New conditions for uni test unpopular

The vast majority of respondents to an online poll by the National Institute of Educational Testing Service disapprove of two new conditions for future admission tests for entrance into state universities, NIETS director Uthumphorn Jamornmarn said yesterday.

Of 6,253 people who took part in the survey on the NIETS website between February 15 and March 15, 5,458 (87 per cent) did not agree that a second foreign language and a Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) should be included in admission tests set to be adopted in 2010.

The survey results will be submitted to the Rectors' Council of Thailand in its meeting next Monday, said council chairwoman Assoc Prof Monthol Sanguansermsri. "The council and the NIETS will heed the concerns of students and parents over the matter. We will not stubbornly proceed with what's already planned," she said.

The 100 points of the 2010 test has been planned to comprise 20 points in grade point average (GPAX), 30 points in Ordinary National Educational Test (Onet), and a combination of the PAT test and a second foreign language test totalling 50 points.

The Nation