Southern Thailand : Teachers forced to take language tests

[Mid]

SOUTHERN EDUCATION

Teachers forced to take language tests
June 24, 2009

Claim poor Thai standard not their fault

A surprise test of their knowledge has enraged many Thai-language teachers in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

"We will stage a protest so that the top education officials look back on their policies too," a teacher said on condition of anonymity.

"We major in other subjects but due to the shortage of teaching staff, the Education Ministry has required us to teach the Thai language".

This teacher has taught Thai in the southern province for years. She and colleagues teaching the same subject were forced to take the test designed to assess their knowledge of Thai.

The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) initiated it after seeing a significant drop in children's Thai-language performance.

"It's unfair to pass the blame on to teachers alone," the same teacher said, "Why doesn't Obec assign teachers to teach subjects they have been well versed in?"

She said by assigning the right subjects to the right teachers, children would benefit.

"Testing the teachers' knowledge in a subject they are not good at is not the right solution," she insisted.

According to the Office of Nakhon Si Thammarat's Educational Service Area 2, at least four per cent of students could neither read nor write Thai.

"So, Obec has required Thai-language teachers to take a test. Their scores will reflect what needs to be included in a project to enhance teachers' skills," the office's director Paiboon Pongtassana said.

He said the test should not cause any problem to the teachers.

"Perhaps, there is some misunderstanding," Paiboon said in response to reports many Thai-language teachers felt their performance would look bad, just because they could not perform well in this test.

Wanchai Pongsa, who heads the Office of Nakhon Si Thammarat's Educational Service Area 1, said hundreds of teachers were required to sit the Thai-language test.

"This is a procedure in our human-resource development plan," he added.

nationmultimedia.com

[Mr R Sole]

"It's unfair to pass the blame on to teachers alone," the same teacher said, "Why doesn't Obec assign teachers to teach subjects they have been well versed in?" She said by assigning the right subjects to the right teachers, children would benefit. "Testing the teachers' knowledge in a subject they are not good at is not the right solution," she insisted.

Ok so your saying that you can teach science...however your command of the Thai language is poor...eg: Bunsen burner..light..now... Don't really think that my teachers would've passed their teachers exams when I was at school if they couldn't speak or write their own language??? or am I being mean??

They do pay for their education(certificate) maybe I see a problem...

I must pass my students with a minimum of 60%. Regardless whether they can speak or communicate in Englsh....there's your problem right there...
That's why it's called education...dummies..

According to the Office of Nakhon Si Thammarat's Educational Service Area 2, at least four per cent of students could neither read nor write Thai.

Ok, this is a bit vague....what age group was tested??? 3-4yrs olds???? what...I imagine older...just giving a bit of leeway here..

"So, Obec has required Thai-language teachers to take a test. Their scores will reflect what needs to be included in a project to enhance teachers' skills,"

So your not gonna get the sack...especially in the south at the moment...However you may get shot and killed by some crazy arse extremist group...check the TV and papers if you don't believe me...Loads of teachers have been killed recently my wife keeps telling me about them...

[BugginOut]

Thai teachers are impostors and bums.

[BobR]

When I was a lawyer in the USA, part of our practice in the firm for which I worked was defending public school teachers in administrative and court when their school districts were trying to fire or discipline them. It was hard to believe how incompetent and deserving of being fired some of our clients were. Incompetence seems to be permanently embedded in public employment everywhere.

[crazy dog]

My sister in law is a Thai science teacher. I asked her that old one about which would fall faster a kilo of feathers or a kilo of lead, she thought it would be lead becuase lead is heavier!

[ItsRobsLife]

She is probably right as the lead would have less air resistance.

[Happyman]

How about this then

A few years ago my lady was attending an art college in KL - She speaks near enough perfect English - she was Taiwanese.
A fixed subject was 2 hours of English every week .
The teacher was a Malay bumiputra who was teaching the students bumi-english ( pidgin) and she complained .
Was asked to leave at the end of the term for disrupting the class by asking too many questions. ( if E.G reads this he will know who I am talking about)

Back in Taiwan she was interviewed for a teaching job as an English teacher . Didn't get it as the interview was all in Mandarin as the principal didn't speak English .

[mtone9317]

At Grant High School in Sacramento, all students were required to take a 40 minute reading class daily. I was teaching a random group of 9th grade students, 20 in all. The AVERAGE reading ability in the class was THIRD GRADE. Most students had a vocabulary of about 1,500 words. Of the incoming freshman over 50% do not graduate from high school. It seems that Thailand is doing OK.
NB Grant High School football team won the State Championship this year for AAA schools...but their academic level is one of the lowest in the state. I wondered how some of the teachers there even graduated from HS...just plain dumb.
NB 2 There are over 200,000 English words in common use.
Question what does truculent mean?

[ItsRobsLife]

Truculent? I'm not going to look it up.
At a guess is it a disagreeable attitude?
Being able to do something but refusing to do it?

[beenaroundawhile01]

my question is how the hell did these teachers pass the basic language tests if their students can not read or write Thai, and i will give you an answer. At my daughters school there is a student in the English program that can neither read or write Thai or English. He is now M3. But because he is the son of a friend of the director of the school he is allowed to continue and progress though the school system. Hence, no child ever fails. TIT I say

[beenaroundawhile01]

quid quo pro as they say in legal circles

[mtone9317]

Truculent--Two hippie neighbors had a fight over a truck . One said "you gave the truck to me" The other said," I DID NOT GIVE THE TRUCK TO YOU" Oh, said the first one,"it was only a truck-u-lent"

[Rural Surin]

Thai teachers are impostors and bums.

....and terribly underpaid.

[Mr R Sole]

So they should be if they ca't speak their own language..am I wrong...

So if I teach English by saying ...you look screen computer...colour what...now...how much would you pay me...

Agreed some work very hard and long hours..some just do it for prestige and no interest loans...then buy shi'te loads of houses and rent them out....trust me I rent one from a teacher frm my school...

[Spin]

The thing is, the majority of Thailand's industries and government are riddled with employees who are totally inept.
The majority of government job vacancies are not open to the person who scores highest in the tests they conduct for applicants. The person that gets the job has to pay for that position, the going rate currently is about 130,000 baht. Jobs that come with pensions in Thailand do not come free, they have to be paid for.
As a result of this, employees really are as stupid as they actually appear when you come into contact with them. Many cannot open e-mail or even type. I know of one instance where a local government office has a boss who pays his staff overtime at the weekends so he can dictate e-mails and documents to them for type because he cannot use a computer.

It should come as no surprise that so-called Thai teachers have not mastered their own language to a high enough standard that they cannot even pass on that knowledge to the nations future, its children.

This place is incredible, once you get amongst the details and out of the farang haunts and have a really close nose around, what you find is generally shocking!

[BrucefarmerFANG]

Cut to the Chase " Them wot can do , them wot cannot , Teach" You are paid accordilngly .