Standardised Thai-language tests planned

THE EDUCATION Ministry is planning to create standardised Thai-language proficiency tests for native speakers.
Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang said yesterday that he had already called on Chulalongkorn University (CU) to help design this test.
“The results of such tests will show how we should improve Thai-language teaching standards,” he said, after meeting with CU president Dr Pirom Kamolratanakul.
Chaturon said standardised Thai-language tests were necessary, especially since standardised tests for other languages such as English and Japanese were already in place.
“Besides, we know that students are still not good at Thai language,” he said, adding that overall results at the secondary level were unsatisfactory.
He said several teachers had also complained that many university students were still poor in Thai, especially when it came to writing and summarising.
Meanwhile, Pirom said all|first-year students at Chulalongkorn University were tested on their Thai, English and computer skills.
“And we have discovered that the students have low writing ability,” he said, adding that he had now assigned CU’s Sirindhorn Thai Language Institute to work on a standardised language test.
Chaturon said that once the test had been designed, he would consult with experts as to when students should be required to take it.
“We may require them to take the Thai proficiency test either before they graduate secondary school or before they complete their bachelor’s degree,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS) has said it was ready to design standardised tests in response to Chaturon’s policy to cut down on the number of exams students are required to take when applying to educational institutions.
At present, several universities hold entrance exams separately and enrol students directly.
Chaturon is now encouraging these universities to consider using the central test scores as admission criteria instead so students won’t need to attend many exams.
NIETS director Samphan Phanphruk said his agency was ready to work with universities in designing the test questions to ensure that the central tests respond well to their needs.
Thammasat University rector Somkid Lertpaitoon, who also chairs the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT), promised to raise the issue at the council’s next meeting.
So far, he said, he believes it would be difficult to design a central test that responds well to the different requirements in different faculties.
“For instance, the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Medicine have different needs,” he pointed out.