Thai education: Obec to cut school hours

[webfact]

EDUCATION
Obec to cut school hours
SUPINDA NA MAHACHAI
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE OFFICE of Basic Education Commission (Obec) will start implementing a policy to reduce classroom hours from this second semester, Obec secretary-general Kamol Rodklai said yesterday.

The agency would at first reduce study hours in certain subjects such as the Social Studies, whose history and civic duty content could be taught via activities instead, he said. The class hours reduction had to be done carefully as it affected the students' study units and graduation requirements, hence they would have a meeting with educators and produce a teaching-learning guideline handbook for teachers, he explained.

He affirmed that Obec would find a practical and effective way to ensure pupils didn't study too hard and still maintained their learning quality.

In related news, Office of Vocational Education Commission chief Chaiyaphruek Serirak reported about a synthesis study on tutoring schools presented to a recent meeting of Education Ministry executives. The study, based on 27 theses since 2002, noted that Thailand, as of 2012, had 2,005 tutoring schools (of which 460 are in Bangkok) covering 453,881 students (of whom 12 per cent were high schoolers). The value of tutoring businesses rose from Bt7 billion in 2012 to Bt7.16 billion in 2013 and was expected grow to Bt8.189 billion by 2015.

The growth stemmed from hiked fees and student number increases, he said. Many kids hoped to improve academic results and boost scores in exams.

The study recommended solutions, including ensuring the schools' potential development to be of equally good quality, the motivational boost for students to pay attention in class, and adjustments in exams. The meeting assigned the study-conducting agency to study further and research tutoring schools' methods, in order to draw conclusions for a September workshop for strategies.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Obec-to-cut-school-hours-30241322.html


-- The Nation 2014-08-20

[lostinisaan]

He affirmed that Obec would find a practical and effective way to ensure pupils didn't study too hard and still maintained their learning quality.

Which learning quality are they on? Does copying from a board mean studying too hard? And marching in a funny looking boy scout uniform is outstanding.

Another OBEC hub of dreams........

[kalbo123]

How about cracking down on teachers that still hit their students?

[Patje]

I do still believe that many around here do not unpack their brain : if you leave it in the original state , unpacked, you have right on warranty in case of malfunction

[khwaibah]

How about learning english, math and sciences.

[grimmbro]

Is Mall Shopping a course? Cause if so, I can understand the need to reduce hours.

[loong]

Is Mall Shopping a course? Cause if so, I can understand the need to reduce hours.

Of course it is. Otherwise why would there be so many youngsters in school uniform in the malls during school hours.

Apparently shopping for computers and mobile phones is also part of monks' training.

[benj005]

Korean students go to school at least 12 hours a day. They should follow in their footstep or get left behind.

[retarius]

Education isn't about hours in the classroom...it is about guiding the natural curiosity of children and developing critical thinking skills, neither of which have a place in Thai educmacation. Thai educmacation is about teaching respect for the hierarchy, to make sure that the poor maintain a suitable deference to their betters in the hi-so class.

[mogo51]

Cutting more hours from their schooling, are they kidding. I have never seen a place so eager to cut at the drop of a hat, have days off for no logical reason. They are falling behind in their English, Maths and cannot keep pace with the other ASEAN countries.

[rethaier]

The Thai education system is IMHO one of the worst in the world. Maintaining learning quality is easy there is not much to maintain. Improving learning quality is a harder nut to crack and god knows that our illustrious Thai educators would not want a challenge that big. When the idiots doing the teaching were taught by idiots themselves it naturally follows that with few exceptions you will turn out more idiots. This cycle has gone on for many generations and does not look like changing any time soon. Remember too, that those in charge of the education system were also taught by their idiot predecessors.

[Fullstop]

a practical and effective way to ensure pupils didn't study too hard

I think that's hard wired into them already.

By the way... what's the REASON for reducing the hours? Can't see it stated anywhere.

[kingstonkid]

GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I could not agree more. This is the best idea they have had in a long time.

Get the kids away from teachers that waste the kids time adn give us privte teachers more time with them.

MORE MONEY YEAH WHAT CAN I SAY.

PLEASE START IT SOON

CAN'T WAIT.

We can get them away form the copy the blackboard teachers and put them with teachers that will make them think and learn on their own.

This could be the best thing yet for those that have the funds and or care about their kids.

Too bad the rest will suffer.

[kalbo123]

Cutting more hours from their schooling, are they kidding. I have never seen a place so eager to cut at the drop of a hat, have days off for no logical reason. They are falling behind in their English, Maths and cannot keep pace with the other ASEAN countries.

Has more to do with the quality.

They go to school so many hours a day here the kids, that it works counter productive.

[culicine]

How about learning english, math and sciences.

In Australia, the senior 'maths-science' stream is exactly that. Students can choose to study only advanced maths, sciences and english. That's it! No guidance, no art, no music or anything else the students are not interested it. In my schools the math/sci stream kids do not even do any science in the last semester of school! No wonder they seem to know nothing upon graduation here. They become the 'jack of all trades and master of none. Yet entrance exams here are rather hard, so kids need to go to those lucrative tutoring schools because they learn practically nothing at school. Cutting study hours won't solve anything if students cannot focus on subjects they actually like.

Edited August 20, 2014 by culicine

[oztaurus]

"The study, based on 27 theses since 2002, noted that Thailand, as of 2012, had 2,005 tutoring schools (of which 460 are in Bangkok) covering 453,881 students (of whom 12 per cent were high schoolers). The value of tutoring businesses rose from Bt7 billion in 2012 to Bt7.16 billion in 2013 and was expected grow to Bt8.189 billion by 2015.

