Quality or quantity - Thai Rath pose the question as local schools open this week?

 

Picture: video screenshot/Thai Rath

 

BANGKOK: -- Thai Rath reminded parents yesterday about a survey conducted by UNESCO in 2012 that stated that Thailand was number one in the world in hours spent in school.

 

But they questioned rather rhetorically whether that meant Thai schoolchildren were getting a quality education rather than just quantity.

 

The inference was clear that the news media felt there was a great deal to be done to raise standards in the country.

 

In 2012 UNESCO said that at age 10 and 11 Thai schoolchildren were spending 1,200 hours in school. In second with 1,176 hours was India and just behind with 1,067 hours was The Philippines.

 

This compared with traditional Asian powerhouses of pushy education Japan and China whose children spent just 800 hours in school.

 

Thai Rath said in a brief article that the figures represented only time in school and had no bearing on studies outside class like cram schools.

 

They also said plainly that it was no indication of quality just quantity.

 

Source: Thai Rath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-05-17

 

 

Average IQ in Japan and China 105. Thailand 91. I think that sums up the argument for quality over quantity.

https://iq-research.info/en/page/average-iq-by-country

I've told Thais how much I studied when I was younger. Admittedly, I wasn't the hardest working student, but if I found a subject I liked, I'd always do well in it. If it was a subject like maths and geography, I was terrible. I simply didn't care. Anyway, after telling them my old timetable, they'd say stuff like, "Oh! We study much more in Thailand". Thing is - for what? What are you getting?

 

Look at Finland. They don't focus on study, study, study. Allow people to think freely and work things out for themselves. It's the opposite here. They give you the answers (which are questionable) and people leave school without the skills to find out information for themselves. Most schools give just enough education to perform. They teach how to be subservient and never question authority. 

 

Thailand can talk reforms all they want. Fact of the matter is they don't want any real reforms. If they truly reformed education, you'd have a glut of people in 10 years asking questions and criticizing. 

 

 

6 hours ago, rkidlad said:

I've told Thais how much I studied when I was younger. Admittedly, I wasn't the hardest working student, but if I found a subject I liked, I'd always do well in it. If it was a subject like maths and geography, I was terrible. I simply didn't care. Anyway, after telling them my old timetable, they'd say stuff like, "Oh! We study much more in Thailand". Thing is - for what? What are you getting?

 

Look at Finland. They don't focus on study, study, study. Allow people to think freely and work things out for themselves. It's the opposite here. They give you the answers (which are questionable) and people leave school without the skills to find out information for themselves. Most schools give just enough education to perform. They teach how to be subservient and never question authority. 

 

Thailand can talk reforms all they want. Fact of the matter is they don't want any real reforms. If they truly reformed education, you'd have a glut of people in 10 years asking questions and criticizing. 

 

 

Couldn't agree more.

Finland is the best example; NO HOMEWORK, longer school holidays, no private tuition and yet they still rank among the highest academic achievers in the world.

Kids need to be allowed to be kids. To see learning as exciting and interesting, not just the chore it is seen in so many other countries (including the UK, my home country). When all the stats point to these methods as being the most effective, you have to ask who and why are they ignoring the obvious?  

The endless blah blah of corrupt teachers to justify their hours, while forking in on the purchase of school books, uniforms and good notes does not mean the kids really learn any subject

A lot but useless hours.....in the end, children suffered generations after generations in this Mickey Mouse educational system.

I loved school when I was young. I guess  it was because we were poor and there was little else to occupy our time in house. Outside playing with friends was fun as well but now seems to have disappeared due to all the IT and curved TV that flood/tempt our senses. Great times but sadly only memory food. 

When young I guess life was the best educator. We were dirt poor and I daily said to myself "this is not for me" Amazing how being dirt poor can reboot or boot your life later. 

Nothing to do with IQ or number of hours - as long as the establishment needs uneducated voters then nothing will change. 
Not only is the Thai education system possibly among the worst on the planet (considering the hours wasted by the kids) but everyone who can afford (i.e. THB 300'000 for an international kindergarten) will put their kiddies anywhere but a government school. 

the Thai-language is difficult .Especially  the writing.

example. if you speak the word " holidays" it will be written first like  "l s d h " and the vowels   o,i and a will be written later in front /above/under.....So the consonants are written first (sometimes in a different order than spoken )and later the accents come above ,under .....)

This makes it unbelievable difficult,more exceptions then rules.

The kids in school learn all this by repetition( also to get the right tone) ,they say these words thousand of times , so after 6 years they know how to write (a little).That's what takes so much time .So children in international schools will never learn to read and write Thai language  properly ,they just have not the time for it.They will be fluent in English writing and reading and speak as fluent as there teacher ( can be cockney ,Welch or another accent ,depending the teacher,lol.)  

