Most Thai teachers fail in their own subjects
(AFP) – June 9, 2010
BANGKOK — High school test results in Thailand have revealed a failure rate of more than 80 percent in mathematics, biology and computer studies -- among the teachers.
The failure rates for teachers who took exams in their own subjects were about 88 percent for computer studies, 84 percent for mathematics, 86 percent in biology and 71 percent in physics, the education ministry said.
And almost 95 percent of about 37,500 secondary school directors did not score a pass mark in English and technology, according to the ministry.
The poor results have ignited controversy in Thailand about educational standards.
"Even teachers fail, so how can we raise the quality of students?" Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat was quoted as saying by the Bangkok Post newspaper.
More than 84,000 teachers and school directors took the exams, the first of their kind.
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AFP: Most Thai teachers fail in their own subjects
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Teachers fail exams on own subjects
Nationwide Obec test results ring alarm bells
- Published: 8/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
High school students who perform poorly in computer studies, maths and sciences now have new friends to share the pain – their teachers.
Teachers in secondary schools have had to sit exams in these subjects for the first time, with alarming results,
Most teaching at the senior high school level failed the tests, the Office of the Basic Education Commission said.
''Even teachers fail, so how can we raise the quality of students?'' Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat said yesterday after being informed of the results by Obec.
An exam requirement says examinees who earn a mark of less than 59% are considered to have a low standard of knowledge.
Obec said up to 88% of 3,973 teachers who specialise in computer sciences failed the test. A high number of failing teachers was also found in biology (86% of 2,846), maths (84% of 5,498), physics (71% of 3,487), chemistry (64% of 3,088) and astronomy and earth sciences (63% of 529).
The only consolation came from teachers at the junior high level. They earned high marks. Obec said 58% of 14,816 teachers teaching maths were categorised in the grade A group with marks of more than 80%, while 54% of 13,385 teachers did very well in sciences.
Chinnaworn: Plan to upgrade teachers
''This is the first time the ministry tested teachers nationwide in a move to develop teachers under the Thai Khem Khaeng [Thai strength] scheme,'' Mr Chinnaworn said.
The ministry has set a budget of 1.4 billion baht under the Thai Khem Khaeng scheme to improve the academic standards of teachers.
Mr Chinnaworn said the ministry aimed to build two groups of teachers under the development plan. Teachers at the elementary and junior high levels could be trained to improve their skills in integrated teaching – one teacher able to teach more than one subject – while those at the senior high level would be trained to have stronger expertise in specific subjects.
The upgrade of teachers is part of the ministry's plan to increase students' abilities.
''All students at the basic education level must earn more than 50% of the O-Net [Ordinary National Education Test] by 2018,'' Mr Chinnaworn said.
O-Net tests the general knowledge of students in Prathom 3 and 6 and Mathayom 3 and 6.
Obec has announced information and computer technology and English exam results of school directors. About 95% of about 40,000 directors failed the tests, Mr Chinnaworn said.
Bangkok Post : Teachers fail exams on own subjects
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Related:
The dismal state of Thai education – one Acharn’s point of view
The Nation
http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/21/national/national_30045838.php
Published on August 21, 2007
English tutors failing the test
Just one in 10 can score more than 60 per cent
Training is needed urgently to improve the standard of English teaching in Thailand, senior government and private educationalists said after seeing the "highly unimpressive scores" in a recent test of English-language teachers.
Of the 14,189 teachers in 30 tourism-oriented provinces who took the test, 74.59 per cent scored less than 41 marks out of a possible 100, according to an Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) report.
Only 9.94 per cent of the teachers scored between 60 and 100 marks, while 15.47 per cent managed to score between 42 and 60 marks.
The lowest score earned in the test - which allotted 30 marks for listening ability, 30 marks for reading, 20 marks for writing and 20 marks for speaking - was two.
Among the 30 provinces from where the teachers who took the test came were Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Sukhothai and Chon Buri.
The test was conducted jointly by OBEC and Ramkhamhaeng University as a follow-up to a previous one conducted four years ago in which 90 per cent of English-language teachers also did poorly.
The OBEC report described English teaching in Thailand currently as a "failure", and cited the lack of direct education in teaching English for local teachers as the main reason.
Asst Prof Chaleosri Phiboolchol, chairperson of the English-language Teachers' Association of Thailand, said most of the approximately 500,000 English teachers in government and private schools at primary and secondary level "were made to do their jobs" without basic qualifications or proper training.
She suggested giving scholarships and providing training and rewarding outstanding teachers as solutions to encourage self-development among English teachers.
Assoc Prof Suchada Nimmannit, a lecturer with Chulalongkorn University's Language Institute, said the Education Ministry had failed to substantially improve English teachers.
"Training every few years for teachers is not enough to develop them academically," she added.
She said that if sending Thai English-language teachers to countries with native English speakers and highly professional training was too expensive, exchange programmes among Southeast Asian countries would be good enough to expose them to new experiences and prompt them to adjust to all-English environments.
Akkhara Akkharanithi, a lecturer at the Language Institute, said the teaching of English should also be improved at kindergarten level, where all the teachers are too burdened with full-time tasks to improve their English teaching.
She suggested that all government English teachers who worked for more than five years should be allowed to study English overseas on their own funds, while more scholarships should be made available to those who proved to be outstanding English teachers.
Thammarat Kijchalong
The Nation