After a visit on Monday, Weera said the school should be a model for improving teaching standards of Thai in primary schools nationwide because fewer than two per cent of its students could not read and write fluently.

The school won Thailand's best school for teaching Thai and received the HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn trophy earlier this year.

To improve Thai-language skills amongst youngsters, Weera said all schools were being asked to upgrade the Thai curriculum to raise awareness of Thai studies and to encourage the practice of the language.

Wittachai Pomkum, a deputy president for the school's academic affairs, claimed the modern curriculum aimed to introduce students to collections of words in lieu of teaching them how a word was created - but failed to make the students understand the structure of the language and know enough to create their own words.

"Thailand's educational system isn't ready to cut out rote learning completely. A combination of structural and practical study is needed," Wittachai said.

The school has also promoted the "Adopted Child Project" that aims to help students with poor Thai-language skills or for those who have failed their tests. Teachers will spend time privately tutoring individual students and take care of them as if they were their own child.

Successful teaching is a result of teachers helping students to put more focus on reading and writing by introducing more enjoyable learning, said Wittachai.

 "Making students love the language is a teacher's job. Changing the curriculum without changing the teachers - or training them better - won't help at all," he added.

The school specifically targeted Thai-language education because it was the basis of other subjects. Underdeveloped Thai language skills would also hinder the learning of other skills, he said.

The research carried out on Thai-language skills by the Uthai Thani Education Service Area Office found 15 per cent of children were performing at a level indicative of very low reading abilities. However, this included Karen children who live in remote areas and lacked sufficient government sufficient resources.

Ninnete Surarat

The Nation