Thai students close to bottom of 14-country IT skills ranking

[recycler]

No surprise here, they only learn how to start the games.

Even the 2 "IT Managers" with a university degree in IT at our office have no clue about managing the network...

[Bluespunk]

"Chaiwut said grouping IT in a subject titled "basic career teachings and technology orientation" meant that analytical thinking crucially associated with IT teaching was absent."

Spot on that man, good analysis of the situation and the inherent problem.

Lets hope you have the attention of those who can do something about it.

[willyumiii]

Rote teaching is the down fall of Thai education.

Memorization without understanding is worthless and inspires nothing but acceptance of whatever is presented by instructors.

The Thai government and school administrators have both stated that the critical thinking method of teaching should be used.

But, those studying to become teachers in Thai universities are still instructed in the rote method to teach the rote method.

The gradate from the university prepared to only teach the rote method.

There is a lot of resistance to teaching with the critical thinking method used by most of the world by......Thai teachers!

They have not been prepared for it, don ot understand it and want nothing to do with it.

In Thai schools, the teacher is considered some what of a god and it is very disrespectful to even ask a teacher a question.

Even when asked if they have any questions, a Thai student will proudly smile and say " No Teacher, we have no questions!'

I am sure this makes teaching much easier for the teachers, but useless for the students.

Until Thailand's universities start teaching future teachers about critical thinking, using the critical thinking method, Thailand's education system will continue it's downward plunge.

Only one up from the bottom in this study and lowest in English coomprehention....how much further down can you go without setting a new low???

[TehBen]

I rarely post on here anymore because of the consistent Thai-bashing forum-wide. But I will now as it seems a little one-sided.

There are students in my school who have been learning code through the code.org website, as well as many other initiatives set up by some of the staff. Last year some students at our school won the first prize in a south-east Asian competition with an app they designed themselves. This is a government school. They were in M3.

With that being said, there are a huge number of students who haven't the first idea of even the basics of how computers work.

When I first meet the new M1s, I run through the basics, opening up a computer to give them an idea of what they're generally made up of. Some of them grasp the concepts right away, for many others it never really gets understood.

This isn't a solely Thai phenomenon, this happens all over the world.

The difference is that in the west, we are subjected to more advanced concepts from a much earlier age. We grow up in houses with central heating or air conditioning, watching television showing informative and educational TV alongside modern entertainment, we go to school and work in vehicles regulated by laws that ensure that we arrive safely, with closely monitored and governed driving standards to try to prevent anyone from causing a danger to others or themselves. We eat food that comes from producers who must follow strict guidelines of preparation and cleanliness. We have access to more free resources such as museums and libraries. I could go on forever.

What I'm saying is that it is easy to blame Thais for their position, but there are many people, the younger generation, who are making changes, who can see this disparity and are attempting to rectify it. Even if it's just their one homeroom class, for a few hours a week, it is a change for the better, and it's the beginning of a cultural evolution.

These things take time, and adopting advanced technological and cultural concepts from totally different cultures in completely different stages of social evolution is never going to create sucessful transient development in a country's society no matter which part of the world you're in. You need to allow a country to socially evolve in their own way, and while Thailand might still have a way to go in reaching the level of technological expertise as in other countries, it is also a country that is able to compete against the top countries in the world in other areas.

Don't just post crappy comments as a way to jump on the bandwagon and complain about Thailand for this and that. Yes, it is developing, not developed. Yes, they still have a way to go. Yes, there are people in power who have no clue as to what they are doing and how to do it. But this isn't the story in every school, in every province. It's not even limited to just the government schools.

In my opinion, it is limited to the schools controlled by teachers who are of the older generation, who have little interest in new technological developments, let alone teaching them; by the schools that are governed by a group of people whose only concern is their own personal development and retirement plan; by the schools who have poor budget controls and allow teachers to hedge funds for their own agendas; and, unfortunately, by the schools who have so few students that the budgets they receive from the government can have no effect on the education of these developing educational areas.

