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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Public Schools Across Thailand to Get More English Classes

    Thailand’s Education Ministry has decided to introduce more English language classes in state schools across the country. The ministry announced after a meeting on Monday.


    The special English classes will help Thai students achieve at least B2 Level under The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), Amnat Wichayanuwat, secretary-general of Office of the Basic Education Commission told the media afterwards.

    The CEFR standard is popular among European countries and internationally accepted. It one of the most widely accepted metrics for assessing foreign language learners.

    In addition, the ministry is in talks with foreign embassies to find more English teachers.

    “What we found is that despite Thai students passing the B2 Level, they do not always communicate efficiently with native speakers. So we need English speaking teachers to boost their English language skills,” he said. Adding that the ministry will ask the Philippine embassy for help with procuring teachers.

    The extra English classes will be gradually introduced in state schools nationwide starting next year semester, he said.


    Thailand’s English-Language Skills The Lowest in South East Asia

    Thailand has the lowest standard of English skills in south east Asia and, in years, little improvement has been seen. Even after 12-15 years of learning English, few Thais can hold a conversation in English. On anything more than a basic level and some can’t even do that.


    In Thai schools, students are taught to copy what the teacher writes on the board and memorize it. When learning English, grammar and vocabulary is written on the board.

    Students copy and memorize. There’s no discussion, no questioning the teacher and no thinking for themselves. It’s no wonder Thailand’s English skills are the lowest in south east Asia.




    https://www.chiangraitimes.com/learn...glish-classes/

  2. #2
    กงเกวียนกำเกวียน HuangLao's Avatar
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    The quality of the content, not the quantity.
    It becomes lost quite easily.

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat
    aging one's Avatar
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    Window dressing, in fact dinosaurs dont really like English speakers. Most know how to think. That is very scary to them...

  4. #4
    Custom Title Changer
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    I wonder if the MOE will be working with immigration to make the visa requirements easier for teachers and their families supporting this effort to improve the education of Thai students.

    You can't realistically do one without the other.

  5. #5
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    So no move to reduce class sizes and introduce a more child centered curriculum?

  6. #6
    Custom Title Changer
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mandaloopy View Post
    So no move to reduce class sizes and introduce a more child centered curriculum?
    Doesn't one go hand in hand with the other?

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat
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    The school I worked at in Thailand had small classes (around 18) but the local teachers still had them copy from the board.

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat
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    Quote Originally Posted by CSFFan View Post
    I wonder if the MOE will be working with immigration to make the visa requirements easier for teachers and their families supporting this effort to improve the education of Thai students.

    You can't realistically do one without the other.
    Really good point.



    Quote Originally Posted by Mandaloopy View Post
    So no move to reduce class sizes and introduce a more child centered curriculum?
    One more right on point.



    Quote Originally Posted by CSFFan View Post
    Doesn't one go hand in hand with the other?
    Not in a million years here. No way this nation can become critical thinkers. Its that simple.

  9. #9
    I'm in Jail

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    Quote Originally Posted by CSFFan View Post
    I wonder if the MOE will be working with immigration to make the visa requirements easier for teachers and their families supporting this effort to improve the education of Thai students.

    You can't realistically do one without the other.
    Ha ha..out of greens but youve hit the nail.on the head. Another case of the thais closing the stable door when the horses have aready bolted. Read yesterday that they are considering a 3 month trial.to open land borders more freely like before. They are particularly interested in nongkhai/vientiane as the inter border trade has suffered since they decided ALL FARANGS must be nasty border runners.. i used 2 go to udon or nongkhai 3 or 4 times a month but since they pulled that shit i go once a year. Keep the second border crossing up my sleeve in case of medical emergency. ....and spend money in there m3dical system .

  10. #10
    I'm in Jail

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    Thais must be the masters of kneejerk reactions and bandaid solutions. Oh the airport is congested and takes ages to get through immigrwtion entering or leaving.... we have assigned a committee to study it. We fix it tell somchai to stop picking his nose and squeeze him pimples.thais find out that they are rated poorly on ENGRISH skills. No.problem. we asssign somchais relatives to teach them more. Aw shit the bahts to strong and tourists are giving it a swerve no ploplem. Put the prices up up to make up for the shortfall.

  11. #11
    The Fool on the Hill bowie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by misskit View Post
    Thailand has the lowest standard of English skills in south east Asia
    A long hard roe to hoe. It will take years of effort and emphasis for results to realized. Thailands priorities change far too quickly. Even if a concentrated well funded effort starts, it will be abandoned rather quickly if immediate results aren't shown. And, what is required to effect change cannot be accomplished quickly.

    Quote Originally Posted by aging one View Post
    Window dressing
    Unfortunately your analysis is correct - all for show rhetoric. More than likely dropped before any real effort is made.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandaloopy View Post
    reduce class sizes and introduce a more child centered curriculum
    Yup, that is what is required and it is both very expensive and very time consuming. The Thai's want almost immediate results to justify the monies expended.

