PM Prayut reiterates importance of English skills ahead of AEC

[webfact]

PM reiterates importance of English skills ahead of AEC

BANGKOK, 29 October 2014 (NNT) - Before chairing a meeting with heads of ministries today, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stressed the importance of English proficiency for Thais, ahead of Thailand’s entry into the ASEAN Economic Community next year.

The premier chaired a meeting with ministry chiefs today at the Ministry of Education. Ahead of the meeting, General Prayut visited an educational exhibition held by the ministry on the development of education in the Deep South and the country’s preparations for the AEC integration.

The premier noted that the Education Ministry is tasked with studying the languages of neighboring countries in a bid to further enhance the skills of Thai workforce. Teachers are also required to integrate Asean issues into their classes.

He also expressed concerns over the impact the southern unrest has on local educational development. Over the years, hundreds of teachers and students have been targeted in attacks carried out by insurgents. Schools have been damaged and a dramatic decrease in the number of teachers in the area has been reported.


-- NNT 2014-10-29

[thequietman]

Yeh, right ! Sooooo concerned that even if a teacher has a bachelor in English and a Masters in Tesol, you still tell them they are not good enough to teach here after 10 years. Ba in Education or nuttin, says he. More BS.

[casualbiker]

Yeh, right ! Sooooo concerned that even if a teacher has a bachelor in English and a Masters in Tesol, you still tell them they are not good enough to teach here after 10 years. Ba in Education or nuttin, says he. More BS.

Why didn't you get the required Masters in Education?

But I know what you mean. Maybe write a letter to the Bkk post stressing the problem!

[thesetat2013]

Yeh, right ! Sooooo concerned that even if a teacher has a bachelor in English and a Masters in Tesol, you still tell them they are not good enough to teach here after 10 years. Ba in Education or nuttin, says he. More BS.

Why didn't you get the required Masters in Education?

But I know what you mean. Maybe write a letter to the Bkk post stressing the problem!

Just as bad as my friend who taught at the best schools here for 4 years and now cant get licensed by the MOE because his school lost their accredation and doesnt show online anymore.

[macanello]

Dear Khun Prayut,

Please try and educate your people to wear helmets on motorbikes at all times, drive on the proper side of the road, turn corners without cutting the corner on the wrong side of the road, queue in a mannerly order, and take an interest in speaking English for advancement, not as an extra subject squeezed into the curriculum (1 hour a week).

Other AEC countries have managed to implement the above quite well (think of Vietnam, your close neighbour).

Until the basics have been put into practice, Thais will never be able to master any language.

Thailand is in for a shock in 2015

Macanello

[Commerce]

Dear Khun Prayut,

Please try and educate your people to wear helmets on motorbikes at all times, drive on the proper side of the road, turn corners without cutting the corner on the wrong side of the road, queue in a mannerly order, and take an interest in speaking English for advancement, not as an extra subject squeezed into the curriculum (1 hour a week).

Other AEC countries have managed to implement the above quite well (think of Vietnam, your close neighbour).

Until the basics have been put into practice, Thais will never be able to master any language.

Thailand is in for a shock in 2015

Macanello

I think I'd sooner say ASEAN is in for a shock, when all of the member states get a clear view through the ghost reporting that has been in existence for the last 20 years. They'll lap it up, sadly, once they realise how opaque and unprepared Thailand actually is for ASEAN, purely because it still believes it is the 'power' of ASEAN by location alone. As for English, and English usage, we all know where the rankings apply to Thailand, out of all the member states - but hey, We are Thai - we need nothing - we are the elite. Sneeze and achoo, and its' all gone away.

[mrjohndub]

I'll bet the General's English is rubbish.

Study the languages of neighboring countries? Businesspeople do it, of course, but in schools? Yeah, right.

"Ok, kids. It's time for Khmer class! Take out your homework."

[jpeg]

And today's BS from he who would have this country return to the outright feudal system of yore is

ASEAN Not going to happen.

[draftvader]

I am coming to the conclusion that all these announcements are actually made just to keep us foreigners busy on TV and off the streets!