English is a lot easier to speak,but also very illogical in writing .

the pronunciation of the vowels is also swapped many times :" i" in idee and "i" in "in"    

"a" in ape and "a" in avalanche

 Also confusing: 61 sixty-1 (speak it as you read it)

                              16 six-teen  Speak it as you read it inverse 

It is easy if you know it ,but as a scholar it can be quiet confusing.

this all is just an adumbration , there is much more ..........

 

 

 

 

 

A lot of that time is spent being indoctrinated to be a 'good Thai citizen' and has virtually nothing to do with education.  

Spend time doing mostly nothing productive.

After teaching in Thai schools for 10 years, I can tell you that unless the current education system is replaced with one that remotely passes for an education system, the 4.0 expectancy is purely fantasy.

 

I could write a book, but it's all been said, many times before.

We are talking here about the difference between being schooled and becoming educated.  The only wish I have for my kids is that the develop the love of learning (or at least the curiosity to learn), critical thinking skills and problem solving ability that they need to be successful in the future.  The things you learn in school are mostly irrelevant and long forgotten once you embark on life's journey.  Calculus?  The toughest math questions I have had to deal with since university has been the calculation of compound interest .... which I was not even shown how to do in school.  My children are all enrolled at an expensive international school that prides themselves on how well their students perform on U.K. exams.  My children hate the school, hate the teachers and are unmotivated to learn .... they do have great exam scores though!  I can't imagine what it must me like in a Thai school but it strikes me that culturally Thailand has a very different set of values for most everything and quantity and price always dominate .... quality a distant consideration.  If they were to elevate the quality of education in Thailand who exactly would have the responsibility or the skill to articulate the goals and path to achieve this.  If such a person exists, would it be funded?  Well not when there are important things like submarines to spend on.

The school level here is what it is because the powers that be want it like this, because it serves their interests.

And believe it or not, Chilli42, it has nothing to do with Thai culture, or a different set of values, or whatever noble reason.

For a people who supposedly easily lose face, they take it rather well to almost always come last in student contests within the ASEAN, regularly behind such powerhouses as Myanmar or Laos!

It is just that they want to keep things the way they are...

2 hours ago, lucjoker said:

the Thai-language is difficult .Especially  the writing.

example. if you speak the word " holidays" it will be written first like  "l s d h " and the vowels   o,i and a will be written later in front /above/under.....So the consonants are written first (sometimes in a different order than spoken )and later the accents come above ,under .....)

This makes it unbelievable difficult,more exceptions then rules.

The kids in school learn all this by repetition( also to get the right tone) ,they say these words thousand of times , so after 6 years they know how to write (a little).That's what takes so much time .So children in international schools will never learn to read and write Thai language  properly ,they just have not the time for it.They will be fluent in English writing and reading and speak as fluent as there teacher ( can be cockney ,Welch or another accent ,depending the teacher,lol.)  

English is a lot easier to speak,but also very illogical in writing .

the pronunciation of the vowels is also swapped many times :" i" in idee and "i" in "in"    

"a" in ape and "a" in avalanche

 Also confusing: 61 sixty-1 (speak it as you read it)

                              16 six-teen  Speak it as you read it inverse 

It is easy if you know it ,but as a scholar it can be quiet confusing.

this all is just an adumbration , there is much more ..........

 

 

 

 

 

You obviously think you're smart, so I don't really wish to criticise you, but when you say "Welch" I presume you're inferring to the Welsh language/dialect?

Just asking

2 hours ago, elgordo38 said:

When young I guess life was the best educator. We were dirt poor and I daily said to myself "this is not for me" Amazing how being dirt poor can reboot or boot your life later. 

I totally agree because I was basically in the same boat, but at the end I did ok for myself and I didn't mind school.

The school is parent orientated. The parent knows the most, more than the child, the teachers, the directors, the schools, the education departments, etc.. So to meet that requirement all schools have to bend over backwards to please the parents.

So the parent wants the most for their money. A long school day.

More Homework because mummy loves doing homework for 2 hours after school with her child.

All pass their exams. Mummy and Daddy don't want to lose face after they spent all that money on tuition fees.

Zero discipline, because mummy and daddy don't discipline baby either. Just spoil our baby like we do.

Sanook! Entertainment! That's what mummy and daddy want. Entertain my baby like coco the clown. Don't be serious. We want fun! We don't like work.

Sit at your desk all day. If your not sat at your desk like daddy is in the office then your not working. I didn't pay all that money to preschool for my kid to play with toys!

