Thai Education System

The Thai educational system has been criticized in the news lately.  Very low scores overall and particularly low scores in English have drawn a lot of attention.  

Thailand's scores on the respected international PISA test have remained almost static since 2003 whereas Indonesia, for instance, has been moving up from a lower base. In another recent competitiveness report Thailand ranked 54th out of 56 countries globally for English-language proficiency, the second-lowest in Asia.

The chief problem is that children's educational attainments are falling, even as more money is being lavished on the schools. Thailand now spends about 20% of the national budget on education, more than it devotes to any other sector. The budget has doubled over a decade. Yet results are getting worse, both in absolute terms and relative to other countries in South-East Asia.  source

One of the ways the prime minister has addressed the deficiencies in the educational system is by purchasing tablet computers for the children of Thailand.  While I agree that it is important to expose children to technology, I fear that many students will use the tablets for games instead of educational applications.  It is fair to question if the money spent on tablets could have been used in another more meaningful way to improve the educational system in Thailand.

Personally, I have a very limited perspective on the Thai educational system, but my experience has been very positive.  I have found Thai students and parents to be very ambitious and aggressive.  Most of my students attend other tutoring schools for other subjects besides English.  The weekends for many of my students include hours of additional instruction not required by their school.  Similarly, I am very impressed that such a large percentage of Thai students attend summer school as a way to get ahead on the upcoming term.

In the United States, both of these practices are very rare.  Summer school is primarily a program for children who have failed a subject or subjects to get caught up and remain at the same grade level with their classmates.  Summer school is almost never used as a way to get ahead.  Tutoring in the United States is usually used as a way to help a struggling student.  Rarely does a child in the United States go to tutoring schools on the weekends if they are doing well in school.  

Of course, I recognize that the Thai students that I know personally are the ones who can afford to pay for additional schooling.  I also recognize that these students come from families that place a high value and importance on education.  When we think about the low international test scores from Thai students we have to recognize that the students tested come from every region in the country and from all different types of families. 

I also recognize that some of the hours spent studying may not be with engaging and effective teachers.  Just from an English perspective, I have seen homework from some of my students where they are occasionally being taught incorrect pronunciation and at times incorrect grammar.

I am not qualified to make far reaching suggestions about how Thailand can improve its school system.  However, the Bangkok Post discussed the importance of tutoring houses as one step to solve the problem.

Local individuals and communities can work together to provide affordable after-school programs to improve the prospects of students. Working within local communities through tutoring houses allows classes to be smaller, and for parents to keep closer tabs on what their children are learning and how.  The more tutoring houses that are created, and the quicker they begin making a positive impact, the more difficult it will be for the government to regulate or restrict them.  the full article in the Bangkok Post

When looking at the nation of Thailand as a whole, the number of students we can impact is relatively small.  However, we at PLC are happy that we are doing our part in giving our students an improved English learning experience than they may be receiving in their Monday through Friday schools.  The additional English practice and instruction will help them be more successful in school and more competitive in the job market when they are ready to start a career.