Grades inflated to unfairly give students upperhand

Of all schools, 1,224 mostly small schools have inflated grades while another 1,238 mostly large schools have deflated grade point averages (GPAs), said Prof Sirichai Kanjanawasee, a Chulalongkorn University lecturer and an adviser to the National Institute of Educational Testing Service.

The remaining 121 schools give standard GPAs to their students, he added. High GPAs will be attributed to a portion of scores in the Ordinary National Educational Test (Onet) each 12thgrader takes in examinations to enter universities.

The results were included in a Chulalongkorn University study that will be forwarded to the Office of the Basic Education Commission to consider whether the problem should be immediately addressed or solved.

The seminar also discussed how accumulated grade point averages (GPAX) in five groups of subjects would certainly replace the Advanced National Educational Test (ANet) for higher education admission in 2010, as previously planned.

The GPAX idea has reportedly been brought up by Education Ministry executives allied with politicians, who do not have genuine knowledge about education or lack good reasons to back up their initiative.

Daily Xpress