    Quote Originally Posted by CSFFan View Post
    MOE will be working with immigration to make the visa requirements easier
    Which goes counter to what has been seen in the past. It would be interesting to see immigration dial back any of their recent immigration regulatory changes - none of which have been perceived as pro-visitor. Think the MOE has the power to cause Immigration to do a 180O turn around?

    Of course, the conspiracy tin-foil hat on this is they implemented the mandatory insurance requirement to force english speaking retirees into low paid teaching positions by providing entry into the Thai insurance scheme.

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CSFFan View Post
    I wonder if the MOE will be working with immigration to make the visa requirements easier for teachers and their families supporting this effort to improve the education of Thai students.

    You can't realistically do one without the other.
    Don't put your shirt on that!

  13. #13
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    These stupid people simply cannot get their enfeebled brains around the fact that their teacher training is rubbish, their methodology is antiquated and the budgeting is woeful.

    But it's really more systemic than mere stupidity and underfunding - despite the fact that English is the lingua franca among ASEAN peoples and the medium used by a significant proportion of the 34 million annual foreign visitors etc, television still does not feature an English speaking domestic channel and all foreign material on the Thai channels is dubbed into Thai.

    Some years ago I was introduced to the "English" teacher who taught the wingman in her school up country. I foolishly assumed he had some conversational English at the ready and engaged him in pleasantries in English - it was profoundly awkward for all three of us in that the poor chap was rendered mute and could only smile in his embarrassment when it became apparent he had no command of the English language whatsoever outside the context of reading and teaching by rote from an outdated text book.

    Thai society is hidebound, insular and hierarchical to a degree that stifles initiative.

    There are over 100,000 + of us resident on retiree and spouse extensions, all of whom are prohibited from taking any employment, paid or unpaid. This is a tremendous resource that could be released into government schools, not as trained teachers, but as a means of delivering native or fluent English speakers into the classroom as an adjunct to the school syllabus allowing the students to actually hear proper English in structured conversations. Speaking for myself, I'd be more than happy to offer a few hours a week as a volunteer and I should think most would be content to follow suit given the opportunity.

    But of course that would be too difficult to administer and I suppose like everything else here it would wither on the vine of incompetence.
    Last edited by Seekingasylum; 04-12-2019 at 11:52 AM.

  14. #14
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    An excellent summation.

    Few 'crises' are actually worth getting off one's arse for in these parts.

    In emergency situations such as tsunami this can be equated to cool-headedness.

    But when diligent admin work to ameliorate problems like this is needed...meh...mai pen rai.

  15. #15
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    Ten years ago when I started teaching here I thought that in time my job would be phased out. I figured the new young Thai graduates would soon be replacing the foreign English teachers. They have been studying English for 12 years in school plus a minimum of 2 semesters in uni. I figured they would be the future.
    No such luck. We get a lot of freshly graduated teachers at my current school, it is amazing how low their English levels are.

    The thing is they are poor at English, which gets a lot of attention. They are also bad at Thai, Maths, Science, Geography etc. That doesn't seem to bother many.

    The whole education system needs a complete rework.

    The silver lining is I will always have a job.

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat
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    IMO concerning foreign teachers, the major issue are either Immigration rules or (the other side of the coin) the budget it requires to hire them legally (salary wise) and the all the paperwork... The goverments didn't think that they would need foreign workers in public bodies when designing the rules...low budget schools can't afford a competent foreign teacher in these conditions.

    When I visited the nephew's school, despit English not being my first language I noticed plenty of mistakes on the boards displayed (Thai English teacher), they can't even get their teaching material correct so no wonder the English proficiency is so low...and of course rote learning, lack of conversation sessions aren't helping to raise the level or simply to motivate students to learn more...in my case the thing that spurred my interest in learning the language was a 15 days school trip to UK, but could they do that in an English speaking ASEAN country?

  17. #17
    Thailand Expat
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    No need for foreign teachers, Thailand has very many, well qualified and fluent English teachers spread equally throughout the land.

  18. #18
    Thailand Expat
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    ^ I guess I was out of luck with my nephew's teachers then...

  19. #19
    I'm in Jail

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    Haven't they got Sesame Street on PBS? That's how I learned. By listening to Oscar the Grouch who lives in a garbage can one figures things out quite quickly.

  20. #20
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    ^hey, that's how I learned too! Sesame Street! I thought Maria and Luis were a couple in real life. I loved Snuffleupagus (Snuffy).

    There were also some muppets singing "Letter B" to the tune of the Beatles "Let it Be". Fond memories.

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat
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    I learned English at age 9 watching wrestling and Sesame Street when my father was posted to the US . . . I still remember The Baron and his preferred 'weapon' - the CLAW
    Last edited by panama hat; 07-12-2019 at 11:04 AM.

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat
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    Quote Originally Posted by Farang Ky Ay View Post
    ^ I guess I was out of luck with my nephew's teachers then...
    I was being facetious

  23. #23
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    So that's fishlocker, katie and panama hat who learned the language via Sesame St.


  24. #24
    The Fool on the Hill bowie's Avatar
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    ^

  25. #25
    I'm in Jail

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    Your good. But Cryall any thing for love? But I would't do that.

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