Do Thais really have to learn English in school?

[kaorop]

How many of you advocating compulsory English in Thai schools are doing it for valid reasons and how many are selfish ones ? - too lazy to learn Thai so better if all the Thais learn English !

Why is it called the "Land of Smiles" ? - because the majority of Thai people are happy with their lives the way they are now.

Roughly 80% of Thailand is rural so that means a bucket load of farmers - why would they or their children be interested in English ?

I live in Isaan and as a hypothetical example - you have 100 children at school and they all "supposedly" learn English.

95 of the 100 couldn't give a toss about English and 5 (probably farang children) actually try and learn.

How does the English teacher have any enthusiasm when 95% of his/her class are not the slightest bit interested ?

How do the 5% get ahead if they are dragged down by the rest.

IMHO English should be an optional subject and that way the teaching resources could go where they are needed and those who want to learn can do so,

Cheers,

BB

I guess you dont understand that learning a second language improves overall intelligence, like learning a musical instrument.

Very strange opinion in that first paragraph...."to lazy to learn" really? 5555 thats a joke right?

Then, to go on, how would you know 95% are not interested?

Palease, stop making things up.

I did 2 years of German & French at high school - did it make me more intelligent ? - no, of course not.

I never visited Germany or France and never had the opportunity to converse with a foreigner until well after I had forgotten everything so IMHO it was a complete waste of time.

As for making things up (you do understand what hypothetical means ?)

1 I do 4 hours learning Thai every Saturday morning with the local English teacher.

2 My wife does 2 hours per day voluntary work (hairdressing / beautician) at 5 x different schools in our area.

3 We sponsored 6 x children (5 + our son) to receive 1 hrs additional English teaching per day and 2 of them lasted 1 week and the other 3 were gone after 3 weeks.

4 Last night we had 35 x teachers in our bar/restaurant for their monthly meeting / dinner / drinks.

I think based on the above I have a pretty good understanding of what goes on in Thai rural schools (at least in our area).

Regards,

BB

Very little of that is relevant to the issue of English being learnt in Thai schools and

other than some kind of internet pissing match, your experience is still quite limited.

[Ballbearing]

newnative,

I agree totally with your post.

I am not anti learning English - what I am trying to say is focus what resources they have on those who want to learn it first.

Making it an optional subject would allow the small number of "good" english teachers to pass on their knowledge to enthusiastic students and not waste time on children who have no interest in learning a second language.

Once the successful students start showing the benefits (hopefully) of learning english it would be hoped more and more would want to be involved.

Cheers,

BB

[Ballbearing]

How many of you advocating compulsory English in Thai schools are doing it for valid reasons and how many are selfish ones ? - too lazy to learn Thai so better if all the Thais learn English !

Why is it called the "Land of Smiles" ? - because the majority of Thai people are happy with their lives the way they are now.

Roughly 80% of Thailand is rural so that means a bucket load of farmers - why would they or their children be interested in English ?

I live in Isaan and as a hypothetical example - you have 100 children at school and they all "supposedly" learn English.

95 of the 100 couldn't give a toss about English and 5 (probably farang children) actually try and learn.

How does the English teacher have any enthusiasm when 95% of his/her class are not the slightest bit interested ?

How do the 5% get ahead if they are dragged down by the rest.

IMHO English should be an optional subject and that way the teaching resources could go where they are needed and those who want to learn can do so,

Cheers,

BB

I guess you dont understand that learning a second language improves overall intelligence, like learning a musical instrument.

Very strange opinion in that first paragraph...."to lazy to learn" really? 5555 thats a joke right?

Then, to go on, how would you know 95% are not interested?

Palease, stop making things up.

I did 2 years of German & French at high school - did it make me more intelligent ? - no, of course not.

I never visited Germany or France and never had the opportunity to converse with a foreigner until well after I had forgotten everything so IMHO it was a complete waste of time.

As for making things up (you do understand what hypothetical means ?)