[JOC]

Oh shyt it is five to twelve already!!

A world outside Thailand?? Don't talk nonsense Somchai!!

[ginjag]

I'll bet the General's English is rubbish.

Study the languages of neighboring countries? Businesspeople do it, of course, but in schools? Yeah, right.

"Ok, kids. It's time for Khmer class! Take out your homework."

Isn't it crazy how 2 government departments clash with their cans--and can not do's.

Just a few years ago I went to lend a hand at Town high schools, 3 terms in all, no fees collected no expenses asked for, Got on brilliantly with the City council for my help.

Surprise ---I got 3 certificates signed by the top education people, in colour and laminated--I treasure these. I and the kids had 1 year of pleasure and enthusiasm.

The second government department (immigration) was not happy, as I was classed as working illegally preventing a Thai teacher from filling the gap-----the school with over 2000 students always had 2 classes without teachers all day due to lack of staff.

I would suggest to the PM let expats give their time if there are staff shortages, who loses---schools not immigration.

[Mango Bob]

Has anyone heard the General /PM speak English? Any good?

[NongKhaiKid]

How many years and how many times a year do we hear this same old song and when people have had their 15 minutes they go back to sleep.

The system is flawed from the MOE down and at grass roots level there are too many school principals and teachers who do not want change and will do their best to scupper anything new.

The AEC will start in 2015 and years down the track Thai officialdom will still be talking about the need to improve English skills but perhaps not so much in public because of the loss of face having come up against nations with a much higher standard and who have left the LoS in their wake.

[ginjag]

Has anyone heard the General /PM speak English? Any good?

How many foreign diplomats/presidents/prime ministers speak Thai ?? And you Mango Bob Pood Thai. Krap----urrrr bo ow.

[casualbiker]

Has anyone heard the General /PM speak English? Any good?

I believe that he can speak reasonable English but chooses to have an interpreter for official announcements. Similar to the Japanese leader!

[Thailand]

Has anyone heard the General /PM speak English? Any good?

How many foreign diplomats/presidents/prime ministers speak Thai ?? And you Mango Bob Pood Thai. Krap----urrrr bo ow.

Why would they,has Thai become the international language of business and communication since the "intervention"?

[ginjag]

Has anyone heard the General /PM speak English? Any good?

How many foreign diplomats/presidents/prime ministers speak Thai ?? And you Mango Bob Pood Thai. Krap----urrrr bo ow.

Why would they,has Thai become the international language of business and communication since the "intervention"?

Thought it might be you?? popping up.

No reaction to Mango Bobs comment. Apparently he does not know and is asking posters if they know ??? Brill.

They wouldn't pick any Thai up from the PM on his visit abroad, as most of you apologists said every diplomat ignored him. According to some the PM is isolated from the international community. Utter BS as usual.

Edited October 29, 2014 by ginjag

[Thai at Heart]

Has anyone heard the General /PM speak English? Any good?

Um no. And considering that Thailand's closest army ally is the USA, you might think someone would have thought it a prerequisite that the army leader can at least converse with his counterparts.

[Thai at Heart]

Has anyone heard the General /PM speak English? Any good?

How many foreign diplomats/presidents/prime ministers speak Thai ?? And you Mango Bob Pood Thai. Krap----urrrr bo ow.

Well my ambassador speaks it extremely well as do many of the embassy staff. How about yours?

[templedog]

5555!! May I dare be selfish here....I teach English, happy that Thailand is last, job security!!

Also, my Thai wife speaks and writes near perfect English (she reads Shakespeare), she

will be at an advantage even more so. Thanks for no rude replies.

[JOC]

5555!! May I dare be selfish here....I teach English, happy that Thailand is last, job security!!

Also, my Thai wife speaks and writes near perfect English (she reads Shakespeare), she

will be at an advantage even more so. Thanks for no rude replies.

How would we dare to be rude to a guy, who's wife is different??

[ldnguy]

Dear Khun Prayut,

Please try and educate your people to wear helmets on motorbikes at all times, drive on the proper side of the road, turn corners without cutting the corner on the wrong side of the road, queue in a mannerly order, and take an interest in speaking English for advancement, not as an extra subject squeezed into the curriculum (1 hour a week).

