Thai university students score 7/100 for English test

[Thaivisa News]

CREDIT: dailynews.co.th/regional/322254

Bangkok:- The host of a popular English-teaching TV program “Chris Delivery” has stirred a hot debate on Thailand’s English teaching when he posted a photo of an English test paper that showed a score of 7 out of 100.

Christ Wright posted the photo on his Facebook wall, saying it was a test paper of a student from a famous university in Thailand whose name was not given.

He said most students at the university failed the test and got a similar score to the paper he posted.

Wright is a half Thai-American whose mother is a Thai. He owns an English school and hosts the English Delivery by Chris program on Channel 5, which is well-known as Chris Delivery.

The test paper showed that the students were asked to write English pronunciations of the test vocabularies in Thai and write their translations as well. The paper showed that the student wrote the pronunciation of “island” as “is-land”. He or she failed to write translations of most words. But a correct answer was given for “voucher”.

“The students nowadays fail because they just don't give a shit about studying and reading and they know that if most of the class fail, the whole class will still pass to the next course and finally graduate. Why? Coz you can't fail students in this country and make them repeat classes,” Wright said in the post.

His post has been shared by 1,110 times and a lot of Thai Facebook users added their comments, criticizing Thai students. None said bad thing about Wright.

Most said this student has definitely watched Wright’s English teaching program.

Arisara Thanapakij, a famous English tutor at the Enconcept E-Academy tuition school, said it was not surprising to see university students score poorly for English tests because they scored badly in school anyway.

[ColdSingha]

students cant fail a degree, is this correct? whats the point of having one then? it would mean nothing apart from student managed to pay for course for four years

[BKKdreaming]

Was the student in an English class or was it just a random student ?

anyone have a link to the " English Delivery by Chris program "

there seems more to this story that is not posted.....

[Thai at Heart]

Well, why on earth would one write the English pronunciation for the word? Surely an oral exam is a better option.

But then how would one cheat?

[lee b]

Its bad when I am English and i help my son with his homework. Then the next day his Thai - English teacher says no good. This bad... I feel like going to school and teaching the teacher bloody English.

Are they really teaching my son crap...Yes they are. And 2 are English men( 1 thai ) working at the school, I wonder if they can count to 3????

[Somtamnication]

Blame it on the Thai English teachers. Other than "it is hot today", I cannot get anything out of her in general conversation!

With all the newish EP programmes having started 7-8 years ago, the students at the uni level will score higher.

[bluebluewater]

A Thai university graduate can do three things -

Speak Thai language

Write Thai language

Read Thai language

[NongKhaiKid]

Its bad when I am English and i help my son with his homework. Then the next day his Thai - English teacher says no good. This bad... I feel like going to school and teaching the teacher bloody English.

Are they really teaching my son crap...Yes they are. And 2 are English men( 1 thai ) working at the school, I wonder if they can count to 3????

This i'm afraid is all too common as far too many Thai English teachers do not know what they are doing, will not admit their own shortcomings but do like exercising their authority.

i used to work at a rural uni and was once approached by a former student of mine, who was now a year ahead and with new teachers, and who wanted help with a homework exercise well beyond her ability. I helped her and she couldn't understand why she then scored badly, knowing how she would be targeted if she complained too much she discreetly explained she had been helped and by whom. The Thai teacher simply said " Oh " and promptly re-graded her upwards without any explanation. thankfully revenge was not extracted.

[rametindallas]

“The students nowadays fail because they just don't give a shit about studying and reading and they know that if most of the class fail, the whole class will still pass to the next course and finally graduate. Why? Coz you can't fail students in this country and make them repeat classes,” Wright said in the post.

The problem of the Thai education system in a nutshell.

[BSJ]

“The students nowadays fail because they just don't give a shit about studying and reading and they know that if most of the class fail, the whole class will still pass to the next course and finally graduate. Why? Coz you can't fail students in this country and make them repeat classes,” Wright said in the post.

The problem of the Thai education system in a nutshell.

"That's it in a nut shell!" I was going to say that! It's bloody ridiculous and reflects poorly on the country as a whole.

[NongKhaiKid]

“The students nowadays fail because they just don't give a shit about studying and reading and they know that if most of the class fail, the whole class will still pass to the next course and finally graduate. Why? Coz you can't fail students in this country and make them repeat classes,” Wright said in the post.

The problem of the Thai education system in a nutshell.

+ 1.

Nothing will change until there'a complete overall haul of the system and that's not going to happen because it suits everybody the way it is.

Students graduate with degrees they didn't earn and proud parents can boast about their children's success ignoring the fact that they bought and paid for it or had it otherwise arranged. Of course teachers and their schools, unis do very well out of the situation.

Edited May 20, 2015 by NongKhaiKid

[Chang_paarp]

students cant fail a degree, is this correct? whats the point of having one then? it would mean nothing apart from student managed to pay for course for four years

Your new here aren't you? This system pervades the entire education system from pre-school to PHD students. It is one of the major problems of the education system.

