Thai Brains and the Education System

[Asheron]

Funny that this subject should come on Easter.

I was taught at school that Mary was a virgin. A Thai mate of mine found this a little hard to believe.

Yes and your thai "mate" believe there are ghosts. Your point?

[sandyf]

Exactly, what is more important, 2003, only 13 years ago! My gf teaches English/Maths in a Thai Government School and 'teacher' pulls most of them up..

Except of course, the Farang/Thai students who leave the others in their wake mostly.

I could go on and on, but really they spend so little time learning, classes are cancelled so often for them to go off on some 'cultural' thing.

My wife's niece is from an ordinary background and was educated at the state school in Chonburi. The English teacher there was from the Philippines, school cannot afford to employ native English speaking teachers.

The niece is now a third year international student on an English speaking Clinical Medicine course at Sun Yet Sen university in China. She has been awarded a scholarship on both first and second year results and will be required to be fluent in Chinese by the end of the fourth year.

Of course we all know that Thai state schools are rubbish and there is no good and bad over here, only bad.

[thailand49]

Exactly, what is more important, 2003, only 13 years ago! My gf teaches English/Maths in a Thai Government School and 'teacher' pulls most of them up..

Except of course, the Farang/Thai students who leave the others in their wake mostly.

I could go on and on, but really they spend so little time learning, classes are cancelled so often for them to go off on some 'cultural' thing.

My wife's niece is from an ordinary background and was educated at the state school in Chonburi. The English teacher there was from the Philippines, school cannot afford to employ native English speaking teachers.

The niece is now a third year international student on an English speaking Clinical Medicine course at Sun Yet Sen university in China. She has been awarded a scholarship on both first and second year results and will be required to be fluent in Chinese by the end of the fourth year.

Of course we all know that Thai state schools are rubbish and there is no good and bad over here, only bad.

e

Congratulation is in order for your niece. A reminder I and other here are talking in general I hope you understand this. I know a number of guy teacher teaching English from the Philippines. They can actually hold a conversation and have degrees in teaching in their home country. The majority of English teacher here as noted by another poster are nothing but backpackers supplementing their income while they hit the bars at night. Yes, another generalization? Nearly all teach at a school called Buraphy in Pattaya and the number of kids I have run into who can speak English when I ask them happened to all come from there. As for your niece, let me dig a bit deeper if I may. I myself reference " Western influence " this means the more the child is around it the greater chance of interest in learning English. In general, kids going to 100% Thai school schools with both parents and family unit speaks no English whatsoever with no Western influence like a family member like in your case would be able to progress to your niece level. So your case somewhat interest me if my theory is correct. Even private schools like the Aksorn Group here in Pattaya which still falls under the Thai State control and advertises Advance English I've not found a student current or past that can match the few I have spoken to from Burapha. No one is saying it is all bad, but the half doesn't of articles I have read from their own scholars confirms my thinking and others here.

[TuskegeeBen]

Then maybe Scrabble should be part of the curriculum? If only to make complete sense of this article, which starts out with "Thai Education System" on the one hand and then jumps to a unrelated, independent gaming club on the other hand...

Despite their varied faults, and so-called "under-developed" social issues, I have a profound respect for the Thai people's "keen" sense of solidarity with one another.

That's considerably more respect than what I have for the majority of western expats, who seem to take a perverse pleasure, in "nit-picking" each other apart; all the time, particularly on the TVF.

Really bloke! Give it a rest, for a change. Prosit!

Edited March 28, 2016 by TuskegeeBen

[TuskegeeBen]

My thanks to the OP, for the refreshingly new, perspective changing info provided with his post. A great presentation

[namatjira]

Certainly in the fine art world, Thailand is a few hundred years behind the pace, there is a distinct lack of creativity.

Yes, they can copy, that are very good at this, but as for a distinct style of their own....except perhaps for the 2 dimensional temple walls.....there is very little of any merit.....they are aghast at the prices reached in the western and Chinese Art markets....and have problems when a direct copy of say a Pablo Picasso painting does not attract the same amount of money...

Slowly though, there is some coming through now......just going to take a long time before they can think and be truly innovative in the art world.....a very long time

[ardokano]

Maybe that is not such a bad thing. Finland does the same and apparently produces the best students.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/this-is-why-finland-has-the-best-schools-20160324-gnqv9l.html

My girlfriend is definately smarter than me, speaks four languages, her English is way better than my Thai, is an engineer ( I can not understand one line of the work she brings home). I went to a private school in OZ but was a terrible student.