1 I do 4 hours learning Thai every Saturday morning with the local English teacher.

2 My wife does 2 hours per day voluntary work (hairdressing / beautician) at 5 x different schools in our area.

3 We sponsored 6 x children (5 + our son) to receive 1 hrs additional English teaching per day and 2 of them lasted 1 week and the other 3 were gone after 3 weeks.

4 Last night we had 35 x teachers in our bar/restaurant for their monthly meeting / dinner / drinks.

I think based on the above I have a pretty good understanding of what goes on in Thai rural schools (at least in our area).

Regards,

BB

Very little of that is relevant to the issue of English being learnt in Thai schools and

other than some kind of internet pissing match, your experience is still quite limited.

kaorop,

Thanks for the childish response !

[Linzz]

Teaching English to Thai kids is one of the most important things you can do, that's why I brought my wife's kids to NZ. Full immersion and from the experience that there are other worlds outside Thailand, the employment opportunities that are opened up to them when or if they return to Thailand will be endless.

So because kids aren't interested or they will be happy with no real need of English as people seem to be suggesting, this is somehow going to advance Thailand into the future? Also of course learning other languages expands the mind. Whether posters on here think their learning in the past has done nothing for them, I disagree. I'm glad I learnt some French and I am jealous of the poster who learnt Latin (and doesn't appreciate it), which is an important component of the English language. I might have understood my own language better if I had.

Too much mai phen rai or is that c'est la vie on this thread IMHO, or is that also what is meant when people say too much Thainess?

[gandalf12]

The proficiency of Thais in the English language is poor. An interesting summary can be found at http://asiancorrespondent.com/2015/11/english-proficiency-index-2015-mixed-results-across-asia/

[thaibeachlovers]

The proficiency of Thais in the English language is poor. An interesting summary can be found at http://asiancorrespondent.com/2015/11/english-proficiency-index-2015-mixed-results-across-asia/

Not sure what you are saying. The Thais I know that speak English do so quite well. I was trying to ascertain why so few outside tourist areas do so at all.

[Mosha]

my daughter was learning English at school and she was asking me about nouns/ proverbs/ pronouns etc

i did make me wonder if the teaching method was somewhat back to front

there was a home work project she brought home sort of easy multi choice paper which i did help with but the paper came back as incorrect choices made

now i know what i advised was 100 pc correct so the teacher in this case was wrong i gave up after that

besides her teaching has come about from listening to my wife and myself in general conversation OK she is fortunate to have an English speaking environment at home

A friend's step daughter was taught by another mutual friend's now ex wife. She was given home work to name items of clothing. We were having a beer at his place and he produced the questionaire. In particular 1 question. Answers were sweater, pullover, jersey, and jumper. He asked us what we thought, and being Brits from the North. We said jumper. Wrong it's a sweater. She even wrote on the paper. Don't ask Farang, they don't know how to speak English.

[penkrew]

I think the simple answer is that students are taught, on a very basic level, to read and write English. But your question asked if they learn how to 'speak' English. The answer to that is almost always no.

[jessicapoul]

English is really compulsory language all over the globe so every school should teach this language.

[DavisH]

in the west students study french, spanish, german etc and I've never found them to be able to speak it after graduation. just another pathetic thai bash I suppose.

who studies french???

students who choose french as their second language option of course

who is choosing french as their second language option of course...(sarcasm)

20%of those choose French/Chinese in M4-6 choose because they like languages. The other 80% were not good enough to qualify for the maths/science stream. So one can imagine what they are like to teach.

[aarontendo]

my daughter was learning English at school and she was asking me about nouns/ proverbs/ pronouns etc

i did make me wonder if the teaching method was somewhat back to front

there was a home work project she brought home sort of easy multi choice paper which i did help with but the paper came back as incorrect choices made

now i know what i advised was 100 pc correct so the teacher in this case was wrong i gave up after that

besides her teaching has come about from listening to my wife and myself in general conversation OK she is fortunate to have an English speaking environment at home

A friend's step daughter was taught by another mutual friend's now ex wife. She was given home work to name items of clothing. We were having a beer at his place and he produced the questionaire. In particular 1 question. Answers were sweater, pullover, jersey, and jumper. He asked us what we thought, and being Brits from the North. We said jumper. Wrong it's a sweater. She even wrote on the paper. Don't ask Farang, they don't know how to speak English.