[rametindallas]

“The students nowadays fail because they just don't give a shit about studying and reading and they know that if most of the class fail, the whole class will still pass to the next course and finally graduate. Why? Coz you can't fail students in this country and make them repeat classes,” Wright said in the post.

The problem of the Thai education system in a nutshell.

+ 1.

Nothing will change until there'a complete overall haul of the system and that's not going to happen because it suits everybody the way it is.

A few years after the Asian Economic Community comes into being, Thais will have their eyes opened at how disadvantaged they are (self imposed). Much poorer countries such as Burma, Laos, and Cambodia produce students whose English proficiency should shame Thailand into action. At the moment, they are shielded but when AEC fully kicks in, they will get a rude awakening. I don't think their IQs are especially low but the common Thais are academically lazy. When they are being house boys or maids to educated Indonesians, maybe they will insist their children do better in school. Of course currently, the schools are more day-care than education institutions.

[scorecard]

“The students nowadays fail because they just don't give a shit about studying and reading and they know that if most of the class fail, the whole class will still pass to the next course and finally graduate. Why? Coz you can't fail students in this country and make them repeat classes,” Wright said in the post.

The problem of the Thai education system in a nutshell.

"That's it in a nut shell!" I was going to say that! It's bloody ridiculous and reflects poorly on the country as a whole.

They 'couldn't give a shit' often translates to:

They turn up late, often very late for class, often miss all morning of a full day classes or all afternoon. Excuses like 'had to go with my sister to pick up her new car' and even lamer excuses.

Plus the lecturer has to keep telling many again and again to stop talking and listen.

Plus many lecturers now stop and approach one of the talkers and say 'what did I just say?' The response is 'I don't know'. Often with arrogance.

Cheating in exams still abounds even though if caught they are removed from the room with an automatic F (which at my university is changed to I (Incomplete) and they can sit again. I refuse to conduct an extra exam for these students, many lecturers do the same.)

Plus continuous talking or texting on their mobile phone. I now go through the ritual at the start of every class:

- Up to 5 minutes late you can join the class, over 5 minutes late cannot enter the room. Under 80% overall attendance cannot sit for exams.

- Tell the whole class to turn their mobiles completely off and put their phone on the desk in front of them and phone cannot be touched. Phones that ring I confiscate, and they get it back at the end of the week. Many lecturers are doing the same thing.

And we still have students who try to demand they should be allowed to join lectures conducted in English because they got A or B for grammar at high school but their conversation / comprehension skills are zero.

[selftaopath]

students cant fail a degree, is this correct? whats the point of having one then? it would mean nothing apart from student managed to pay for course for four years

That's Thailand in a "nut shell." It is evident by some of the decisions/thoughts the oligarchy display.

I find Chris' show informative/educational/and extremely humorous. I wish he tough X pats how to speak Thai. He has some of his episodes posted on Youtube. I can not say enough a/b the guy and his approach to teaching English. Maybe he ought to be a/the Minister of Education.

[Yooyung]

students cant fail a degree, is this correct? whats the point of having one then? it would mean nothing apart from student managed to pay for course for four years

Wooohahahahaaaaarrrrgghhh!!! Which Thailand do you live in? I have been told countless times, in varying different schools both private and govt that I CANNOT fail the students......and even in cases where I have failed them, the students mysteriously just get passed on to the next level. This, plus the fact that 80% of Thai English teachers cannot hold a conversations past the level of a 5 year old is why its such a mess.

[Jessi]

My wifes daughter 13 YO. Wants to be a Doctor???

I have tried to help her to speak a little English even offered to get her private tuition, her response is Why should I learn English? I am Thai, I live in Thailand, NO need to learn English.

I was lost for words, Made me feel like I was just .

[NongKhaiKid]

“The students nowadays fail because they just don't give a shit about studying and reading and they know that if most of the class fail, the whole class will still pass to the next course and finally graduate. Why? Coz you can't fail students in this country and make them repeat classes,” Wright said in the post.

The problem of the Thai education system in a nutshell.

"That's it in a nut shell!" I was going to say that! It's bloody ridiculous and reflects poorly on the country as a whole.

They 'couldn't give a shit' often translates to:

They turn up late, often very late for class, often miss all morning of a full day classes or all afternoon. Excuses like 'had to go with my sister to pick up her new car' and even lamer excuses.

Plus the lecturer has to keep telling many again and again to stop talking and listen.

Plus many lecturers now stop and approach one of the talkers and say 'what did I just say?' The response is 'I don't know'. Often with arrogance.

Cheating in exams still abounds even though if caught they are removed from the room with an automatic F (which at my university is changed to I (Incomplete) and they can sit again. I refuse to conduct an extra exam for these students, many lecturers do the same.)

Plus continuous talking or texting on their mobile phone. I now go through the ritual at the start of every class:

- Up to 5 minutes late you can join the class, over 5 minutes late cannot enter the room. Under 80% overall attendance cannot sit for exams.

- Tell the whole class to turn their mobiles completely off and put their phone on the desk in front of them and phone cannot be touched. Phones that ring I confiscate, and they get it back at the end of the week. Many lecturers are doing the same thing.

And we still have students who try to demand they should be allowed to join lectures conducted in English because they got A or B for grammar at high school but their conversation / comprehension skills are zero.

Great rules and i hope you get backing for enforcement.

The last zoo I worked in was a technical school in a rural area and when i tried to enforce discipline including mobile phones was told to go easy.

All the students were on a 100% government grant and if they walked the grant went with them. There was discipline of sorts mostly about dress and appearance outside the school so as not to bring it into disrepute.

All appearance but no substance.

[Happy Grumpy]

Well, why on earth would one write the English pronunciation for the word? Surely an oral exam is a better option.

But then how would one cheat?

Fine thank you. And you?

[DavisH]

students cant fail a degree, is this correct? whats the point of having one then? it would mean nothing apart from student managed to pay for course for four years

Unfortunately yes, for some courses in some universities This is a major problem. I was at a seminar recently and the speaker reported that employers in Thailand lament the fat that "many Thai graduates don't know anything". This no fail policy must change, especially at university level. Unfortunately, too much money and palms are greased for this to effectively happen. And it's not just private universities involved too.

[ratcatcher]

Was the student in an English class or was it just a random student ?

anyone have a link to the " English Delivery by Chris program "

there seems more to this story that is not posted.....

Come to your own conclusions about this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAjDbj0gmrg

[AyG]

Perhaps the problem isn't the students but the quality of the teaching. What is the point of getting the students to write the pronunciation of English words using Thai script when Thai can't represent many of the sounds used in English? And even if the student gets the "correct" answer, it most certainly doesn't follow that the student can actually pronounce the word - something which is far more important than what is being asked for in the real world.

And rather than ask for a definition in Thai, wouldn't it be far better to ask the student to write a short sentence in English which demonstrates the usage of the word?

[Toknarok]

A couple of years back my Thai daughter came to me wanting help with an English homework test paper that she had been given at her (primary) school. There were about 50 questions to be answered of the multiple choice type. I couldn't help but notice that almost all of the questions (in English) had mistakes, spelling, punctuation or gramattical. I answered the questions for her and then with a red ballpoint pen proceeded to correct all the errors in the test paper.

This was somewhat foolish of me as I should have realised that by showing up the teachers ignorance of the language that he was supposed to be teaching, he would loose face.

My duughter still comes to me for help with her English homework, but insists that I only write on the exam paper in pencil so that she can erase anything that might be contentious.

The Thai education system is hopeless.

[jerojero]

So how do Thai students go overseas for post-secondary education get in the door of a USA College/University, and yet graduate!

[Gsxrnz]

If you want to see and hear the quality of the English language teaching in Thailand, tune in to the DLTV channels on True Vision. They are televised educational programs of real classrooms covering a range of subjects.

I would assume they would televise some of the more skilled teachers - I could be wrong.

Their English fluency is absolutely atrocious. And I don't just mean that it has a Thai accent - it is just miles away from anything like correct fluency. They also continually have totally incorrect grammar displayed on their screens and teach it incorrectly - probably because the materials were created by a non-NE speaker.

I recall one lesson where the word "house" was under discussion. The "teacher" made the class repeat the word after her many times. She pronounced the word "hou". Sure enough, the kids copied her. Then she moved on to "Mouse" and she pronounced it "mou".

They once had a Filipino woman (although she may have been part Thai/American, I missed her credentials) hosting some sort of discussion on how to improve English language teaching in Thailand. It was a teleconference type arrangement with a dozen Thai teachers of English and school administrators. The program was entirely in English. She spoke perfect English and after her monologue introduction she asked for responses - none were forthcoming.

She quickly realised that 90% of what she'd said had not been understood. She then proceeded to dumb down her questions until some responses and feedback came from her audience. Sure enough, the feedback was at the conversational level of a slightly retarded five year old.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Gsxrnz

[BirdsandBooze]

So how do Thai students go overseas for post-secondary education get in the door of a USA College/University, and yet graduate!

Not all of them are lame ducks.

[JAG]

Its bad when I am English and i help my son with his homework. Then the next day his Thai - English teacher says no good. This bad... I feel like going to school and teaching the teacher bloody English.

Are they really teaching my son crap...Yes they are. And 2 are English men( 1 thai ) working at the school, I wonder if they can count to 3????

Let alone spell, punctuate and understand how to use capital letters!

[Braddockrd]

It raises concern about the mentality of you g people, not so much about the education. The education quality is already known

[Thaddeus]

Is pronunciation really that important?

If a student said something to me, whether they said Is Land or Eye Land pales in to insignificance if the context of use was correct and they understood what they were saying.

Problem is, they can't do either, neither can the majority of teachers.

I like mango because it is fizzy.

Tick, well done.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Thaddeus

[maewang99]

So may folks have this completely wrong. The Thai system is excellent. It is a system of indoctrination to keep the vast majority of Thai people as stupid and ignorant as possible. And keep them busy for their first 30 years, and out of trouble. And the key to the system is the Thai language, and not so much at all the "education system" itself.

Edited May 21, 2015 by maewang99