I have met other Thais I know are way smarter than me.

Nobody fails in Thailand which would have suited me as a student, that's for sure. Not having all that pressure on me to pass, I wouldn't have had to cheat all the time.

They produce the best Thai speakers in the world here.

There are plenty of opportunities for those with initiative, scholarships etc, and plenty of jobs to go around for the slackers.

"Maybe that is not such a bad thing"

Are you seriously ? show at least one science to achieve the Thai people?

Show me any social..

And plese not compare with Finland

Thai not have any hard Worm in past 100 year..

the achievement of Thais in 100 years is very questionable when compared with Finland.

[klauskunkel]

Then maybe Scrabble should be part of the curriculum? If only to make complete sense of this article, which starts out with "Thai Education System" on the one hand and then jumps to a unrelated, independent gaming club on the other hand...

Despite their varied faults, and so-called "under-developed" social issues, I have a profound respect for the Thai people's "keen" sense of solidarity with one another.

That's considerably more respect than what I have for the majority of western expats, who seem to take a perverse pleasure, in "nit-picking" each other apart; all the time, particularly on the TVF.

Really bloke! Give it a rest, for a change. Prosit!

I must have touché a nerve, for that I'm sorry. May I suggest you put my user name on your "ignore" list in your profile, and your sensitivities can take a well deserved rest from more trauma caused by me. Cheers, bloke

[sandyf]

Exactly, what is more important, 2003, only 13 years ago! My gf teaches English/Maths in a Thai Government School and 'teacher' pulls most of them up..

Except of course, the Farang/Thai students who leave the others in their wake mostly.

I could go on and on, but really they spend so little time learning, classes are cancelled so often for them to go off on some 'cultural' thing.

My wife's niece is from an ordinary background and was educated at the state school in Chonburi. The English teacher there was from the Philippines, school cannot afford to employ native English speaking teachers.

The niece is now a third year international student on an English speaking Clinical Medicine course at Sun Yet Sen university in China. She has been awarded a scholarship on both first and second year results and will be required to be fluent in Chinese by the end of the fourth year.

Of course we all know that Thai state schools are rubbish and there is no good and bad over here, only bad.

e

Congratulation is in order for your niece. A reminder I and other here are talking in general I hope you understand this. I know a number of guy teacher teaching English from the Philippines. They can actually hold a conversation and have degrees in teaching in their home country. The majority of English teacher here as noted by another poster are nothing but backpackers supplementing their income while they hit the bars at night. Yes, another generalization? Nearly all teach at a school called Buraphy in Pattaya and the number of kids I have run into who can speak English when I ask them happened to all come from there. As for your niece, let me dig a bit deeper if I may. I myself reference " Western influence " this means the more the child is around it the greater chance of interest in learning English. In general, kids going to 100% Thai school schools with both parents and family unit speaks no English whatsoever with no Western influence like a family member like in your case would be able to progress to your niece level. So your case somewhat interest me if my theory is correct. Even private schools like the Aksorn Group here in Pattaya which still falls under the Thai State control and advertises Advance English I've not found a student current or past that can match the few I have spoken to from Burapha. No one is saying it is all bad, but the half doesn't of articles I have read from their own scholars confirms my thinking and others here.

I have seen nothing but criticism here on this forum. Bit strange that all this generalisation comes from western oriented areas, makes you wonder if it is the western influence that has lowered the standards.

There are no western children at the state school in Chonburi and my niece is by no means out of the ordinary. Our nearest neighbour has 2 daughters that went to the same school, the eldest took medicine and is now a doctor in the Chonburi hospital, the younger was in the same class as my niece and she is taking pharmacy at Phitsanulok university.

[ardokano]

I have seen nothing but criticism here on this forum. Bit strange that all this generalisation comes from western oriented areas, makes you wonder if it is the western influence that has lowered the standards.

There are no western children at the state school in Chonburi and my niece is by no means out of the ordinary. Our nearest neighbour has 2 daughters that went to the same school, the eldest took medicine and is now a doctor in the Chonburi hospital, the younger was in the same class as my niece and she is taking pharmacy at Phitsanulok university.