Sounds like my kinda girl. As often as I've had to hear "It's just English, mate...not British English" this made me smile.

[lostinisaan]

The answer to the OP's question is yes. Children have to learn English in schools.

Why? Now it is very important if you want to get on really well in business, especially as English is the official languague of the Asean community.

Is it a waste of time? Yes. As they are taught by so called English teachers who cannot themselves speak or read good English or taught by teachers who have no idea how to actually teach.

The other problem one has is that Thai pupils/students, in general, are basically lazy and therefore if they don't want to learn they will not.

I have a 17 year old daughter's neice living with us and after 2 years of teaching her English for at least an hour a day, she still cannot speak English.

She understands most of what I say and can read reasonably well but cannot spell or write other than basic words.

This is not helped by the English teacher in school who gave her homework to do and yet 3 weeks later has still not given the marked paper back.

Today she had to read a passage in book and then answer 4 questions for homework. Though her reading is not too bad there was no way that she could understand what was written

and therefore without my help, answer the questions. No other member of her class has family who can speak English, however one thing is guaranteed.

They will all get a pass mark for English come the end of the year.

The problem though is not just the English subject but all of the education. My neice has about 6 months of school to go before she leaves school and supposedly go on to university.

One would think she would have a lot of homework to do. That is not the case. In the last 2 weeks she has had no more than 5 hours homework and 3 hours of that was copying from a book.

Some of the rest was finding something on the web and then printing. When I asked her if she had read what she has printed out her answer was 'No, because the teacher not ask questions I just give to the teacher''

It doesn't help though when the school is more interested in telling the children on a Friday (without giving parents prior notice or giving the pupils a letter to bring home to say they have to attend school) to go to school

all day on the Saturday because they have to cut all the grass, do weeding, clean the classrooms etc. Do schools not employ janitors/cleaners etc?

All pupils have to attend because they are told that this will go towards their pass mark!!!

Time would be better off with lectures about the law and road safety and why they should wear a helmut when riding motorbikes. There is a sign at the main entrance to the school saying 100% helmuts must be worn

yet no more than 20%, and I am being generous, of the 100's of those who ride their motorbikes to school (most of them under the legal age) do so.

Must stop my rant here as I could go on and on about the schools.

They created a so called "BIG CLEANING DAY" at many schools and students do the job of janitors.

I feel sorry for good students who always do their given assignments and finally have a lower grade than let's say the assistant director's lazy son.

It's very easy to understand. The kids know that they can't fail and that's exactly why they behave so badly.

But there's no light at the end of the tunnel when you see incompetent ministers being replaced by army generals.

If you as a foreign teacher start to fail students and write down their real grades, you fail yourself and lose your job.

Go with the flow, or you're out of the show is the sad truth about education in this country.

[Rhys]

The answer to the OP's question is yes. Children have to learn English in schools.

Why? Now it is very important if you want to get on really well in business, especially as English is the official languague of the Asean community.

Is it a waste of time? Yes. As they are taught by so called English teachers who cannot themselves speak or read good English or taught by teachers who have no idea how to actually teach.

The other problem one has is that Thai pupils/students, in general, are basically lazy and therefore if they don't want to learn they will not.

I have a 17 year old daughter's neice living with us and after 2 years of teaching her English for at least an hour a day, she still cannot speak English.

She understands most of what I say and can read reasonably well but cannot spell or write other than basic words.

This is not helped by the English teacher in school who gave her homework to do and yet 3 weeks later has still not given the marked paper back.

Today she had to read a passage in book and then answer 4 questions for homework. Though her reading is not too bad there was no way that she could understand what was written

and therefore without my help, answer the questions. No other member of her class has family who can speak English, however one thing is guaranteed.

They will all get a pass mark for English come the end of the year.

The problem though is not just the English subject but all of the education. My neice has about 6 months of school to go before she leaves school and supposedly go on to university.

One would think she would have a lot of homework to do. That is not the case. In the last 2 weeks she has had no more than 5 hours homework and 3 hours of that was copying from a book.