[Gulfsailor]

Being a crack addict does not make one a pharmacist...

[SinCityGr8One]

However, they are probably #1 in SMSing.

[iReason]

Most Thai kids have access to internet and have computers or mobile devices. They spend hours per day using them. Even the relative poor have fancier mobile devices than I have. The problem is that these machines are used for entertainment purposes only, which is like a new opiate for the masses. It's, in my opinion, the responsibility of the parents and schools together to not only use applications but also to create them. Even a simple spreadsheet with your school marks would do. Or a simple web blog with your holiday pictures. Activate those brain synapses you lazy rascals!

Agreed.

But you are assuming the parents and teachers have awareness.

At best, they are behind the technology the kids use...

[Lupatria]

Wait. I thought Thailand was at the top of the "World Talent" list.

Oh, it's so confusing!!!

Are they the dumbest people on the planet or the smartest?

Bet you there will be a news story next week about the Thais being the world's most honest

Are they the dumbest people on the planet or the smartest?

Of course they are the smartest! At least on planet Thailand- the center of the universe.

[LuckyLew]

The most important thing here is that Thais believe they are the smartest race on the planet

But they are the smartest ... my Thai GF told me so this morning as she tried to figure out how to turn on her Iphone

[Suffinator]

I used to see the kids packed in the internet cafes after school - unfortunately their time spent had nothing to do with education but rather take up playing stupid games. The education system is piss poor and that's being nice about it. The elite don't want these kids educated because you cannot control an educated population.

Three elements to controlling a population - 1. Ignorance (lack of education), 2. Poverty and 3. Despondency / Fear ... Thailand has all three elements firmly in place which is why Thailand and its people will never realize its true potential.

Get rid of the dictators and elite, educate the people and you'll see Thailand flourish - never going to happen in my lifetime.

[Mr Somtam]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Most Thai kids have access to internet and have computers or mobile devices. They spend hours per day using them. Even the relative poor have fancier mobile devices than I have. The problem is that these machines are used for entertainment purposes only, which is like a new opiate for the masses. It's, in my opinion, the responsibility of the parents and schools together to not only use applications but also to create them. Even a simple spreadsheet with your school marks would do. Or a simple web blog with your holiday pictures. Activate those brain synapses you lazy rascals!

Everything is in Thai: they "play" Facebook in Thai, they Google in Thai, their computer homework is in Thai.

I don't know of any programming language or web app that uses Thai...

Writing code, huh huh, need English skills first!

Well my granddaughter is 9, goes to a good bilingual school which does focus on critical thinking skills and discussion skills and does teach usage of Word, PP, and Excel. She can easily write e-mails (English and Thai, she make PP slides, make simple Excel tables with simple sort set-up.

But her cousins, they all go to local big gov't. schools, are the exact opposite.

Isn't that sad? No money - no proper education?

[scorecard]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Most Thai kids have access to internet and have computers or mobile devices. They spend hours per day using them. Even the relative poor have fancier mobile devices than I have. The problem is that these machines are used for entertainment purposes only, which is like a new opiate for the masses. It's, in my opinion, the responsibility of the parents and schools together to not only use applications but also to create them. Even a simple spreadsheet with your school marks would do. Or a simple web blog with your holiday pictures. Activate those brain synapses you lazy rascals!

Everything is in Thai: they "play" Facebook in Thai, they Google in Thai, their computer homework is in Thai.

I don't know of any programming language or web app that uses Thai...

Writing code, huh huh, need English skills first!

Well my granddaughter is 9, goes to a good bilingual school which does focus on critical thinking skills and discussion skills and does teach usage of Word, PP, and Excel. She can easily write e-mails (English and Thai, she make PP slides, make simple Excel tables with simple sort set-up.

But her cousins, they all go to local big gov't. schools, are the exact opposite.

Isn't that sad? No money - no proper education?

True, 3 times.