Chinese is the language of music. there are different colors as in vtnamskom other similar languages (tom chisle and tajskom)

if there is an ear for music is a simple language with little or no grammar. More hard be English or Russian

I am lazy . and do not really like grammar. I like the sciences mathematics as an example.

9 years ago, but for me it was easy pass test at Sun Yet Sen university in China Guanzhou.

honestly I have not seen a high level of training there.So left the University.

Your niece is smart girl and thai lang it near chines..

PS

The quality of education can be seen on Advances in science.

What achievement in Thailand?

May be i some thing lost but.. where?

simple memorizing what others have come up with this in my opinion is not a quality.

By the way in Singapore in learning as memorizing more successful.

In my opinion quality education its understand that you learning and draw their own conclusions. Creative thinking.

that is to create, and not to repeat someone else's

otherwise we would mankind still has carved stone fire (or even eaten raw meat without fire) and we could not communicate with you online. Because that would simply not be the hardware or even electricity for this.

Edited March 28, 2016 by ardokano

[thailand49]

Exactly, what is more important, 2003, only 13 years ago! My gf teaches English/Maths in a Thai Government School and 'teacher' pulls most of them up..

Except of course, the Farang/Thai students who leave the others in their wake mostly.

I could go on and on, but really they spend so little time learning, classes are cancelled so often for them to go off on some 'cultural' thing.

My wife's niece is from an ordinary background and was educated at the state school in Chonburi. The English teacher there was from the Philippines, school cannot afford to employ native English speaking teachers.

The niece is now a third year international student on an English speaking Clinical Medicine course at Sun Yet Sen university in China. She has been awarded a scholarship on both first and second year results and will be required to be fluent in Chinese by the end of the fourth year.

Of course we all know that Thai state schools are rubbish and there is no good and bad over here, only bad.

e

Congratulation is in order for your niece. A reminder I and other here are talking in general I hope you understand this. I know a number of guy teacher teaching English from the Philippines. They can actually hold a conversation and have degrees in teaching in their home country. The majority of English teacher here as noted by another poster are nothing but backpackers supplementing their income while they hit the bars at night. Yes, another generalization? Nearly all teach at a school called Buraphy in Pattaya and the number of kids I have run into who can speak English when I ask them happened to all come from there. As for your niece, let me dig a bit deeper if I may. I myself reference " Western influence " this means the more the child is around it the greater chance of interest in learning English. In general, kids going to 100% Thai school schools with both parents and family unit speaks no English whatsoever with no Western influence like a family member like in your case would be able to progress to your niece level. So your case somewhat interest me if my theory is correct. Even private schools like the Aksorn Group here in Pattaya which still falls under the Thai State control and advertises Advance English I've not found a student current or past that can match the few I have spoken to from Burapha. No one is saying it is all bad, but the half doesn't of articles I have read from their own scholars confirms my thinking and others here.

e

I have seen nothing but criticism here on this forum. Bit strange that all this generalisation comes from western oriented areas, makes you wonder if it is the western influence that has lowered the standards.

There are no western children at the state school in Chonburi and my niece is by no means out of the ordinary. Our nearest neighbour has 2 daughters that went to the same school, the eldest took medicine and is now a doctor in the Chonburi hospital, the younger was in the same class as my niece and she is taking pharmacy at Phitsanulok university.

