SURVEY: Will Thailand be successful in becoming the regional education hub?

[Scott]

The Ministry of Education is establishing a center to develop Thailand as the education hub of ASEAN. The plan is primarily for Junior High and High School students. In your opinion do you think that Thailand is well positioned to be a regional educational hub?

Here are some recent links to threads on education:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/843394-education-ministry-setting-up-center-to-push-for-thailand-as-education-hub/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/844709-workshop-to-improve-the-quality-of-foreign-teachers-in-thailand/

Please feel free to leave a comment.

[Credo]

If Thailand plans to become an education hub for ASEAN are they planning on having all Junior and Senior high school students learn Thai because they are no where near having enough Thai teachers who can teach a subject in English?

The majority of Thai teachers who teach English are very poor in English, I can imagine that science and social studies teachers will be even worse.

[multatuli]

Next seriuos poll please

[redandyellow]

Geographically yes - practically no.

My Thai wife has a university degree in English, and she speaks in the present tense - always

That's just the thin edge of the wedge

It's too MUTT

[HeijoshinCool]

[Chang_paarp]

Maybe for teaching the Thai language.

Anything else well they need to become a localised hub of teacher training first Teaching the teachers how to teach to international standards of the latter part of the twentieth century.

[BigBadGeordie]

I need time to reflect on this all important issue.......err......NO!

[longstebe]

As long as you go around and clean the teachers houses you'll be fine.

[clockman]

Pipe dreams!

[trogers]

Yes, totally. The hub of the 'No-Fail' policy...?

[kannot]

I dont think we need a "yes" option

[EnzoRippo]

I have 4 kids in Thai schools (P3, P5, M4, M5). Some in public, some in private schools. I have a extended knowledge of the local system. Today, I'll just answer the question and it's "NO". The reason, beside the weakness of the teachers, is that, since a few months, they don't learn anything at school, anymore => they spend all the time is propaganda activities related to Thainess (IMO this is "how to become dumb in 90 lessons"). How could a Vietnamese come here to learn to be a Thai dumb?

[isanbirder]

Well positioned..... yes.

Capable..... no. It doesn't have an adequate education system for its own people, let alone to become a 'hub'.

The survey question is perhaps badly expressed.

[JakeSully]

This is a joke right?

When the Thai's can speak English on a level similar with Singaporeans.. then they can talk about this.

Otherwise it's simply visions of thai grandeur!

[awayego]

I spent a few years on the School Boards of both my sons' primary and secondary schools in the UK. Even back then I advocated strongly that foreign languages should be tought by their respective native speakers.

Here it is clearly even more important and critical to the learning and effective use of English as, particularly, the principal language of commerce in ASEAN.

The standard of English in Thailand, on the rare occasions that it is actually used, is absolutely atrocious compared to Singapore and even Malaysia.

Errors in grammar and pronunciation in particular are compounded by Thai English teachers who can barely speak the language they are supposed to be teaching. Many of us here have similar stories of trying to engage Thai teachers of English in conversations that invariably grind to a halt after just a few words of greeting.

Whenever I receive a phonecall, or even have to speak face-to-face, with 'English' speaking Thais I invariably have to hand the conversation over to my Thai wife. The few exceptions shine in their rarity.

And this is only one aspect of the lamentable education here, although a very important aspect.

So, a very emphatic NO!

[Crazy chef 1]

Are we trolling???( per definition)

[Americano555]

LOL...........good one......keep it up Thailand.

[Toknarok]

They're very good at reciting the twelve orinciples though, I know I've heard them.

[Charlie1]

Yes, in the sense that Thailand has a lot to educate...

[Thaddeus]

This is a joke right?

When the Thai's can speak English on a level similar with Singaporeans.. then they can talk about this.

Otherwise it's simply visions of thai grandeur!

Actually, it's delusions of adequacy, with a very large pinch of hubris.

[i claudius]

Luckily we lived in the UK for many years so my wife speaks English properly just with a Thai accent ,she can also read and write it ,mind you even when we lived in Thailand originally i never spoke "tinglish" to her, our son luckily went to a local school where we lived in England so now speaks english with a local accent now here in University his english is better than the teachers so in his spare time the uni pay him to teach english class , ,so will Thailand become the hub ? when the students have to teach english ,there are two hopes ,and one of those is bob.

[Bakseeda]

I have 4 kids in Thai schools (P3, P5, M4, M5). Some in public, some in private schools. I have a extended knowledge of the local system. Today, I'll just answer the question and it's "NO". The reason, beside the weakness of the teachers, is that, since a few months, they don't learn anything at school, anymore => they spend all the time is propaganda activities related to Thainess (IMO this is "how to become dumb in 90 lessons"). How could a Vietnamese come here to learn to be a Thai dumb?

Did you never think about condoms..???

[tuanku]

Only Thailand has a "why Khru?" day.

[Peabody]

Can anybody who voted "yes" please explain?

[laocowboy2]

Can anybody who voted "yes" please explain?

Not in English one would assume

[MrJohnson]

The system is so broken it is hard to know where to start in fixing it. Class sizes too large, poor administration, corruption, poorly qualified teachers, poor assessment techniques, no merit system and on and on. But when it all comes down to it the education system is just part of a larger problem. What is the point of teaching kids to think for themselves when the powers that be want a compliant population that will not question authority. The current political situation is testament to that.

[Seastallion]

Can anybody who voted "yes" please explain?

I think they focused on the word "positioned", and thought geographically.

There can be no other rational explanation.

I say that with sincere certainty.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Seastallion

[DavisH]

Sure, as long as the HUB only includes Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia! Singapore? Forget it....they consider a 7 in IELTS to be a low score

[janpharma]

As long as unable persons are able to "buy" their job, there will be no adequate teaching in Thailand...

[hextac]

Is this a wind up?