where is the total reform of teaching and learning methodology
to create students who are pushed to analyze, to understand, to be able / want to construct and
verbalize discussion about what they are learning?

How can you expect that when the people in charge are products of exactly the current system. It takes exceptional people to see much outside their own experience and one or two are not enough. I don't see the upper echelons of power existing from 2013 filled with insightful Thais but rather with selfish corrupt muppets. It's rather despairing really! But maybe things have begun to change?

Sure, point taken.

I just keep my fingers crossed and hope that someone will bite the bullet.

I am aware that the Dean of the university where I lecture is pushing the Thai lecturers to totally change their teaching methods and she is slowly having some success.

But not with all lecturers, our Thai lecturers are mainly female, many are due for retirement within the next 2 or 3 years and 99% of these teachers just refuse to listen to discussion about change.

But 99% the very young lecturers are keen for change, in fact quite a few of them sit in my lectures (and lectures with other western professors) to gain some ideas of how they could change.

But of course it needs to start at P1 or even at kindergarten.

[Emptyset]

All very nice, but where where where is the total reform of teaching and learning methodology

to create students who are pushed to analyze, to understand, to be able / want to construct and

verbalize discussion about what they are learning?

I see a conservative emphasis on more classes about "ethics" and "social responsibility" now. Many people would suggest they spend far too long on similar exercises in brainwashing already and would be better off learning to think and question... more or less as you say.

[Now or Never]

Improving the standard of the teachers and tackling corruption in the education system must be priorities.

[TimCM]

If they want to teach ethics, I hope they get foreigners to teach it. My experiences from Uni's in Thailand is that the teachers there are as corrupt as anyoone in Thailand and have no interest in knowledge.

[BillyBobThai]

World history and geography would also benefit Thai students.

[UbonRatch]

The next item on the agenda is to outlaw "face" which will solve 90% of Thailand's problems . . .

Unfortunately, 'face' is a part of Asian collectivist culture.

To rid of it would be like ridding the West of ... well.. err.. I dunno.. burgers maybe?

[NongKhaiKid]

World history and geography would also benefit Thai students.

Don't Thais already need to know all they require that the outside world doesn't exist and even if it does it isn't important ?

[HUAHIN62]

Any educational reform (and any other reforms) will only go as far as what the corrupt civil service will allow it to go. The only way to get any reforms done is to first start with cleaning out corrupt officials. Change the penalities for corruption, make them severe, setup a special court system to fast track civil service cases. If found guilty publish their names to avoid them saving face. Only after cleaning up the corrupt ones can reforms suceed, before then it will be sabotaged. Many governments have tried reform and none had sucess, because they ran into the corrupt civil service network, its time to break this network.

[allan michaud]

"More courses on social responsibility and ethics should also become part of the existing curriculum."

At least they are trying to address the main problems of Thai society with this.

[Maroon Watcher]

"...social responsibility and ethics" and International culture -

so Thailand can be part of the world village,...

[FangFerang]

Three things "reform" will never include, because it would mean real reform:

1) students need to have passing grades to advance

2) schools hiring foreign teachers required to register all teachers and their documentation, especially the 'new' South Africans and 'old' others who not only pay no taxes, but get two day vacations every 90 days to make visa runs while the registered teachers teach their classes -- a la Sarah's Ass schools

3) computerized test scores so cheating is not rewarded

Like every aspect of the "reforms" being touted, reform means -- everything stays the same. Everything.

What a coup de grace!!

[bigbamboo]

Interesting, but why didn't they propose this before?

[city]

The next item on the agenda is to outlaw "face" which will solve 90% of Thailand's problems . . .

and replace the wai with a handshake in a hope it will remove the heirarchical structure of Thai society

[Tatsujin]

The next item on the agenda is to outlaw "face" which will solve 90% of Thailand's problems . . .

and replace the wai with a handshake in a hope it will remove the heirarchical structure of Thai society

Now that might be a step too far to some lol

[scorecard]

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The next item on the agenda is to outlaw "face" which will solve 90% of Thailand's problems . . .

and replace the wai with a handshake in a hope it will remove the heirarchical structure of Thai society

There's nothing wrong at all with the wai.

Or perhaps you think 'unless it's western, it's wrong'.

[Balance]

All very nice, but where where where is the total reform of teaching and learning methodology

to create students who are pushed to analyze, to understand, to be able / want to construct and

verbalize discussion about what they are learning?

