OBEC to quickly whip up plans to improve Thailand's education system

[webfact]

OBEC to quickly whip up plans to improve Thailand's education system



BANGKOK, 2 July 2014 (NNT) - Mr. Kamol Rodklai, Secretary General of the Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC), has moved to whip up an education plan, with a focus on instilling morality codes and analytic skills in students.

The plan was discussed yesterday during an OBEC meeting to set the operating direction for its officials. The meeting gave the officials 3 months to address such urgent issues as curriculum adjustment, promoting use of new technologies to reduce educational gaps, and raising the educational measurement tests to an international standard.

Mr. Kamol said curriculum improvements would mainly cover the subjects of history and civil duties and they must be ready for implementation in the second semester of 2014.

He also talked about the 2015 operation plan, saying the OBEC would focus on sharpening students’ analytic skills and instilling patriotism, honesty as well as religious principles, and love for the monarchy, in accordance with the policy of the National Council for Peace and Order.

Mr. Kamol also said teachers would be emphasized to improve their teaching techniques, along with ethical principles, and vision.


-- NNT 2014-07-02

[Always18]

"................instilling morality codes and analytic skills"? - is Thailand finally entering the real world?

I am, at the same time, both gobsmacked and extremely encouraged by this development and can only hope that these words of enlightenment are truly put into practice.

As a cynical observer of years of Thai BS, I am tempted to dismiss this as yet more of the same but I sincerely hope my doubts are proved groundless.....................

[Pib]

Seems there are lot of newly motivated high govt officials now (i.e., look boss, see the great things I'm doing) with the NCPO moving lots of officials to inactive posts. Hope the newly found motivation results in significant improvements vs just press release/committee meetings for a few months.

[billd766]

The best thing that OBEC can do is to retire all the teachers over 50 thus freeing up promotion for younger and more modern teachers, set in place a new high quality teacher training university and then resign en masse as most of them are as much use to educating Thai children as a bicycle is to a fish (to put it politely).

[tominbkk]

morality codes?

[taony]

"He also talked about the 2015 operation plan, saying the OBEC would focus on sharpening students’ analytic skills and instilling patriotism, honesty as well as religious principles, and love for the monarchy, in accordance with the policy of the National Council for Peace and Order."

So in other words, go from wasting 90% of classroom time to 95%.

[h90]

using the schools for social engineering and religious brainwash is very wrong. The should focus on Mathematic, Reading, Writing, Physics Languages etc etc

[NongKhaiKid]

" Whip up plans " ? What about careful consideration, a measured approach and ... sorry forgot where I am

[FangFerang]

But still not a whisper about every student passing every year. It was not always like that -- the policy was put in place for private schools, who were losing students when students were accountable for their own progress.

This corruption is insanely expensive, and why Thailand simultaneously has the largest education budget in SEA and the lowest result.

They use public taxes to subsidize private schools, and such schools get paid per student. Very little goes to classrooms and books and upkeep -- it is lining pockets.

No words from the junta on this issue -- never was before and never will be. Ten years of this educational "subsidy" has siphoned off more money than the rice scheme lost, by a large margin....

[TimCM]

But still not a whisper about every student passing every year. It was not always like that -- the policy was put in place for private schools, who were losing students when students were accountable for their own progress.

This corruption is insanely expensive, and why Thailand simultaneously has the largest education budget in SEA and the lowest result.

They use public taxes to subsidize private schools, and such schools get paid per student. Very little goes to classrooms and books and upkeep -- it is lining pockets.

No words from the junta on this issue -- never was before and never will be. Ten years of this educational "subsidy" has siphoned off more money than the rice scheme lost, by a large margin....

Ah, yes. But the money went to the right people so nothing to see here.

If they plan on teaching critical thinking, then they will need a lot of foreign teachers as Thai teachers are a product of their own system and are not capable of critical thought. Also, morals in Thailand

[Luk Mhee]

Seems there are lot of newly motivated high govt officials now (i.e., look boss, see the great things I'm doing) with the NCPO moving lots of officials to inactive posts. Hope the newly found motivation results in significant improvements vs just press release/committee meetings for a few months.

Looking back at all your posts, you must be a very bitter man, or a “Man on the Run”

[UbonRatch]

"raising the educational measurement tests to an international standard."

Oh! Dear.... NASA we have a problem....

Edit: Then again, international standard can mean anything; Laotian standard perhaps?

Edited July 2, 2014 by UbonRatch

[Thai at Heart]

instilling patriotism

Once again, I am overjoyed to have got my children out of the Thai system. What is it with making nationalism or patriotism a priority in education.

[metisdead]

A post containing an acronym for an unrecognized political party has been removed, posts containing this acronym have been removed previously and will continue to be removed.

[h90]

instilling patriotism

Once again, I am overjoyed to have got my children out of the Thai system. What is it with making nationalism or patriotism a priority in education.

nationalism or patriotism means that you feel superior......Odd concept in a school

[Mango Bob]

Bunch of lies. Just look at that picture of the class room. The number of students in the class room. Staged photo and more lies coming from OBEC.

[Thai at Heart]

instilling patriotism

Once again, I am overjoyed to have got my children out of the Thai system. What is it with making nationalism or patriotism a priority in education.

nationalism or patriotism means that you feel superior......Odd concept in a school

I wouldn't mind so much, if there was something for Thailand to be genuinely massivly proud of on a global stage. But being the world's number 1 rice exporter doesn't really get my juices going.

[dcutman]

You know when there is something wrong in the education system when the girl at the counter needs a calculator to figure the change for an 85 baht pack of smokes and you hand her a hundred baht note.

