Thailand has one of the worst education systems imaginable, with University Degrees not worth the paper they are printed out outside of Thailand, where independent and rational thinking is put down at every opportunity, and they want to be an education hub?

Next joke, please.

There's a difference between optimism and delusion. Until the people making policy decisions and forecasts understand that then they're just inviting ridicule to be honest.

Not until students are allowed to ask 'why' and teachers won't lose face if they don't know the answer!

And cheating is not allowed!

The plan is primarily for Junior High and High School students

Thailand can become the hub, but only for sex education, scams education, corruption education, Thainess education and many more.

C'mon guys....put your vote in. Vote NO, and then make a reasoned post.

Why? Because it's a very important issue for everyone, including farang, that Thailand's education system is given a huge shake-up, and the powers-that-be DO take notice of the big issues on TVF. They DO hear when we have strong feelings on various topics and they do, sometimes, react favourably...after all, it was "their own idea"...they were not told by any farang.

It's April 1st isn;t it?

Next seriuos poll please

Agree ... someone didnt take it serious - voted yes ...

As a retired educator, I am sorry to report that, based on my past four years of observation, Thailand is not prepared to offer itself as a hub of English language. Should the Mistry of Education be interested, I would be willing to advise for a short term contract and their clearing the necessary red tape.

There are many, low cost things that Thailand could do immediately to enhance Thai students' use of English. But I also think, on the basis of observation, that there would be resistance to the changes necessary. OK, Thais certainly have the right to determine their national direction but that direction will not get the desired results regarding English language knowledge.

we are a lot here negative.......surprisingly i had a young thai customer this week in my resort...a 19 years old student, a hell of inteligence, talking in a perfect and fluent english and knowing about geography, history, science etc etc ....i mean an amazing fellow with modern ideas ...!

i told him....your father can be very proud of his son and honestly thailand need people like you, because here the nivel is so low...!

it took me 10 years to find such an interesting person....so much age diference... but otherwise absolutly nothing...i wish thailand could take care and keep that kind of people here for the benefit of their own country....there are so few!!

How many times have we heard this in the last 5/10/15/20 (delete according to how long you have been here).

First, they must hire 3 million well qualified teachers.

Second, they must teach independent and objective thinking.

Third, they must learn to speak English, the official language of the AEC, so that it can be taught.

According to the announcement..."The Ministry of Education is establishing a center to develop Thailand as the education hub of ASEAN. The center will coordinate ASEAN-related affairs and implement the association’s policies at the local level."

If ASEAN sets the agenda and Thailand follows, then yes...they can do it. Historically, the Blueprints for the ASEAN Political Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community, and ASEAN Social Cultural Community have been followed and implemented by Thailand. If they apply the same level of commitment to this as they have the Blueprints, then I think they can do it.

It must be April fools...

Only geographically

No chance it can compete with Singapore, India, Malaysia, even Indonesia, yes Indonesia.

All of these countries attract a lot of overseas students. Each has its own selling points and market niche. Thailand has no selling points, at least none related to education, and no market niche.

As a thai teacher told my wife when she went up to complain " i have more important things than you" then he went to lunch, it shows how a little power corrupts and that was thai to thai so how are the kids treated, i feel more teacher training let alone english half the kids in my village cant read or write thai.

not a chance....

Can anybody who voted "yes" please explain?

I explained, but the wording of the poll subsequently changed, so I am changing my vote.

If ASEAN wishes to reduce it's academic standards by 95%, then yes I would strongly recommend Thailand as a Hub!

.... maybe Thais have a totally different understanding of what a "hub" is...

Fatfather

About as likely as becomming the hub and sexual and alcohol abstinence.

I look forward to the next 'sensible' poll.

I would imagine that Thailand will be just as successful as a regional Education hub as they have been in every other hub they try to have success in. Apart from being the failed hub of hubs!

Yes, it isn't.

if it wasnt coming from admin, i would suggest the whole topic/poll combo was just an attempt to generate traffic.

oh wait.

Thais must all live in La La land, not Thailand. How can you possibly hope to become regional education hub when their own education system is total crap and a bung to the school will ensure a top grade.

The Quickest and best way to get a lot of English speaking teachers is to hire bar girls, their living depends on it, so they learn it. You could find a 100 no problem in Pattaya, only problem maybe the wages.

It's barely a domestic education hub.

You can't fix something that is F.U.B.A.R

I didn't know anything about this until I read what Scott has posted.

I can honestly say if someone had given me this information on 1 April I would have regarded it as a fools day joke.

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!

But both Singapore and Malaysia were both British colonies and English was taught in schools from an early age. Thailand of course was never "colonised" and is proud of that, fair enough, but the standard of English taught ranges from not very good to atrocious.