IMHO all kids should have equal opportunity to get a good education. What they do with it their ultimate choice.

[SoFarAndNear]

Most Thai kids have access to internet and have computers or mobile devices. They spend hours per day using them. Even the relative poor have fancier mobile devices than I have. The problem is that these machines are used for entertainment purposes only, which is like a new opiate for the masses. It's, in my opinion, the responsibility of the parents and schools together to not only use applications but also to create them. Even a simple spreadsheet with your school marks would do. Or a simple web blog with your holiday pictures. Activate those brain synapses you lazy rascals!

Absolutley... My nephew is spending a good 5-6 hours a day in front of his smartphone or computer. But he knows really a sh$t about how a computer works. The funny thing is that his father seems to be proud seeing his son "playing" with the smartphone all the day and just things how smart his son must be.

[paddyjenkins]

In what subject would Thailand not score close to the bottom?

[harrry]

Most Thai kids have access to internet and have computers or mobile devices. They spend hours per day using them. Even the relative poor have fancier mobile devices than I have. The problem is that these machines are used for entertainment purposes only, which is like a new opiate for the masses. It's, in my opinion, the responsibility of the parents and schools together to not only use applications but also to create them. Even a simple spreadsheet with your school marks would do. Or a simple web blog with your holiday pictures. Activate those brain synapses you lazy rascals!

the responsibility of the parents and schools together…

Do the test yourself. Show the picture below to a Thai student and ask him/her what they think about it.

Not sure about the education bit but if anyone tries to apply power to one of those cogs there will be an almighty mess.

[wabothai]

Because you don't like/want foreigners to help you educate in this field.

[soalbundy]

in my working life i have worked on CAD-CAM machines, on graphic computers with very complicated programs etc and i have no idea how a computer works. A jet pilot may be an ace in the air but not know how to build a jet engine,conversely an engineer building a jet engine may have no skills at flying. You do what you know and use the technology available, it isn't necessary to know the ins and outs of every piece of technology that we use.

[chrisrazz]

Another industry that Thailand cannot compete in. So, the powers that be will apply the Thai logic of protectionism.

Thus ensuring IT in Thailand falls even further behind.

[soalbundy]

In what subject would Thailand not score close to the bottom?

smiling.

[Runamile]

Think the generality of this thread shows you guys have got it! Elsewhere there's this mythology among older people about how amazing the young are with computers. My last posting was teaching in a Chinese University, where students avidly used QQ every minute of every day. Social media, fine. Download a movie, fine. Buy online - boy could they buy online. All they ever did during long evenings in the dorm. However, another lecturer and myself spent the best part of a semester trying to persuade students there's a difference between an e-mail address and a website address. They were never really convinced, not least because e-mail, to them, meant a QQ address. I'm talking students 18-23. Truth is, they simply didn't have IT skills in any meaningful sense. I see little reason why Thailand should be any different.

[robsamui]

The problem today is the result of traditional Thai nationalism, which has proudly kept the country separate from the rest of the world while at the same time convincing its people that Thailand is the finest nation in the world.

This worked fine for centuries, but in recent years Thailand has dug an increasingly deeper trench for itself.

As global boundaries began to break down (ease of international travel, foreign TV programs, access to movies from America, smartphones, national and international social media etc) so the nationalist hardliners entrenched themselves and attempted to resist these influences even more strongly. The bottom line is that the ruling classes have done all they can to resist foreign influence and keep Thailand aloof.

At the same time their educational policy was to keep the bulk of their people uninformed and passive. A curriculum diet which ignored world history and events and concentrated only on the Thai nation and its glories, and a system of learning in which the teacher was forbidden to be challenged or questioned and subjects were learned by rote. The 60 million peasants were unimportant, other than as a compliant labour force - the ruling classes continued to sharpen their children's intellect and world-awareness by having them educated in the best foreign schools and universities.

