Another education reform proposal

The Thai language is much less structured than English and contains many borrowed words. Thus, there is no need to mandate 12 years of Thai language in every subject. Learning maths in English would not only improve the students’ English, but make the transition to a foreign curriculum much easier should the student aspire to study overseas later in life. Thais who graduate from international schools in Thailand have no problem communicating in Thai, so let’s not use “patriotism” to block us from learning better English. 

Every TV station should provide another channel with English-only content. For the original Thai-language station, provide English subtitles and/or English soundtracks where possible. Learning a language should not be limited to a formal school setting. In fact, learning through media can be more efficient than classroom learning. 

In addition to Thai and English, each student should choose a third language (e.g. Chinese, another Asean language) from primary school through to high school. China is on its way to becoming a new economic superpower. At the same time, the emergence of the Asean Economic Community will require Thais to interact with more foreigners, many of whom may prefer to communicate in their own language. 

A similar, successful model is Singapore. Most Singaporeans are highly proficient in three to four languages. 

Sopida Zheng 

Hatyai