Thai talk: Govt must pre-empt looming teacher crisis

[webfact]

THAI TALK
Govt must pre-empt looming teacher crisis
Suthichai Yoon
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- If the ongoing reform process doesn't list education as one of the top priorities, the whole exercise will end up being a non-starter. All indications at the moment are that this might be the case.

You can't raise standards of politics, ethics and honesty without first drawing up a practical and results-oriented road map for education reform. The Education Ministry has so far talked about random changes. The crux of the issue - how to get qualified teachers so as to enable student-centred learning - hasn't been addressed in any meaningful way. Cosmetic changes may be in the works but what the country really needs is a major overhaul.

The National Reform Council (NRC) may have hinted that it attaches importance to education, but the topic is being treated as a separate subject instead of assuming an over-arching role in the whole process of reinventing the country's administration.

There are five main requirements for the country's education system at the moment:

l Decentralise authority to local education units.

l Draw up curricula to correspond with career requirements in the real world.

l Promote vocational education to fill severe shortages in major industries.

l Beef up the government's student-loan projects.

l Improve quality of teachers as a matter of urgency.

A nationwide crisis among teaching staff could lie in wait if effective action is not taken soon. In the next four years, about 120,000 of the total 400,000 teachers will be due for retirement. That means 30 per cent will need to be replaced, which will have a severe impact on this major transition.

Hiring teachers, especially for government-run primary and secondary schools in the provinces, is notoriously flawed. Applicants are known to have cheated in their tests to get employed. Many have been caught red-handed. No education officials can offer a figure for how many have slipped through without being spotted.

If those who aspire to be teachers choose to pass exams by cheating, how can we expect students not to follow the same pattern? That, indeed, has been the case. A recent study concluded that an alarming percentage of students admit to having cheated in their exams.

Dr Somkiat Tangkitvanich, director of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), wrote recently that if this new batch of teachers isn't qualified, or if the application system isn't overhauled, we run the risk of suffering a generation of bad teachers. That's because those who join the official teaching staff around the country will serve 30 to 40 years before they are due to retire. In other words, we would be putting our children at the mercy of teachers who can't teach for one more generation.

The problem lies with the current system of hiring teachers, which is highly centralised, with the Education Ministry handling the process. Individual schools around the country don't get a say in deciding what kind of teachers they need.

Strange but true, administrators in government-run schools don't get a chance to even interview incoming teachers to determine whether they fit the local environment or the conditions of the school.

Dr Somkiat said: "It has been proven that students' achievements correspond directly to the quality of their teachers. Therefore, the government will have to allow schools a bigger say in picking teachers."

Bill Gates, who has devoted much of his financial resources and personal energy to improving the quality of teachers in the US, has said:

"Research shows that there is only half as much variation in student achievement between schools as there is among classrooms in the same school. If you want your child to get the best education possible, it is actually more important to get him assigned to a great teacher than to a great school."

He has also been quoted as saying that technology is just a tool. "In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important."

There is in fact a chance for this interim government to take specific actions in this regard, if it is serious about raising the standards of teachers to avoid a looming calamity.

As the TDRI director pointed out, good, qualified teachers could be recruited from admission test scores at Teacher Training Faculties at most universities. Also, the average income of teachers has in the past decade inched up to a level comparable to other professions. In fact, the average salary scales of teachers at the Basic Education Commission has doubled in the same period.

Competition among aspiring teachers for posts in BEC schools has been extremely tough: Only two out of 100 applicants are accepted. That means that if a proper system is installed, the objective of creating a new crop of good, effective teachers can certainly be fulfilled.

Do we detect the necessary political will and vision in the current government to try to tackle this most important education issue? Sad to say, there is little evidence of it so far.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Govt-must-pre-empt-looming-teacher-crisis-30248602.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-27

[Lupatria]

Another proposal in the category: now you see it - now you don't.

[razer]

The greatest natural resource of each and every country is the people and therein should lie the priorities. A well educated population makes a sustainable prosperous nation.

[SOTIRIOS]

.....hard to do when...........several heads of language departments......are in their positions..............because 'they know someone'..........