I see a conservative emphasis on more classes about "ethics" and "social responsibility" now. Many people would suggest they spend far too long on similar exercises in brainwashing already and would be better off learning to think and question... more or less as you say.

Hey folks, how about teaching the kids basic arithmetic and even the concepts of percentages and ratios. Then you could move on to basic Aristotelian logic before high minded critical thinking skills. My experience is that the bright kids going to private schools will leave Thailand as soon as they finish their education. It would be in the interests of the country for the leadership to figure out how to keep those kids here. They could start by having remedial classes related to developing a merit based employment environments versus what family they are from.

[Torrens54]

All very nice, but where where where is the total reform of teaching and learning methodology

to create students who are pushed to analyze, to understand, to be able / want to construct and

verbalize discussion about what they are learning?

Will they be permitted to ask questions, express their own point of view and maybe even learn that there are in fact,

countries outside of Thailand?

[northernjohn]

lets hope they make it that the students have to pass each year by using their brains and ability not due to loss of face and we might start to see much better grades and attitudes, Making teachers actually work and teach the students would also be a big help rather than letting them do bugger all as they do now unless the students/parents slip them a bonus to do so. As always they need to start at the top and remove the cretins that allow all this to happen, until they are reigned in the graft will continue and students remain uneducated. Face has no place in a learning institution, it should be based on grades, if they cannot get the right grades they should fail and have to repeat, maybe they might learn some self discipline and to take a bit more responsibility for their own actions.

I think

The council said after a meeting that one of the changes should include equal access to education for all Thai children. More courses on social responsibility and ethics should also become part of the existing curriculum.

pretty well answered all your concerns and more.

what surprises me is the source of these recommendations. They have had the power to train teachers in these fields but never did. Now all of a sudden they are coming up with intelligent ideas.

equal access to education for all Thai children

That would mean free uniforms and school supplies.

[northernjohn]

All very nice, but where where where is the total reform of teaching and learning methodology

to create students who are pushed to analyze, to understand, to be able / want to construct and

verbalize discussion about what they are learning?

How can you expect that when the people in charge are products of exactly the current system. It takes exceptional people to see much outside their own experience and one or two are not enough. I don't see the upper echelons of power existing from 2013 filled with insightful Thais but rather with selfish corrupt muppets. It's rather despairing really! But maybe things have begun to change?

I agree there was not a lot of smart thinking people to change they system defiantly not the people we had. I was surprised at the source of the recommendations. For my money they were part of the problem.

Yes with a no nonsense government in charge there is a chance for a big improvement.

I think that education should be right up there with improving the lot of the poor. With an education the future will not have so many poor people. I am a strong believer in education. Note when I say Education I don't mean just teach every one to talk English. They have far more serious problem sin the education system than that. Besides what percent will ever really need it. Kind of like in Canada every one having to learn French when there is only one French speaking area in the whole country.

[DrTuner]

How long before they run out of the four letter abbreviations for the zillions of nests of bureaucrats they have here ?

[DrTuner]

The next item on the agenda is to outlaw "face" which will solve 90% of Thailand's problems . . .

Unfortunately, 'face' is a part of Asian collectivist culture.

To rid of it would be like ridding the West of ... well.. err.. I dunno.. burgers maybe?

Like ridding the West of cultural colonialism ?

[scorecard]

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World history and geography would also benefit Thai students.

This reminds me, when I was at primary and high school (a very long time ago), all students got a booklet (perhaps about 10 pages called 'The CAB'

(Current Affairs Bulletin). It was distributed to all school children in the whole country, government schools / all schools.

Half of the pages were devoted to recent current affairs in all states of my country and half devoted to recent world events.

The bulletin was written in a style / vocabulary easy for kids to read and understand.

During the week / 10 days after we got each bulletin we had 3 or 4 lessons 30 - 40 minutes, often including small teams to analyze the selected item and list the key information words / phrases / meaning, etc.

In high school our home room teacher invited outside people (maybe 3 or 4 times per year) to come in and answers questions specific to a selected item from the bulletin, about 40 minutes.

I never thought about it at the time, but there is no doubt it provided me with a broad knowledge of the world.

[lomatopo]

Sheesh, everyone's on the "reform" bandwagon.

What were they doing before about education? Hint: nothing.

In all seriousness, the noble classes does not want the unwashed masses to be better educated other than vocationally to repair cars, air-con, etc., so this is simply lip-service.