ai

i

A reminder again when you get over the criticism. The reason the criticism and generalization comes from Western oriented areas is because this forum this board is a Western oriented board! It doesn't matter but I've live here in the Chon Buri area particularly and been here for near 15 years. I have something at stake here which is a son and have also a brother nearby that also have a number of children that attend Thai public and semi private schools. If you ran into me or my brother you would not know that we are Americans I've been told like my brother we are more Thai than the Thais we live with or around. My post is not to challenge your own story but to dig a bit deeper to see if a greater influence from the parents to push for education meaning they understand that education is the major way upward in life. Families and their are many in my neighborhood living in a tin can shack struggling just to pay for a room 2,000 baht a month which the parents gone majority of the day working at markets which kids are left alone most of the day and if they are able to pay for a local Thai school the school is basically used as a baby sitting service for them. There is no one to push them towards education this is how their parents were raised and this is the only way they know how to raise their kids because they have never seen or heard of anything else. Their government does very little to improve education for them and just push them along and if they take a wrong turn and their grades are too low with they are 15, ready to go to suppose their High School if their grades are too low will not allow entry to them especially the boys the girls are exceptions. My neighborhood many of the kids I know and see when they were small are just sitting at home doing nothing or help their parents at the market. The one's lucky to make it to High School many their parents can't even keep up with the tuition for a public Thai school. If they do not show there isn't any authority coming to look for them they don't even have a curfew here for kids. Everything I have stated and could state we Western Oriented people just make up out of thin air. This has been going on for decades and decades and in a number of articles written in the Bangkok Post just this last year have stated exactly my concern. They are part of Asean now and their system is under review by people on the outside and their own scholars have written this is the best time to overhaul the system but their leaders even the current PM have no idea how to do it, will not take advise from the outside or maybe they do not even want to do it, because doing it would be more educated Thais and they just might get wind what a number their own leaders are doing to them and might do something about it. Until that happens not in my life time the rich gets richer and the poor get poorer! In the end, you didn't answer my questions but your defensive statement leads to believe in your niece situation they are not as poor as you think and their parents and surrounding have a greater sense of education than in general with the major part of the Thai population which is poor and struggling just to make ends meat.

[TuskegeeBen]

The OP's topic title should have read "Farang Brains????, and the Western Education Systems", instead.

Edited April 3, 2016 by TuskegeeBen

[TuskegeeBen]

Then maybe Scrabble should be part of the curriculum? If only to make complete sense of this article, which starts out with "Thai Education System" on the one hand and then jumps to a unrelated, independent gaming club on the other hand...

Despite their varied faults, and so-called "under-developed" social issues, I have a profound respect for the Thai people's "keen" sense of solidarity with one another.

That's considerably more respect than what I have for the majority of western expats, who seem to take a perverse pleasure, in "nit-picking" each other apart; all the time, particularly on the TVF.

Really bloke! Give it a rest, for a change. Prosit!

I must have touché a nerve, for that I'm sorry. May I suggest you put my user name on your "ignore" list in your profile, and your sensitivities can take a well deserved rest from more trauma caused by me. Cheers, bloke

No contest

Edited April 3, 2016 by TuskegeeBen

[MilesofSmiles]

To anyone trying to argue that Thai schools are decent and the education system isn't totally broken.

Surely you jest ?

According to the National Institute for Educational Testing Service (Niets), in Grade 12
O-Net multiple-choice exams with five choices, Thailand’s 400,000 students achieved
49.4% for Thai, 39.7% for Social Studies, 33.4% for Science, 26.6% for Mathematics,
and 25.0% for English. These results indicate that the average student failed every subject.

So even with a multiple choice exam and comparatively long study hours, most people fail.

For 4% of GDP, it's not a very successful outcome.

The only thing it's successful at doing is putting people into a mental birdcage that most never escape from.

[sandyf]

e

Congratulation is in order for your niece. A reminder I and other here are talking in general I hope you understand this. I know a number of guy teacher teaching English from the Philippines. They can actually hold a conversation and have degrees in teaching in their home country. The majority of English teacher here as noted by another poster are nothing but backpackers supplementing their income while they hit the bars at night. Yes, another generalization? Nearly all teach at a school called Buraphy in Pattaya and the number of kids I have run into who can speak English when I ask them happened to all come from there. As for your niece, let me dig a bit deeper if I may. I myself reference " Western influence " this means the more the child is around it the greater chance of interest in learning English. In general, kids going to 100% Thai school schools with both parents and family unit speaks no English whatsoever with no Western influence like a family member like in your case would be able to progress to your niece level. So your case somewhat interest me if my theory is correct. Even private schools like the Aksorn Group here in Pattaya which still falls under the Thai State control and advertises Advance English I've not found a student current or past that can match the few I have spoken to from Burapha. No one is saying it is all bad, but the half doesn't of articles I have read from their own scholars confirms my thinking and others here.

e

I have seen nothing but criticism here on this forum. Bit strange that all this generalisation comes from western oriented areas, makes you wonder if it is the western influence that has lowered the standards.