Some of the rest was finding something on the web and then printing. When I asked her if she had read what she has printed out her answer was 'No, because the teacher not ask questions I just give to the teacher''

It doesn't help though when the school is more interested in telling the children on a Friday (without giving parents prior notice or giving the pupils a letter to bring home to say they have to attend school) to go to school

all day on the Saturday because they have to cut all the grass, do weeding, clean the classrooms etc. Do schools not employ janitors/cleaners etc?

All pupils have to attend because they are told that this will go towards their pass mark!!!

Time would be better off with lectures about the law and road safety and why they should wear a helmut when riding motorbikes. There is a sign at the main entrance to the school saying 100% helmuts must be worn

yet no more than 20%, and I am being generous, of the 100's of those who ride their motorbikes to school (most of them under the legal age) do so.

Must stop my rant here as I could go on and on about the schools.

They created a so called "BIG CLEANING DAY" at many schools and students do the job of janitors.

I feel sorry for good students who always do their given assignments and finally have a lower grade than let's say the assistant director's lazy son.

It's very easy to understand. The kids know that they can't fail and that's exactly why they behave so badly.

But there's no light at the end of the tunnel when you see incompetent ministers being replaced by army generals.

If you as a foreign teacher start to fail students and write down their real grades, you fail yourself and lose your job.

Go with the flow, or you're out of the show is the sad truth about education in this country.

Nailed to the board... failing and staying...

[Rhys]

The answer to the OP's question is yes. Children have to learn English in schools.

Why? Now it is very important if you want to get on really well in business, especially as English is the official languague of the Asean community.

Is it a waste of time? Yes. As they are taught by so called English teachers who cannot themselves speak or read good English or taught by teachers who have no idea how to actually teach.

The other problem one has is that Thai pupils/students, in general, are basically lazy and therefore if they don't want to learn they will not.

I have a 17 year old daughter's neice living with us and after 2 years of teaching her English for at least an hour a day, she still cannot speak English.

She understands most of what I say and can read reasonably well but cannot spell or write other than basic words.

This is not helped by the English teacher in school who gave her homework to do and yet 3 weeks later has still not given the marked paper back.

Today she had to read a passage in book and then answer 4 questions for homework. Though her reading is not too bad there was no way that she could understand what was written

and therefore without my help, answer the questions. No other member of her class has family who can speak English, however one thing is guaranteed.

They will all get a pass mark for English come the end of the year.

The problem though is not just the English subject but all of the education. My neice has about 6 months of school to go before she leaves school and supposedly go on to university.

One would think she would have a lot of homework to do. That is not the case. In the last 2 weeks she has had no more than 5 hours homework and 3 hours of that was copying from a book.

Some of the rest was finding something on the web and then printing. When I asked her if she had read what she has printed out her answer was 'No, because the teacher not ask questions I just give to the teacher''

It doesn't help though when the school is more interested in telling the children on a Friday (without giving parents prior notice or giving the pupils a letter to bring home to say they have to attend school) to go to school

all day on the Saturday because they have to cut all the grass, do weeding, clean the classrooms etc. Do schools not employ janitors/cleaners etc?

All pupils have to attend because they are told that this will go towards their pass mark!!!

Time would be better off with lectures about the law and road safety and why they should wear a helmut when riding motorbikes. There is a sign at the main entrance to the school saying 100% helmuts must be worn

yet no more than 20%, and I am being generous, of the 100's of those who ride their motorbikes to school (most of them under the legal age) do so.

Must stop my rant here as I could go on and on about the schools.

They created a so called "BIG CLEANING DAY" at many schools and students do the job of janitors.

I feel sorry for good students who always do their given assignments and finally have a lower grade than let's say the assistant director's lazy son.

It's very easy to understand. The kids know that they can't fail and that's exactly why they behave so badly.

But there's no light at the end of the tunnel when you see incompetent ministers being replaced by army generals.

If you as a foreign teacher start to fail students and write down their real grades, you fail yourself and lose your job.

Go with the flow, or you're out of the show is the sad truth about education in this country.

Nailed to the board... failing and staying...