555, my take on things out here in Los.

1 hour ago, Gerard052 said:

I totally agree because I was basically in the same boat, but at the end I did ok for myself and I didn't mind school.

I was a bit of a loner and took to school like a duck to water loved a challenge and my head drive had lots of empty space to fill. 

1 hour ago, Wilsonandson said:

The school is parent orientated. The parent knows the most, more than the child, the teachers, the directors, the schools, the education departments, etc.. So to meet that requirement all schools have to bend over backwards to please the parents.

So the parent wants the most for their money. A long school day.

More Homework because mummy loves doing homework for 2 hours after school with her child.

All pass their exams. Mummy and Daddy don't want to lose face after they spent all that money on tuition fees.

Zero discipline, because mummy and daddy don't discipline baby either. Just spoil our baby like we do.

Sanook! Entertainment! That's what mummy and daddy want. Entertain my baby like coco the clown. Don't be serious. We want fun! We don't like work.

Sit at your desk all day. If your not sat at your desk like daddy is in the office then your not working. I didn't pay all that money to preschool for my kid to play with toys!

555, my take on things out here in Los.

You took me on a bit of a roller coaster ride but I liked it. 

Both!

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

You obviously think you're smart, so I don't really wish to criticise you, but when you say "Welch" I presume you're inferring to the Welsh language/dialect?

Just asking

I spoke about "accents"....and Welch people speak English with a different accent than Irish people.Welch " language" is since 2011 de jure official in the United Kingdom. About 20% of Wales natives can speak it , very sad it is not imposed in the schools. In Belgium (Flemish part)4 languages are imposed ,this is the strikt minimum  .Are you more smart if you speak multiple languages.......maybe.....maybe not. I live 17 years in Thailand ,have children in school.Have friends with children in all kind of schools .......so i can only speak out of experience   . If you want your children to write and read fluently Thai.......send them to a public school.And learn your children some extra languages yourselves.  ( my opinion )

Hope i did not offended you.

HAND

 

 

 

5 hours ago, elgordo38 said:

I loved school when I was young. I guess  it was because we were poor and there was little else to occupy our time in house. Outside playing with friends was fun as well but now seems to have disappeared due to all the IT and curved TV that flood/tempt our senses. Great times but sadly only memory food. 

i dont know how old you are, but i can remember putting a Dan Dare book on a roller skate, and going down hill. I dont know how we never got killed.

14 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Average IQ in Japan and China 105. Thailand 91. I think that sums up the argument for quality over quantity.

https://iq-research.info/en/page/average-iq-by-country

Has any TV-members been taking the test..?

3 hours ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

i dont know how old you are, but i can remember putting a Dan Dare book on a roller skate, and going down hill. I dont know how we never got killed.

We are tough old birds. I periodically take a tumble off of my push bike and get right back on stubborn I guess. Never heard of Dan Dare but used to play Truth or Dare with the girls. 

Well IMHO it just comes down to one thing, LEARN TO ASK WHY!!  No matter what it is.....

 

No one should loose face, my favorite game in High School was to show the teacher up and prove him wrong, but the hierachy sure as heck don't want his happening, the youth are getting too rebelious now and they are already taking steps to stiffle it!!

 

We ALL know what would happen to a general that threw a coup in our countries.......

 

I hope I didn't overstep the mark with that comment, but if I did, so be it!  Freedom of speach, the press etc.

11 hours ago, hotchilli said:

You obviously think you're smart, so I don't really wish to criticise you, but when you say "Welch" I presume you're inferring to the Welsh language/dialect? 

I think he means Rachel Welch, who I always understood very well. 

elgordo38 Dan Dare was a character in the Eagle comic in the UK! He was a space adventurer in the 1950s when space travel was unknown. The Eagle was founded by Rev Marcus Morris an Anglican minister, It was such a success that it spawned two other comics, the Swift, for younger readers, and the Robin for the very young! These were the only comics that my parents would allow ( presumably because they were edited by a vicar!)

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I'm almost bankrupt from buying new printer cartridges as schools demand ever more/longer/ pointless assignments that consist of 'Copy a big chunk of data on, for example, French Impressionists.'  The teacher then grades it according to weight.

not only do they have to learn a language where every vowel is written out.... phonetically... with lots of little circles and tone markers too.....

 

words are written without spaces..... 

clever huh?

 

and bookstores mean a place where they only sell coloring pencils.....

 

and coloring pens....

 

and then.... just to top it all off.....

 

English is their *****3rd***** language..... in school, unless they were born in or around Krungthepmahanakhon... with their 2nd language only ever heard when it is occasionally spoken.... by some farlang.... and quite awfully..... or...... on the TV.