APSthai to launch online education community next year
APSTHAI CO, an education-planning advisory, will next year create an online community where students, parents and teachers can have insightful discussions on education.
This online community project will especially benefit students, who will find a lot of useful information about studying, planning, work experience, and finding a career.
Pariya Netrawichien, managing director of APSthai, said the online community would gather a lot of experts in several careers to give guidance to students.
The community will feature many tools and many coaching courses to help students find the most suitable careers and lifestyles they want in the future.
“Regarding studying abroad, we plan to prepare at least 60 students to join courses in the UK starting in 2016,” he said. Some will be summer courses starting in July and some will be full-time courses starting in September.
Pariya said that in the next three to five years, APSthai would partner with many Thai schools in order to advise and educate their students about finding their perfect pathways and choosing only the best place for their further education. This is to reflect the company’s belief that everyone deserves the best education that suits their own vision.
“Our country’s local education system is quite weak because it does not focus on finding the best pathway for students. Everyone should not study the same thing, since people have their own lives and were born different. I think Thai students in the Thai system have too few choices. Also, they are not prepared well for life after graduation,” he said.
“Meanwhile, international education systems like the UK’s are strong, as they allow students to choose and design their own pathways. However, this is this is not for everyone, since tuition fees are so expensive. The question is why we should let this difference happen. Everyone deserves the best education.”
He said that since Thailand has a lot of good things, the question was why the country cannot do something to improve the education system.
“Since my team and I have a lot of experience in the education systems of the UK and other countries, I think we can combine this with our Thai system to innovate a new one. We will make education in Thailand world-class and everyone will have the same opportunity. Studying abroad will be just a lifestyle choice, since studying in Thailand will have the same quality,” Pariya said.
He said the number of Thai students interested in studying abroad was increasing, especially by those in international schools and in bilingual programmes. Also, the company has found that many parents begin preparing students when they are eight or nine years old to go to Britain when they are 11.
There are many schools in Britain and there are a lot of details students need to know before going.
“We aim to educate students and parents as much as we can to make sure that they know everything, from how to choose a school to how to prepare an application to Oxford or Cambridge. With our experience and our process, we can help them greatly be prepared,” he said.
Pariya said the British education system encouraged students to find themselves and follow their dreams. The number of subjects decreases while the students grow up so they really focus on their chosen subjects.
For example, at age 16-17 when preparing for A-levels, students will take only three or four subjects depending on their career aspiration. If a student wants to be a doctor, she will choose only chemistry, biology, mathematics, and psychology for her A-level subjects, since they are sufficient for preparing to study medicine at the university level. Students do not have to waste time on subjects that are not relevant to them.
APSthai will host the “APSthai Top UK Schools & Colleges Fair”, bringing young Thais opportunities to further their studies in the United Kingdom.
To be held on December 13 at the Dusit Thani Bangkok hotel, the fair aims to be a major portal to the greater development of Thailand’s future talents.
There will be a number of international experts who will share insights and techniques in selecting schools and universities, selecting programmes and properly preparing student profiles.
As well, there will be sessions with alumni who will share their experiences regarding studying overseas.