The growth stemmed from hiked fees and student number increases, he said. Many kids hoped to improve academic results and boost scores in exams."

so the strategy is to cut classroom hours to allow the students more time at the tutoring schools where they have a chance of actually learning something???

[HUAHIN62]

Big brother just gave them billions in extra pensions, a 8% increase and on top of that they going to work less. In turn they will vote for big brother. Same same.

[rethaier]

"The study, based on 27 theses since 2002, noted that Thailand, as of 2012, had 2,005 tutoring schools (of which 460 are in Bangkok) covering 453,881 students (of whom 12 per cent were high schoolers). The value of tutoring businesses rose from Bt7 billion in 2012 to Bt7.16 billion in 2013 and was expected grow to Bt8.189 billion by 2015.

The growth stemmed from hiked fees and student number increases, he said. Many kids hoped to improve academic results and boost scores in exams."

so the strategy is to cut classroom hours to allow the students more time at the tutoring schools where they have a chance of actually learning something???

And shelling out a lot of money for the privelege of going private.

[belg]

do they teach those kids how to behave properly and not like in thai soaps ?

[Don Aleman]

"Find a way to ensure that students don't study too hard " ? A totally new

concept assuring even dumber students than now produced.

[new2here]

I wholly agree that it's not a factor of how many hours - as a number- but what is done with those hours that really matters.

I'm not for or against a longer or shorter school day (or year) but am for the most efficient and productive use of whatever time is allotted.

I tend to believe that (from a non-Thai perspective) that there is too many "activities" that take away from what I call "core" or "critical" classroom time.

Of course, an activity can be a very worthwhile and productive learning experience. My only concern on that from is insuring that If we are going to take away from class time, that the reason is justified and doesn't have a nett negative impact.

When I wen to school (I went to a private US school) we had our fair share of "activity" days too. However in many cases, where an activity was held, often it was planned that school would start a little earlier and each class was cut by :10 or so... Sometimes the activity was after the last class period.

[duanebigsby]

Thai students spend a lot more time in classroom per day ( not counting goofy days off) than we did in the west growing up.

It's about quality of education, not hours.

You can't teach anything, especially English, in classes of 50+ students.

The culture of misbehavior and lack of accountability is also holding them back big time.

Kids knowing they will pass regardless of effort or learning is a huge block.

Make a fail, a fail.

Conversational English with the NES should be maximum 25 students.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I was hearing lately about one private international school in BKK where the students were upset because the administration had decided to change the prior standard for getting an A grade in classes, which had been anything over 80%, to the new standard of at least 90% to get an A grade.

Huh??????? All the places I ever went to school at any level, getting 80% in a class wasn't going to earn you an A in anything.

[culicine]

I was hearing lately about one private international school in BKK where the students were upset because the administration had decided to change the prior standard for getting an A grade in classes, which had been anything over 80%, to the new standard of at least 90% to get an A grade.

Huh??????? All the places I ever went to school at any level, getting 80% in a class wasn't going to earn you an A in anything.

Officially, a GPA of 4 is 80% in Thailand. So anyone over that gets a 4. For whatever reason, only a few students can get this score. Only 2-4 of my senior students can get this score in m4-m6. Many more get this score in earlier grades.

[culicine]

Many Thai parents think tutoring schools / private learning is critical for university entrance, so many of our students do not take much notice of regular schooling. Shortening school hours will just encourage more kids to go to extra classes (some go everyday till 9pm), so are exhausted when at school.

And please no more activities! My school has 20-30 PER MONTH for various grade levels! I think this is supposed to impress the MoE, but it just results in kinds not caring about their regular classes.

[unclueng]

In America children who are slow learners go to tutors. In Thailand the opposite is true.

[Scott]

The agency would at first reduce study hours in certain subjects such as the Social Studies, whose history and civic duty content could be taught via activities instead, he said.

I wonder if they know that social studies and history includes something other than just Thailand. What kind of activities would they be doing? More marching? Singing the National Anthem louder?

I am for reducing the study time, but it needs to be streamlined, not just reduced.

[lostinisaan]

The agency would at first reduce study hours in certain subjects such as the Social Studies, whose history and civic duty content could be taught via activities instead, he said.

I wonder if they know that social studies and history includes something other than just Thailand. What kind of activities would they be doing? More marching? Singing the National Anthem louder?

I am for reducing the study time, but it needs to be streamlined, not just reduced.

They should at least know that people in the UK would speak German now.....(without America's unselfish interest, "helping them out" a little).

Edited August 20, 2014 by lostinisaan

[ableguy]

How about cracking down on teachers that still hit their students?

My nine year old niece came home with green and black bruises on her bum last week, for handing in her home work late, the family stopped me from going and kicking the teachers ass, however I have filed a formal complaint and warned the head any rep partition will result in me filing for damages in a civil law suit.

Incidentally she is one of the sweetest most caring kids I have ever met .

[ableguy]

The agency would at first reduce study hours in certain subjects such as the Social Studies, whose history and civic duty content could be taught via activities instead, he said.

I wonder if they know that social studies and history includes something other than just Thailand. What kind of activities would they be doing? More marching? Singing the National Anthem louder?

I am for reducing the study time, but it needs to be streamlined, not just reduced.

They should at least know that people in the UK would speak German now.....(without America's unselfish interest, "helping them out" a little).

You mean the great loss of American blood that saved your ass.