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Published on August 27, 2007

Obec secretary-general Kasama Voravan na Ayudhya said the tests would be at the heart of a quest to improve all aspects of basic education covering schooling from primary to secondary level.

Obec currently oversees about 30,000 schools nationwide with about 400,000 teachers and 8.5 million students.

Only selected students in Matthayom 6 (Grade 12) will sit for the national tests this year. The tests will later be held for Prathom 6 and Matthayom 3 students as well. The results of these tests will show which schools are lagging behind, and in which subjects.

All students in Prathom 2, Prathom 5 and Matthayom 2 in all 178 educational regions of the country will sit for internal assessment exams this year so that their schools know their weak points and have time to prepare them for the national tests next year.

"Without the tests, we won't know the problems and we won't be able to fix them," Kasama said.

"Our target is that 80 per cent of the students pass the tests [score more than 50 out of 100 marks]. At present, the success rate is only 60 per cent."

The national tests were dropped years ago after complaints that they forced schools nationwide to compete on unequal grounds, and the students focused solely on their scores. However, universities which take into account students' grade point average for enrolments now complain that some schools deliberately give their students high grades, thereby compromising higher-level education. Theoretically, students' scores in the national tests should correlate to their grades

 

at their respective schools.

While giving comparative profiles, the national tests help Obec recognise the problems at schools and decide what new teaching techniques and incentives they need.

Obec has recognised that to improve the standard of students, it cannot neglect the improvement of teachers, as well as the educational materials.

About 100,000 English language teachers have taken part in Obec training sessions in the past few years. Evaluation of these teachers show that the number with advanced knowledge of the subject has doubled from 7 per cent in 2004 to 14 per cent currently. The number of teachers at the beginner level dropped from 59 per cent to 39 per cent. As an incentive, 300 teachers who showed the most improvement were given a month-long overseas trip last year.

"Their English level has improved, but their students improve at a less satisfactory level. It may take time," Kasama said.

On mathematics, it found out that schools lack teachers with degree in the subject, as well as handbooks. Different techniques such as the ones from Montessori schools, Kumon, and that of the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology are now being applied at various schools nationwide for comparison.

"We are open to other medicines. And tests at the end of this year will tell which is better," Kasama said.

Her office has also paid attention to the literacy rate, the first barrier that all students must overcome before embarking on higher-level education. Tests have shown that 12 per cent of Prathom 2 students do meet the required level. Most of them are from poor families and have to cut classes to help their parents. Others are displaced children who speak different dialects and are unfamiliar with the central Thai dialect. In this group, teachers are using both central and children's dialects, with focus on local vocabulary. Some of them have learning disabilities, though not retarded or crippled.

"On average, those with learning disabilities account for 5 per cent. They look normal but they possess invisible disability. Now, with funds from Thailand Research Fund, students in 2,700 schools are being monitored if they can read when they reach the reading age. In some cases, we may need to refer them to psychiatrists," Kasama said.

Kasama believes that quality of education is now a more serious problem than access to schooling, as 90 per cent of children who should study in Prathom 1 to Mathayom 3 have found the places to study. The rest are either living in extreme poverty, living in border areas, or are dropouts.

At present, 70 per cent of junior high school students further their study in the high school level. Kasama admitted that some parents may not want to finance the study, knowing that the children would go nowhere if they don't have the money or academic qualifications to go to university.

As an alternative, with assistance from the Vocational Education Department, about 10 schools this year are offering a mixture of vocational and non-vocational courses. After three years the students earn a Grade 12 certificate and, with an extra summer course, a basic vocational certificate. With these certificates they can either enrol in a university or study another two years in vocational schools for an advanced certificate that qualifies them for a job.

"They will be the prototype of our attempt to offer alternatives to students who do not know what to study," Kasama said.

And to ensure that teachers are better able to teach and take care of their students, Obec will change the current system in which they have to also undertake administrative duties and take part in training programmes. It plans to outsource the administration of schools, with one company assigned to take care of schools in four or five provinces. And from next year, teachers will be barred from attending training on weekdays during school terms.

Several companies offer to host training programmes, but they don't know the effect their generosity has, Kasama said. One teacher missing means more workload for the others, especially in small schools where the number of teachers is low, she said.

"All these measures are aimed at preparing children for future studies or careers," she noted.

This is the first part in a three-part series on the Thai education system. The next two articles will examine educational programmes with assistance from other organisations and schemes to enhance children's non-academic abilities.

Achara Deboonme,

Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation