News from Thailand – November 29, 2012
It is an open door: the quality of Thai education leaves much to be desired. That open door is now also confirmed in the report The Learning Curve of the Economist Intelligence Unit. Is on a ranking of 40 countries Thailand in 37th place.
The rankings are based on competitions such as the well-known Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment), literacy data, pass rates and other sources of information.
A comparison between Finland, which leads the list, and Thailand shows that Thailand spends 22 percent of its budget on education and Finland 12 percent. The salaries of the teaching staff (primary and secondary education) make up 9 percent, in Finland 0,9 percent. Thailand's Pisa score in 2009 was 412,75; from Finland 543,49. The Timss scores (Mathematics and Science) are 411,57 against 584,97 respectively.
Sompong Jitradup, affiliated with the education department of Chulalongkorn University, says the government should finally get serious about educational reforms. "I'm amazed that some students of Mathayom 3 [third grade high school] can barely read."
– The weather is messed up. The Thai Meteorological Department predicts heavy downpours in December. The amount stir will gradually decrease thereafter, but will remain above the seasonal average of the past 30 years.
The rains are caused by low pressure areas from the southern part of the country. Normally, the weather from the north should be influenced by high pressure areas from China, but they are not. The unusually large amount of rain is not due to El Nino or La Nina. El Nino is likely to develop in December and January, which will cause temperatures to rise.
Yesterday, Bangkok had to deal with heavy rain showers. In Pathiu district (Chumphon), 49 villages were flooded after heavy rains. It has been raining on the southeast coast since Monday. Fishing boats stayed close to shore.
The area between Prachuap Khiri Khan and Nakhon Si Thammarat has a warning for heavy rain and risk of flooding. The meteo has advised fishermen not to set sail because waves of 2 meters are expected in the Gulf of Thailand.
– The closure of public schools in the southern province of Pattani comes to an end after 2 days. The Confederation of Teachers of Southern Border Provinces has decided to cancel the action because parents doubt whether the closure is of any use. In addition, private Islamic schools, municipal and provincial-run schools and schools in tambon Puyut (Muang district) have remained open. Schools closed on Tuesday in protest over the assassination attempt on a school principal last Thursday.
– Park Jae-sang, better known as Psy, is in the country. The South Korean of the popular dance Gangnam performed his show 'Gangnam Style Thailand Extra Live' in Muang Thong Thani yesterday.
– Why did General Boonlert Kaewprasit cancel the anti-government rally of the Pitak Siam group at 5am on Saturday? The rumor mill is running again, Wassana Nanuam writes in retrospect Bangkok Post. She mentions: Thaksin had offered him money, there was a quarrel in the leadership of Pitak Siam, Boonlert was concerned about the safety of his wife and children, he received a call from General Surayud Chulanont telling him to stop.
Boonlert himself says that he took the decision as a precaution after riot police had bombarded demonstrators with tear gas in two places earlier that day. He had pulled the plug to prevent casualties. And because the number of participants was far below expectations, partly because the Royal Plaza was difficult to reach, he decided to step down as leader. He also resigned from his position as president of the Foundation of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School.
Boonlert is disappointed with the army for failing to intervene on Saturday when police fired tear gas grenades at protesters.
– Bird watchers and nature lovers are disturbed by the many 'No entry' signs in Khao Yai National Park. Those signs are there to deter poachers, says the park management.
Philip D Round, co-author of A Guide to the Birds of Thailand, says the signs give the impression that visitors are not welcome, even though Khao Yai is on the Unesco World Heritage List. "Visitors are allowed to drive through the park in their cars, but they are no longer allowed to walk on most of the trails in the park." According to Round, only a few trails are accessible.
Khao Yai has eight main hiking trails. According to park chief Krisada Homsud, six trails are open to visitors. The 'Activity Prohibited' signs, which are also there, mean that walkers must first register, which is useful if they accidentally get lost.
Round finds the situation unacceptable. Birdwatchers now have to watch the birds from the side of the road, putting their safety at risk.
– A heavily rusted weir door of 10 by 8 meters in the Lop Buri river gave way yesterday. Farmers in the districts of Bang Pahan, Maha Rat and Ban Phraek (Ayutthaya) are afraid of damage to their (second) rice crop because the water can now drain from their fields. To prevent this, they have provisionally closed channels, but the problem must be solved quickly to retain enough water. The weir door has been around for a number of years, the weir was built in 1978.
– A 62-year-old farmer in Saraburi was shot dead near his rice field. According to his daughter, he was involved in a conflict over water with another farmer.
– In the middle of next month, the Thai-Belgian bridge in Bangkok will be closed for repairs. They last 8 months. The municipality is also preparing for repairs to the flyovers at Pratunam, Ratchathewi and Yommarat on Phetchaburi Road.
Political news
– After being under fire from the opposition for three days, it ended censor debate in parliament yesterday with four hopeless motions of no confidence: one against Prime Minister Yingluck and three against ministers. Remarkable was the great support for Yingluck. Even opposition party Bhumjaithai supported her, which according to a source at ruling party Pheu Thai is a clear signal that that party wants to join the coalition.
The support for Yingluck did not really come as a surprise because Bhumjaithai party leader Anuthin Charnvirakul has previously visited former Prime Minister Thaksin in Singapore and Hong Kong to discuss possible cooperation. And Somsak Thepsuthin, who heads the so-called Matchima group in the faction, plus party members had talked to Thaksin's sister Yaowapa and her husband, former Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.
[It should be remembered in all this that Bhumjaithai consists of defectors from the People Power Party, heir to Thaksin's party Thai Rak Thai, who enabled the formation of the Abhisit government in late 2008.]
However, Bhumjaithai, through Deputy Secretary-General Supachai Jaisamut, denies that she supported Yingluck, saying she did not find the accusations made by opposition Democrats unconvincing. “I can assure you that we did not support Yingluck to become a coalition partner. We will continue our role as opposition and aim to become an alternative choice in the next elections.”
– Pheu Thai MP Prasit Chaisrisa, who made a sexist remark on Tuesday, is ready to apologize. When Democrat Rangsima Rodrassamee mentioned a dream, he asked her what she would say if he mentioned that he had a dream where he slept with her.
A group of parliamentarians from the opposition party Democrats has asked the president of the chamber to set up a committee of inquiry. According to them, Prasit has violated the rules of procedure. The request came like butter after the meal, because the president of the chamber had already set a committee to work. A youth network in Surin has also climbed into the pen. It believes that Prasit should be punished by the party leadership.
– Another sexist comment. After Prasit interrupted, Democrat Phusadee Tamthai called on the prime minister "as a woman" to take action against Prasit. She said, "If someone said they dreamed of sleeping with the prime minister, would you have accepted it?"
For a number of Pheu Thai members, this comment was another reason to hand over a letter to the president of the chamber with a complaint about this 'inappropriate' use of language. The president of the chamber is busy.
– The oracle of Dubai has spoken again. Former Prime Minister Thaksin said via Skype during a party meeting that the government has generally done well in the censor debate. But he criticized the chamber and deputy chamber president. They could have acted a bit stricter against the opposition; he called the contribution of the Pheu Thai MPs during the debates weak.
Thaksin called on PTers to work harder and visit their constituency as internal polls have shown support is crumbling. He threatened them not to run for office in the next elections if there is no improvement.
– Senator Rosana Tositrakul, chairman of the Senate energy committee, said yesterday during a debate similar to that in the House of Representatives that the government's energy policy is in conflict with Pheu Thai's election promises. She referred to the government's decision to release the price of LPG completely next year, including for domestic use.
Rosana recalled Yingluck's promise, made during the election campaign last year, that she [Yingluck] would contain the rising cost of living and fuel. Rosana believes that domestic LPG should be reserved for households, the transport sector and factories. The petrochemical industry can then use imported gas. An increase in the price of LPG for domestic use, according to Rosana, can be seen as a 'case of embezzlement because it opens the door for the private sector to pick the pockets of the population'.
Economic news
– The program for first-time buyers is going well. So good, in fact, that the budget of 30 billion baht is likely to be considerably exceeded. Between September 16, 2011 and Tuesday, 581.344 persons applied for tax refunds, amounting to a total of 42,9 billion baht. It was counted on 500.000 participants.
Somchai Pulsawas, Director General of the Tax Office, expects the number of applications to pass 31 by December 600.000, when the program ends. An official even considers it possible that the counter will reach 800.000, which would bring the cost to 60 billion baht. The tax authorities calculate with an average tax refund of 70.000 baht per car.
– I am still chairman and I am completing my term, says Payungsak Chartsutthipol. He regards Monday's meeting at which a new chairman was elected as irregular.
That day, 139 committee members elected former chairman Santi Vilassakdanont as the new chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). But according to Payungsak, such a decision can only be made at a general meeting of the company's 7500 members and needs a two-thirds majority to support it.
Payungsak says he does not know why some members led by Secretary General Sommat Khunset want him gone. He said it could be related to an investigation into the FTI's spending of flood funds in Lop Buri and his decision to rotate some deputy chairmen to "more suitable jobs".
Strangely enough, he does not mention his commitment to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which was judged to be insufficient. The members who voted him out think he should have pushed harder for the postponement of the increase of the minimum daily wage to 300 baht in 70 provinces from 1 January. SMEs in particular seem to be the victims of this.
The Ministry of Employment has proposed a number of support measures, but according to those involved, they are not helping. Undoubtedly to be continued.
– The new Thai AirAsia flights between Bangkok and Chongqing (since March 23) and Wuhan (October 19) are 80 to 90 percent full with Chinese. Good news, you might think, but it still worries society, because it leaves Thailand's largest LCC (low-cost carrier) vulnerable, for example when China issues a travel warning for Thailand, as during the political turmoil of recent years.
The flight between Bangkok and Xi'an, on the other hand, attracts a mixed crowd (30 to 40 percent non-Chinese passengers, many of whom are Thai), which is not surprising since the place is much more famous thanks to its terracotta army.
When TAA adds new Chinese destinations next year, a more balanced passenger mix will be a key objective. TAA currently flies to seven Chinese destinations. Possible new destinations are Kunming, Chengdu and Hunan. TAA's fleet consists of 27 A320s with 180 seats each.
– Airports of Thailand (AoT) is in talks with the aviation authorities in Myanmar for help with the development and management of the airports in Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw. The talks in Myanmar are still at a preliminary stage. Within 3 months AoT hopes to have a clearer picture of the wishes and possibilities.
AoT was asked by the Airport Authority of Myanmar a month ago about possible cooperation. AoT sees the collaboration as the first step towards more of these types of activities in the two other neighboring countries Laos and Cambodia.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post
The quality of education is always good for a lively debate. That the quality in Thailand is not that good is beyond dispute. But the studies you mention are about learning outcomes (most reading, science and arithmetic) and not about the quality of education. You yourself often mention the fact that only 25 percent of the learning results can be explained by the quality of the education. I took a closer look at the statistics and found that parental education level and socio-economic circumstances have the greatest influence on learning outcomes. Between high and low, that made a difference of 30 points on the Pisa score. Now 50 percent of mothers in the Netherlands have a high school diploma (surprisingly low) and in Thailand that is 9 percent. Socio-economic factors are clearly different to the detriment of Thailand. Perhaps we should not stress too much about the quality of education alone (I say it carefully) but also address other issues. Let me mention two things about education in Thailand that are going well and are also important. Almost everyone has a decent opportunity to participate in education at all levels. And there is an extensive network of extracurricular education. Of course, that does not mean that Thailand should not pay much attention to the quality of education.
Dick: Dear Tino, In the third sentence you write 'whom you name'. I assume you mean 'which Bangkok Post mentions and took from the EIU's report'. Thanks for the additional information.
We had a child in a state school. She had learned virtually nothing in the past school year. The school often prioritized ancillary matters such as sports days, scouting and other prestige activities. The teachers were often absent.
From my garden I could often hear the teaching. My wife and I often had to laugh about it, because the level was deplorable. English lessons were completely laughable. From conversations with the children of that school, we understood that they did not understand anything.
Since May we have placed our child in a private school in Hua Hin. To make up for the learning arrears, she works long days with more than an hour of extra tutoring. But she learns everything at a fast pace thanks to a much better teaching method and more individual attention from the teachers
Dit hoor ik steeds, dus zal wel waar zijn. Maar het verhaal is ook dat de prive school zo duur is. Hoe is dat in Hua Hin ?
When I'm on leave in Thailand, I sometimes visit a school to give some lessons for free. it is very much the level there and the knowledge of the English language. Take a teacher who's done all college when you hear them. Then they are sometimes in kindergarten or primary education. The university level is almost equal to higher education here and certainly does not reach the level of a university here. Any planning is also unknown there. They sometimes don't know where the teachers are and who has lessons. It all has to do with their beliefs. I often hear that I think too much and that is precisely something that makes us unhappy, they say. They just live from day to day and you won't get very far.
Dear Ron,
If it is a philosophy of life of the teachers, then why are things going well in private schools with Thai teachers as well?
No, I notice a mental laziness among government teachers. They have a status as civil servants, they do receive their salary anyway and they are not easily dismissed.
I do see a little more spirit among the new generation of teachers
I will not elaborate on the quality of education in Thailand. That is already known everywhere. Which of course is true (which Tino already indicates) what is the home situation.
The parents often never had any reasonable education.
The children come home with homework, who should help them?
A lot of English is already taught in many primary schools. Who should help them.
I have neighbors across the street who are in education together. The man is the manager of a school with 2000 students and his wife is a kind of group leader of teaching staff at the school. They don't speak a word of English. Always out the door for extra lessons. Naturally,
they can afford it. Then to a line that Tino writes.
Almost everyone has a decent opportunity to participate in education at all levels and there is an extensive network of extracurricular education.
Where do you get that from? Most poor people often can't afford school.
If they go on to higher education, a god's fortune must be paid for it, unless in some cases they are top of the class.
Then they get a little more discount.
J. Jordan.
Willem,
The costs of a private school in Hua Hin are not too bad. Approximately 10.000 Bath per year including clothing and payable quarterly
Dat jonge kinderen zelf bepalen wanneer ze gaan slapen en dan de volgende morgen met nauwelijks 6 uren slaap op school komen, heeft hier natuurlijk niets mee te maken of …… misschien toch wel ? Het kind bepaalt ook zelf of het chips danwel knakworstjes zal kopen van de meegekregen 50 baht. Het behoort allemaal tot de cultuur en daarover geen kritiek !
It is a strange intention there, also with regard to payments for education. It's not like here. They have a base salary and apparently you'll be nominated later for a small raise.
Just one more detail. you often see that those who have done university have a photo somewhere in the house where they are awarded their diploma by someone from the royal family. Weldie ask quite a bit of money to be present for a day. How much doesn't matter but the question alone is too much for me. This is reality and not a joke because I know it from someone who teaches in BKK at a university.
The weather is messed up. The UN climate conference has indicated that the earth's temperature has risen more than 2010 degrees since 2. I've lived here for 7 years now. Especially in the last 2 years the climate has changed a lot. Normally it was the case that the months of November, December, January and February were less warm and there was almost no rain. Last year it was already quite wet and the temperature quite high for the time of year. This year Thailand beats all records.
Lots of rain in November and the temperature remains high.
I have spoken to many tourists who come here every year in November. They have never experienced this. Won't it be a bit of a cookie of your own medicine?
Een land wat (net als praktisch de rest van azie) bijna niks aan het milieu doet en 60 miljard uitgeven voor bezitters van hun eerste auto. Dat niet beter hadden kunnen uitgeven aan subsidie voor milieu vriendelijke auto’s.
J. Jordan