Obec ready to change curriculum structure

Hence provincial areas with a low proportion of students furthering their education might end up having to do only 30 per cent of their course in theory.

Obec secretary-general Dr Chinnapat Phumirat said his office planned to adjust teaching standards in response to the Education Ministry's policy to prepare the younger generation for employment in relation to the area they live in.

DIFFERENT NEEDS IN RURAL AREAS

What needs to be done right away is to change the structure of the curriculum in the five programmes because the current ratio of 70:30 of theory versus practice might not be suitable for rural schools, he said.

Chinnapat explained that not all students in rural areas went to university after completing the higher-secondary level, and thus they didn't need to do that much theory but needed practice so they have useful skills for making a living after graduation.

Therefore, Obec has five options for changing the theory-versus-practice ratios, he said, explaining that fewer hours spent in the classroom meant students could have more practice outside.

PROGRAMMES CAN BE INTEGRATED

When the time spent in the classroom is cut down, school authorities might have to integrate eight subject groups together to support the fewer hours spent studying theory.

The schools would need to select which option they prefer in their area's context, he said.

Obec also assigned the Bureau of Academic Affairs and Educational Standards to create an example of the options and produce a handbook for schools to use starting from the 2012 academic year.

Soon each school will be using different teaching standards according to their students' goals, especially since the Education Ministry wants students to be able to put their education to practical use rather than just collecting university degrees.