[Rhys]

The answer to the OP's question is yes. Children have to learn English in schools.

Why? Now it is very important if you want to get on really well in business, especially as English is the official languague of the Asean community.

Is it a waste of time? Yes. As they are taught by so called English teachers who cannot themselves speak or read good English or taught by teachers who have no idea how to actually teach.

The other problem one has is that Thai pupils/students, in general, are basically lazy and therefore if they don't want to learn they will not.

I have a 17 year old daughter's neice living with us and after 2 years of teaching her English for at least an hour a day, she still cannot speak English.

She understands most of what I say and can read reasonably well but cannot spell or write other than basic words.

This is not helped by the English teacher in school who gave her homework to do and yet 3 weeks later has still not given the marked paper back.

Today she had to read a passage in book and then answer 4 questions for homework. Though her reading is not too bad there was no way that she could understand what was written

and therefore without my help, answer the questions. No other member of her class has family who can speak English, however one thing is guaranteed.

They will all get a pass mark for English come the end of the year.

The problem though is not just the English subject but all of the education. My neice has about 6 months of school to go before she leaves school and supposedly go on to university.

One would think she would have a lot of homework to do. That is not the case. In the last 2 weeks she has had no more than 5 hours homework and 3 hours of that was copying from a book.

Some of the rest was finding something on the web and then printing. When I asked her if she had read what she has printed out her answer was 'No, because the teacher not ask questions I just give to the teacher''

It doesn't help though when the school is more interested in telling the children on a Friday (without giving parents prior notice or giving the pupils a letter to bring home to say they have to attend school) to go to school

all day on the Saturday because they have to cut all the grass, do weeding, clean the classrooms etc. Do schools not employ janitors/cleaners etc?

All pupils have to attend because they are told that this will go towards their pass mark!!!

Time would be better off with lectures about the law and road safety and why they should wear a helmut when riding motorbikes. There is a sign at the main entrance to the school saying 100% helmuts must be worn

yet no more than 20%, and I am being generous, of the 100's of those who ride their motorbikes to school (most of them under the legal age) do so.

Must stop my rant here as I could go on and on about the schools.

They created a so called "BIG CLEANING DAY" at many schools and students do the job of janitors.

I feel sorry for good students who always do their given assignments and finally have a lower grade than let's say the assistant director's lazy son.

It's very easy to understand. The kids know that they can't fail and that's exactly why they behave so badly.

But there's no light at the end of the tunnel when you see incompetent ministers being replaced by army generals.

If you as a foreign teacher start to fail students and write down their real grades, you fail yourself and lose your job.

Go with the flow, or you're out of the show is the sad truth about education in this country.

Nailed to the board... failing and staying...

[gk10002000]

Well in some fairness, growing up in the USA we were required to take French or Spanish or Italian. I am sure few of us after several years of Junior and Senior High school practiced or kept up with our French and could not converse with any degree of fluency

[Scott]

I took Latin and as soon as I run into the Roman Legions, I'll let you know how well that worked out for me.

Thais do have to learn English, but unless you use a language, your fluency and retention are seriously jeopardized.

I'd be hard pressed to order a bowl of noodles in Latin, that's for sure.

[bigt3116]

How many of you advocating compulsory English in Thai schools are doing it for valid reasons and how many are selfish ones ? - too lazy to learn Thai so better if all the Thais learn English !

Why is it called the "Land of Smiles" ? - because the majority of Thai people are happy with their lives the way they are now.

Roughly 80% of Thailand is rural so that means a bucket load of farmers - why would they or their children be interested in English ?

I live in Isaan and as a hypothetical example - you have 100 children at school and they all "supposedly" learn English.

95 of the 100 couldn't give a toss about English and 5 (probably farang children) actually try and learn.

How does the English teacher have any enthusiasm when 95% of his/her class are not the slightest bit interested ?

How do the 5% get ahead if they are dragged down by the rest.

IMHO English should be an optional subject and that way the teaching resources could go where they are needed and those who want to learn can do so,

Cheers,

BB

In 2014 the rural population was 50.83%, that is a long way from your suggested 80%.