..........for the police department.......as we saw........people had to buy promotions........

....elsewhere......other 'exchanges' are made.........

.....if there is nobody...impartial.......to oversee......and hold people accountable......what can change.......let alone improve........

..recall the 'rice investigation'..........one lady investigator was defamed, slandered and intimidated....for revealing 'irregularities'........

.....now apply that scenario to every facet of Thai society........you have a monumental task before you........

[connda]

Bill Gates, who has devoted much of his financial resources and personal energy to improving the quality of teachers in the US, has said:

Obviously Billionaire Bill is throwing his money into a black hole. Common Core??? Rotflmao. Thailand definitely does not need to follow that lead. The quality of education I got compared to the quality of education my grandkids get? There is no comparison. We learned or we failed. Nowadays, no child fails. Children's education is uniformly mediocre in the US, just as it is in the Land of Smiles.

Want role models? Look to China, Korea, and India for educational models that actually work.

Edited November 27, 2014 by connda

[BritManToo]

I would start by only appointing teachers who can actually pass the subject they teach.

Then proceed by having proper marking of pupils, and their exams, you know the sort where they can fail.

Pointless to fiddle with the curriculum, when 80% of the teachers can't pass tests in their own subject.

All teachers to be examined in their own subject every year, by an independent body, no wage rises for failures, no promotions for failures.

And that isn't even testing teaching ability!

Edited November 27, 2014 by BritManToo

[Time Traveller]

I would like to see the relevent figures to back up their "crisis" fears. The fact is Thai fertility rates have fallen below replacement levels - and continue to fall - so with less babies being born today (and even less expected in the future) there is less need for teachers than there was 10 or 20 yrs ago.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Time Traveller

[Scott]

I would start by only appointing teachers who can actually pass the subject they teach.

Then proceed by having proper marking of pupils, and their exams, you know the sort where they can fail.

Pointless to fiddle with the curriculum, when 80% of the teachers can't pass tests in their own subject.

All teachers to be examined in their own subject every year, by an independent body, no wage rises for failures, no promotions for failures. And that isn't even testing teaching ability!

I know teachers who are teaching science, social studies and mathematics. Some teach to young learners so what level should they have to pass to be able to teach?

[BritManToo]

I would start by only appointing teachers who can actually pass the subject they teach.

Then proceed by having proper marking of pupils, and their exams, you know the sort where they can fail.

Pointless to fiddle with the curriculum, when 80% of the teachers can't pass tests in their own subject.

All teachers to be examined in their own subject every year, by an independent body, no wage rises for failures, no promotions for failures. And that isn't even testing teaching ability!

I know teachers who are teaching science, social studies and mathematics. Some teach to young learners so what level should they have to pass to be able to teach?

We are clearly talking about high school education.

[Emster23]

#1 factor is good teachers, those that encourage asking questions, critical thinking. It is important of course that teacher know subject, but at times it is good if teacher says "Gee, I don't know the answer to that. How can we find out?". That teaches teacher doesn't have to be Mr. Know-it-all source of all wisdom, but rather person who steers the students towards finding answers for themselves (which is what much of life is about, isn't it?).

An inspiring teacher with enthusiaism trumps any sort of curriculum reform, technology, or other area. One who cares about students growth and not personal face.

[brianp0803]

It makes sense that subject teachers at higher grade levels need more subject matter competency in addition to coming from a native English speaking country.

With higher qualifications would naturally follow higher salaries.

I find it amazing that grade 12 students in bilingual school occasionally have an assignment to write 2 paragraphs.

I would have thought students in bilingual schools would be writing research term papers in grade 12.

Is this an unreasonable expectation?

[rickirs]

With the Junta-led government's answer to improvement to higher education being student gender segregation in dorms under the age of 25, who needs the NRC?

[vijer]

Draw up curricula to correspond with career requirements in the real world.

Bar Girl 101

Massage Girl 101

Taxi Driver 101

Motorcycle Taxi Driver 101

Tuk Tuk Driver 101

Street Cooking 101

Bribe Paying 101

Did I miss any?

PS What happened to the tablet for every child program?