Other AEC countries have managed to implement the above quite well (think of Vietnam, your close neighbour).

Until the basics have been put into practice, Thais will never be able to master any language.

Thailand is in for a shock in 2015

Macanello

Vietnam? Are you joking? Have you been to Hanoi recently? The driving is among the worst I've seen anywhere in the world.

[tonbridgebrit]

Don't worry about it, Thailand.

Those people from Singapore and the Phillipines are not going to flood into Thailand in 2015. There aren't going to be many new Singaporeans coming to Thailand, because, because they can earn more money in Singapore.
And those Phillipinos, they might speak better English than Thai people, but a lot of them are not that good at speaking Thai. The Thai companies will need staff to speak good Thai, because nmost of the clients and customers in Thailand speak Thai. Only a minority speak English only, and anyway, Phillipino nurses who turn up in Bangkok to work for hospitals that service foreigners, well, they must speak good Thai in order to communicate with the doctors and other nurses.

As for the Burmese and Cambodians, some of them speak good English, but the vast bulk of them can't flood into Thailand next year. Actually, there's already a huge number of them in Thailand, legally and illegally. 2015 is not going to make a huge difference.

[martin81]

I'll bet the General's English is rubbish.

Study the languages of neighboring countries? Businesspeople do it, of course, but in schools? Yeah, right.

"Ok, kids. It's time for Khmer class! Take out your homework."

Actually I know of a business school in the North East where the students have Khmer lanhuage leesons and learn the Khmer alphabet. Of course many of them already speak a khmer dialect.

But their English teacher is not very good I heard. An African man speaking English with some starnge french accent.

[andid]

Mr PM (or anyone here),

What is it about the AEC next year that means Thais will need better English?

Mr Macanello (and anyone else here),

What change in the AEC will means that Thais get a shock? In what way will this happen and what specific rule or change will create the shock?

FYI - I have heard that the PM speaks English very well - but as a cautious individual, he does not want to make a mistake in public so chooses to use translators. Many of us do the same in business meetings where Thai is spoken I guess.

[bangrak]

Mr PM, Sir, please let nobody blame the students, the problem is the education system, how 'teaching' is done, the skills of the teachers! Nobody, nowhere, could ever learn half-decent English under such conditions! Allow me just a single example: how many percent of the teachers speak English in an understandable way, for people who do speak English, my guess is way under 20%, with the private schools in the count... 'The system' Khun, the whole system is rotten, not only the education system, and you are a wise man, you know that...

[Nakajima]

Has anyone heard the General /PM speak English? Any good?

How many foreign diplomats/presidents/prime ministers speak Thai ?? And you Mango Bob Pood Thai. Krap----urrrr bo ow.

No need, English is the world common standard language, Thai is spoken in Thailand only. The world do not need to speak Thai but Thai need to learn English unless they want to keep being isolated.

[Mango Bob]

You ask a simple question here and the <deleted> take the opportunity to insult you for it. Typical Thaivisa member.

[Nakajima]

Mr PM (or anyone here),

What is it about the AEC next year that means Thais will need better English?

Mr Macanello (and anyone else here),

What change in the AEC will means that Thais get a shock? In what way will this happen and what specific rule or change will create the shock?

FYI - I have heard that the PM speaks English very well - but as a cautious individual, he does not want to make a mistake in public so chooses to use translators. Many of us do the same in business meetings where Thai is spoken I guess.

you heard? from what source? let me guess: feudal propaganda?

If you do not know for sure please don't waste your time and ours with supposition aimed to defend the hopeless self appointed PM reputation.

FYI my little brother can speak English reasonably well without having to fear making a mistake. Of course people use translators at official meeting, but not when talking unoficially.

I have not seen Prayuth talking directly to anyone in English, while I remember Abhisit doing that, live TV.

Either Abhisit was a genius (I dont think so) or ...

[jphantom]

Thais do not speak English............ "may I hell you?" there are only 100 Thais that can be understood.