There are no western children at the state school in Chonburi and my niece is by no means out of the ordinary. Our nearest neighbour has 2 daughters that went to the same school, the eldest took medicine and is now a doctor in the Chonburi hospital, the younger was in the same class as my niece and she is taking pharmacy at Phitsanulok university.

ai

i

A reminder again when you get over the criticism. The reason the criticism and generalization comes from Western oriented areas is because this forum this board is a Western oriented board! It doesn't matter but I've live here in the Chon Buri area particularly and been here for near 15 years. I have something at stake here which is a son and have also a brother nearby that also have a number of children that attend Thai public and semi private schools. If you ran into me or my brother you would not know that we are Americans I've been told like my brother we are more Thai than the Thais we live with or around. My post is not to challenge your own story but to dig a bit deeper to see if a greater influence from the parents to push for education meaning they understand that education is the major way upward in life. Families and their are many in my neighborhood living in a tin can shack struggling just to pay for a room 2,000 baht a month which the parents gone majority of the day working at markets which kids are left alone most of the day and if they are able to pay for a local Thai school the school is basically used as a baby sitting service for them. There is no one to push them towards education this is how their parents were raised and this is the only way they know how to raise their kids because they have never seen or heard of anything else. Their government does very little to improve education for them and just push them along and if they take a wrong turn and their grades are too low with they are 15, ready to go to suppose their High School if their grades are too low will not allow entry to them especially the boys the girls are exceptions. My neighborhood many of the kids I know and see when they were small are just sitting at home doing nothing or help their parents at the market. The one's lucky to make it to High School many their parents can't even keep up with the tuition for a public Thai school. If they do not show there isn't any authority coming to look for them they don't even have a curfew here for kids. Everything I have stated and could state we Western Oriented people just make up out of thin air. This has been going on for decades and decades and in a number of articles written in the Bangkok Post just this last year have stated exactly my concern. They are part of Asean now and their system is under review by people on the outside and their own scholars have written this is the best time to overhaul the system but their leaders even the current PM have no idea how to do it, will not take advise from the outside or maybe they do not even want to do it, because doing it would be more educated Thais and they just might get wind what a number their own leaders are doing to them and might do something about it. Until that happens not in my life time the rich gets richer and the poor get poorer! In the end, you didn't answer my questions but your defensive statement leads to believe in your niece situation they are not as poor as you think and their parents and surrounding have a greater sense of education than in general with the major part of the Thai population which is poor and struggling just to make ends meat.

I apologise if you didn't get an answer you were looking for. You are quite right in a lot of what you say. I live in a rural area and everything is spread out but it is not a tin shack community. From what I can gather most of the people in the area have normal jobs, my father in law was a builder, SiL was a hairdresser and BiL was in the navy.

When my wife was young the family had very little money and the father, mother and elder sister worked to put my wife through university, brother was younger. So as you say there was parental influence regarding education. I suspect a lot goes for the neighbours, if they are in normal jobs, they probably want something better for the offspring.

Once my wife had graduated she then paid part of her income back to the family and that continued until she retired a couple of years ago. My nieces father didn't get much from the navy and the contribution from my wife probably helped her participate in all the school activities which may have been beneficial. Another point is that a large percentage of the population around Chonburi city is of Chinese descent which may or may not have some influence.

However my main point was regarding the school, they appear to have a fairly high standard with large numbers going on to university. During the latter years in school, my wife and I took the niece to many external school activities and it was fairly obvious that many of the other schools were of similar standard. University places are well oversubscribed. I think we took my niece to 8 universities and she was offered a place at 5, but not the subject she wanted. She took a bit of a gamble turning down the Thai universities in favour of an application to China.

[uthaithanirules]

What a ridiculous argument. Playing scrabble requires luck, strategy and vocabulary. Just because one knows and can spell words does not mean that one knows the meaning of the word nor that they can hold a conversation in English. Many Thais can read English but the overwhelming majority of them do not know the meaning of most of the words they read.

I can read most Thai words, but I don't know the meaning of most Thai words.

Scrabble requires you to write and be able to spell which is a lot harder than just reading them.

Have you ever learnt a second language? Same for everyone.

Meh, compound words in thai

My opinion is that Thai for the most part is easier than say learning French, even with the different alphabet....in all regards....until you get to compound words. Two words mean one thing, but when put together mean something completely different...then having to remember all those pairs. Thats when thai gets really hard