NRC's reform proposals call for major overhaul of country's education sector
CHULARAT SAENGPASSA
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- BIG changes to the country's educational sector are now in the pipeline, after the National Reform Council (NRC) yesterday submitted its proposals to the government.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha officially accepted the NRC proposals, which also cover national educational reform.

"If the government fully implements our proposed educational reform, the country will get efficient human resources," NRC member Associate Professor Prapapat Niyom said.

The plan calls for the overhaul of the educational-service system, the education fiscal system (through a demand-based approach), as well as the "learning system".

The overhaul of the educational-service system will focus on decentralisation, with the power to arrange educational services going down to provincial and local levels.

It will also prescribe the establishment of citizens' networks in all areas so that they serve as a checks-and-balance mechanism to monitor the governance of educational-service provision at all levels.

The overhaul of the educational fiscal system will focus on direct allocation of budget to students and educational institutes. The new system will seek to provide educational security in the manner health security is now provided to Thais.

The overhaul of the learning system, meanwhile, sets its sights on encouraging everyone to learn from real-life situations to ensure |that learning is relevant to people's lives.

Board to evaluate results

A "National Educational and Human Development Policy Board" will be established to formulate policies on the country's human resources, to direct educational-reform efforts, and to make recommendations to relevant ministers and Parliament.

"The board will work with various organisations and evaluate the educational-reform results," the plan suggests.

A bill to establish this board has already been prepared. The government is expected to forward it to the National Legislative Assembly soon.

According to the NRC, its proposed educational reform will also make big changes in the development of educational human resources. The recruitment process, for example, will not be based on entrance-exam results alone, as available information reveals that teaching experiences and attitudes influence teaching performance.

The NRC also believes that the practice of transferring teachers across regions should be scrapped so as to prevent lobbying and bribery for positions in good locations.

As part of the educational-reform plan, local administrative bodies will be nudged into developing small schools, each with no more than 60 students. Now, there are about 7,000 such schools in Thailand.

At a seminar held by the NRC yesterday, the speakers made it clear that the council's committees on media/IT reform, on educational/human resource reform, and on arts, culture, ethics and religious affairs understand that their work has been overlapping.

They have, therefore, developed their reform plans by taking into account all relevant issues. For example, there have been plans to reform human resources using the media as a facilitator.

As media have a huge influence, they rank among good tools for the production of quality human resources for the country.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/NRCs-reform-proposals-call-for-major-overhaul-of-c-30266555.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-14

I read Thai newspapers since more than 25 years and every 3 months there is a similar article = I read this %£$§ more than 100 times.

During this time the level of education is Thailand is still sinking.

Does a "demand-based approach" mean that they will force students to get educated in what needs the country sees as lacking? Taking away their own choices of careers?

...more hot air...all talk...no action....blah...blah...bloody...blah

"If the government fully implements our proposed educational reform, the country will get efficient human resources," NRC member Associate Professor Prapapat Niyom said.

" If buffaloes would have huge wings, there could be a high possibility that they'd be able to fly, but only when ridden by the good general," NRC member Associate Professor Prapapat Niyom said.

Just wondering if they're planning to clone TVF members' brains......

The only way education will improve is if students are prodded to think out of the box. Right now they are tought to follow the leader not think out of the box.

As long as this happens there will be little if any innovation here in Thailand. They will still be follow the world not be a leading country

"The overhaul of the educational-service system will focus on decentralisation, with the power to arrange educational services going down to provincial and local levels."

This seems to indicate that educational standards and monitoring of performance will be predicated by provincial and local oversight. The result is likely to be a very politically motivated and chaotic educational system - one devoid of any consistency or professional standards.

But on the plus side Prayut's 12 Values might be discarded.

Keeping the best of the over 60 experienced teachers... who did not retire on the job.. is a start.

"Major overhauls" especially when implemented by any government, rarely have the anticipated result.

Better to start reform on a small, well-monitored scale and then, after objectively identifying what works and what doesn't, expand on the successes while abandoning or modifying the failures.

In the US major reforms ... prohibition, no child left behind, the war on drugs and immigration reform all come to mind ...they all benefited many people but not the expected ones.

The jury is still out in many countries on the results of quantitative easing, economic stimuli and overt or covert currency manipulation.

Private schools get more public money than public schools. Teachers have to buy their positions.

All well-known, and all not changing.

No one is killing the cash cow anytime soon......

The real problem is the system lags about 50 years behind the time. The classrooms I teach in resemble the classes I was taught in. Everything is still based on teacher transmission and rote learning. By all means get rid of the corruption, but that is just the tip of the ice berg in so far as education is concerned. Tomorrow's world, with which all education systems must be concerned, is going to be heavily interconnected with today's students doing jobs that haven't even been invented yet. What is Thailand doing to prepare its students for this exciting new world? Not a lot.

Whilst trying to stay positive about the article, I agree with all it has been said time and time again with no real action, as many TV posters have pointed out. So you can understand if I am not going to jump up and down with joy. Why is the NRC going to reform education? Are they the experts. They are making the same mistake as many other countries do, letting politicians who know nothing about education, making changes that they no nothing about.

I would go further and say it needs more than reform. It needs knocking down and starting again from scratch. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, look at others with good models of education, such as the Fins and even the Brits a few years ago. Something needs to be done as I see very little progress at all.

Thai education .. No substance no style..no learning..plenty of money in the private sector, and in the pockets of the ......