Janpha Thadphoothon
Is it true that Thai education is lagging behind others? Critics believe so, based on the international standards. This realization, they argue, is supported by various sources of evidence.
What can we do about it? Who, if not we, can save us from going down further into the state of hopelessness? let's consider the evidence below.
Firstly, let's consider the state of our country, our well-being. With the provisional government running the country, how can we deny that education is in a big trouble. has it been performing well lately? Has it been performing well, how come the country is in the present state, where democracy has to be put on hold. We are, if anything, in the critical stage, which might have been on the edge of the category of 'failing state'. Thai education will find it hard to come out 'clean and clear' hands with this hard evidence. The question is: what went wrong? or rather what's wrong with our education?
One may argue that the alternatives to the present system may be less desirable. But the crux of the matter is the factors that have brought us into the dire situation in the first place, and one of which, hard to refute, lies in the quality and emphases in our education.
The second - the results of the international text like PISA, plus the poor results of the national tests. In addition, our English language proficiency has not been impressively satisfactory.
What's more? The growing social problems are hindering the development of the nation.
However, it would be unfair to blame all the social maladies on 'education' as there are other factors in the equation.
As Thailand is a part of Asean and the global society, its citizens need to be equipped with not only basic 3Rs, but other 21st century skills as well. Little progress has been done on the preparation of Thai students for the mounting challenges.
Hence, Thai education is at the crossroads. We can choose to remain the same and maintain the status quo. Now, everybody is happy. Or we can redirect our missions, and modus operadi.
One suggestion, (Bangkok Post, 4 March 2016) is for sure, we need to decentralize the education, allowing schools and regions to manage their own education. The Ministry of Education needs to acknowledge the fact that it has failed to effectively manage Thai education, despite the handsome budget. This is the first step.
Thai education is in crisis. How can we let it be as it is. Dr Supachai has blamed it on the MOE's administration. That is a big target. Meanwhile, Somkiat Tangkitvanich, president of TDRI, blames it on the lack of accountability. Teachers and administrators and other stakeholders should be held accountable for what works and what doesn't.
Some scholars have called for a bigger change. A senior and respectable citizen like Dr Praves Vasi has called for the paradigm shift in Thai education. the focus should be shifted from the subjects to the society, from teaching to learning.
The situation Thai education is in may need a well-planned and serious study, and the stakeholders must work together to move and shape the destiny of Thai education. In the past, it's okay to let business be as usual. But under the pressures and challenges from the regional integration and globalization, we can't afford to be complacent with what we have got.
Thai education is indeed at the very big crossroads.
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