[madmitch]

Yes, focus on the subjects of history and civil duties to improve analytical skills. In other words, as has been said before, more focus on nationalism and forget anything else.

[zyphodb]

"raising the educational measurement tests to an international standard."

Oh! Dear.... NASA we have a problem....

Edit: Then again, international standard can mean anything; Laotian standard perhaps?

Now come on... It'd take decades for Thailand to get their English speaking standards up to the level of Laos... And they were never even an English colony... Keep the poor dumb, then you can fully exploit them...

[JoeThePoster]

All those great ideas kept bottled up for so long waiting for a coup to see the light of day.

[northernjohn]

The best thing that OBEC can do is to retire all the teachers over 50 thus freeing up promotion for younger and more modern teachers, set in place a new high quality teacher training university and then resign en masse as most of them are as much use to educating Thai children as a bicycle is to a fish (to put it politely).

Well it sounds like a good idea how ever

Mr. Kamol also said teachers would be emphasized to improve their teaching techniques, along with ethical principles, and vision.

It will require the reeducation of the educators who are now training the new educators. Hopefully these bandage solutions will last long enough for a whole new generation of teachers to be educated in how to teach teachers of the kids how to impart knowledge. As it is the ones they are turning out now just know the same old methods that have failed them for so long. Also get kids to think with their brain rather than rely on electronics for every thing. Smart new classrooms at 3rd grade level Logic and reasoning first.

Also I think that there are good teachers in the system who are being held back by the system. Give them the freedom to change what they are being forced to do.

[falangjim]

Holding students accountable for their work would be one place to start helping the education system here. 100% passing of every student no matter how little he or she has done--or capable of doing--makes a mockery of education here.

[upena]

Another in a long of 6-month plans guaranteed to keep the masses uneducated.

[BudRight]

morality codes?

Yes. Really.

I used to teach this subject in a Thai Elementary school. Yes, I'm a westerner. I started to ask why they didn't have a Thai do it...and then shrugged and got on with it.

It's Thai morality, so it's stuff like;

You should listen to your older siblings and do what they say because they know what is best for you.

You should keep your community clean.

You should always stoop when you walk by people that are sitting.

Make offerings to the monks on alms rounds.

Always love and praise the monarchy.

You get the idea.

Edited July 2, 2014 by BudRight

[wade72]

But still not a whisper about every student passing every year. It was not always like that -- the policy was put in place for private schools, who were losing students when students were accountable for their own progress.

This corruption is insanely expensive, and why Thailand simultaneously has the largest education budget in SEA and the lowest result.

They use public taxes to subsidize private schools, and such schools get paid per student. Very little goes to classrooms and books and upkeep -- it is lining pockets.

No words from the junta on this issue -- never was before and never will be. Ten years of this educational "subsidy" has siphoned off more money than the rice scheme lost, by a large margin....

I would like to see how much the private or international school is receiving per student from the government. I would be extremely surprised to find out it was anymore then any public school receives per student. It's like a two tiered health system, if you take a student out of the public system and move them to the private system it also benefits the public system by not having to deal with another student.

Seeing the bill I get for my kids going to international school, I am pretty sure I'm paying the lot myself.

[northernjohn]

But still not a whisper about every student passing every year. It was not always like that -- the policy was put in place for private schools, who were losing students when students were accountable for their own progress.

This corruption is insanely expensive, and why Thailand simultaneously has the largest education budget in SEA and the lowest result.

They use public taxes to subsidize private schools, and such schools get paid per student. Very little goes to classrooms and books and upkeep -- it is lining pockets.

No words from the junta on this issue -- never was before and never will be. Ten years of this educational "subsidy" has siphoned off more money than the rice scheme lost, by a large margin....

What is wrong with them they have had over a month and have not completely solved every problem Thailand is faced with.

Bring Yingluck back she was doing such a fine job. [that is sarcasm] Had to say that as their are people who think she was.

[SNGLIFE]

After having homeschooled my daughter to age 7, and then watched as her learning regressed from P2-P5, and then improve dramatically to USA standards with my homeschooling during P6 to now M1, my solution for my 4 year old is simple:

Homeschool, online USA school, and paid friends for socialization. No way in hell will I put my youngest through the farce they call "school" here in Thailand!

[Bignose]

Once again the cynical brigade are in full voice, enlightening us all with their extensive experience in the LoS and "having seen it all before" No doubt you have seen many things over the years that have been disappointing and regrettable, I don't doubt for a second that you have seen many things that should have been prevented...

That being the case could we all please take a bit of a backseat and give the present government time to enact some real and meaningful change, both the UK and Australia have been struggling for years to modernize and improve their respective education systems. They started with half decent education systems but somehow successive governments (of both sides of the political fence) have managed to mismanage them, in some cases, almost to the point of collapse.

Do you really think this new government should have done more?

This present hierarchy are confronting issues that have been in place for generations, rampant corruption that has become endemic and institutionalized, an economy that has been systematically plundered for many years!!!

Please give them a break and take a chill pill, from where I am sitting the intent and progress seems genuine, time alone will tell whether it will be lasting.

Have a great day

[nakhonsawan]

The most amazing thing is that there is no one.... talking about learning the English language ..

My daughter has now joined a university where it is a must that young people can speak and understand English ...

My daughter understand, speak and write English.

Only 45 percent of the new students can understand and speak English in her class.

The remaining 55 percent is then imposed a 3-month summer course in English ..

I asked what happens when they find out that they do not have opportunities to follow in the studies ...

That teacher explained to me that they can not participate in the future.

I then asked how many will get final exam ... 45 percent said he.