There were deliberately no elements of investigation or problem solving in the peasant's education - the intention was to dampen the child's natural curiosity. And so also all aspects of self-expression were effectively killed at the source - no asking WHY? or HOW? or WHAT FOR? No creative writing, no picture making, no making up music or songs, no expressive dance, no creating poems and no learning foreign languages . . . just endless copying of temple designs and memorising ancient Thai legends and traditional dances. In the first 10 years of their lives every normal happy Thai child had their creativity and the curiosity deliberately suffocated for ever.

And of course it's no surprise that the result is a nation of semi-educated, semi-literate beings who are trained to never question authority, wait to be told what to do and how to do it, and are not capable of showing initiative or able to solve day-today problems. Totally terrific for the nation's top 4% - right up until the world came a-knocking at Thailand's door.

Politically and economically the ruling classes and their politicians now find themselves in a cleft stick. On the one hand an upsurge in technology means that Thailand needs engineers, scientist and technologists. But it has now made itself incapable of training its own nation to produce these. So it needs "foreign investment" to provide the expertise.

But the nation also detests the idea of giving foreigners any kind of a foothold, so it maintains policies restricting foreign residency, land ownership, tax concessions, money transfer etc etc etc but still desperately needs foreign investment to continue . . .

Suddenly - and without warning - Thailand is no longer the happy little nation with a big wall around it like it used to be. Suddenly, the effective rulers of the Thai nation are seeing their country being dragged out into the very uncomfortable world outside. The ASEAN community is sitting on Thailand's neck. Foreigners are comparing Thailand's achievements and abilities with PowerPoint presentations indicating that Thais are under-educated ineffective workers and unable to compete, and showing that Thais come towards the bottom of all achievement scales.

To which we reply - yes, how very unfortunate. But, really, what do you expect when you've spent the last 300 years carefully training your people to be semi-educated, semi-literate, compliant, docile and utterly unable to assert themselves or take any kind of initiative? It now needs a complete readjustment of your national self-image, and all the new attitudes and policies that go with it, if you want the world today to acknowledge and accept your usefulness and show you the respect you seem to expect.

[lubbkis]

If anyone's interested, here's the link to the report . . .

http://www.imd.org/uupload/imd.website/wcc/NewTalentReport/IMD_World_Talent_Report_2014bis.pdf

Yes. I'm interested but could not find the mention of IT skills in this report. What page is it on? Is it the report the original story is based on?

[maidee]

FACEBOOK , is what thai people call: using technology

[SNGLIFE]

I concur. My 13 yo Thai daughter has had her own laptop (2) since age 6. Despite my encouragement, she is not the least bit curious to do anything more than what I tell her she must do for online homeschooling. She opts to play World of Warcraft or read online stories and has no idea how to do much else.

Same with my wife: 10 years with her own laptop and PC and still doing what she was doing in her first month of having her first PC. Nothing more.

In sharp contrast, my 4 1/2 yo boy has mastered every iPhone, iPad, tablet, and Android device in the house. He is about par with the laptop (which will be obsolete soon enough, so no worries there). He is curious about every device and even show me how to use each more fluently.

I hate to sound bigoted, but my daughter has had all the advantages and then some. Perhaps it really is or isn't in the DNA....

[tonbridgebrit]

So Turkey is at the bottom ? Well, is it really a major problem ?

Turkey will probably join the European Union in a few years time, and that's when a fair number of Turkish people will be moving into Europe. Actually, there's already a whole load of Turkish people living and working in Europe.

And a lot of them do send money back home to Turkey. Basically, it's not really a disaster if you're bottom of the table in anything. And anyway, somebody has to be bottom or towards the bottom, we can't have eveybody being top of the class.

[green job]

"We beat Turkey! We beat Turkey! We beat Turkey!"

Turkey is for Christmas

[MexicanFarang]

"My culture taught me to dig into things and learn how they worked."

But, but, but, "mai sanook", because work.

[Lupatria]

Most Thai kids have access to internet and have computers or mobile devices. They spend hours per day using them. Even the relative poor have fancier mobile devices than I have. The problem is that these machines are used for entertainment purposes only, which is like a new opiate for the masses. It's, in my opinion, the responsibility of the parents and schools together to not only use applications but also to create them. Even a simple spreadsheet with your school marks would do. Or a simple web blog with your holiday pictures. Activate those brain synapses you lazy rascals!

the responsibility of the parents and schools together…

Do the test yourself. Show the picture below to a Thai student and ask him/her what they think about it.

Not sure about the education bit but if anyone tries to apply power to one of those cogs there will be an almighty mess.

Smart asssss you passed the test!

[green job]

The problem today is the result of traditional Thai nationalism, which has proudly kept the country separate from the rest of the world while at the same time convincing its people that Thailand is the finest nation in the world.

This worked fine for centuries, but in recent years Thailand has dug an increasingly deeper trench for itself.

As global boundaries began to break down (ease of international travel, foreign TV programs, access to movies from America, smartphones, national and international social media etc) so the nationalist hardliners entrenched themselves and attempted to resist these influences even more strongly. The bottom line is that the ruling classes have done all they can to resist foreign influence and keep Thailand aloof.

At the same time their educational policy was to keep the bulk of their people uninformed and passive. A curriculum diet which ignored world history and events and concentrated only on the Thai nation and its glories, and a system of learning in which the teacher was forbidden to be challenged or questioned and subjects were learned by rote. The 60 million peasants were unimportant, other than as a compliant labour force - the ruling classes continued to sharpen their children's intellect and world-awareness by having them educated in the best foreign schools and universities.

There were deliberately no elements of investigation or problem solving in the peasant's education - the intention was to dampen the child's natural curiosity. And so also all aspects of self-expression were effectively killed at the source - no asking WHY? or HOW? or WHAT FOR? No creative writing, no picture making, no making up music or songs, no expressive dance, no creating poems and no learning foreign languages . . . just endless copying of temple designs and memorising ancient Thai legends and traditional dances. In the first 10 years of their lives every normal happy Thai child had their creativity and the curiosity deliberately suffocated for ever.

And of course it's no surprise that the result is a nation of semi-educated, semi-literate beings who are trained to never question authority, wait to be told what to do and how to do it, and are not capable of showing initiative or able to solve day-today problems. Totally terrific for the nation's top 4% - right up until the world came a-knocking at Thailand's door.

Politically and economically the ruling classes and their politicians now find themselves in a cleft stick. On the one hand an upsurge in technology means that Thailand needs engineers, scientist and technologists. But it has now made itself incapable of training its own nation to produce these. So it needs "foreign investment" to provide the expertise.

But the nation also detests the idea of giving foreigners any kind of a foothold, so it maintains policies restricting foreign residency, land ownership, tax concessions, money transfer etc etc etc but still desperately needs foreign investment to continue . . .

Suddenly - and without warning - Thailand is no longer the happy little nation with a big wall around it like it used to be. Suddenly, the effective rulers of the Thai nation are seeing their country being dragged out into the very uncomfortable world outside. The ASEAN community is sitting on Thailand's neck. Foreigners are comparing Thailand's achievements and abilities with PowerPoint presentations indicating that Thais are under-educated ineffective workers and unable to compete, and showing that Thais come towards the bottom of all achievement scales.

To which we reply - yes, how very unfortunate. But, really, what do you expect when you've spent the last 300 years carefully training your people to be semi-educated, semi-literate, compliant, docile and utterly unable to assert themselves or take any kind of initiative? It now needs a complete readjustment of your national self-image, and all the new attitudes and policies that go with it, if you want the world today to acknowledge and accept your usefulness and show you the respect you seem to expect.

This is all in a nutshell, Best true post I have seen on TV

[MexicanFarang]

"Turkey is for Christmas"

I always find it amusing when European countries have "traditions" based on eating food from Mexico, 555