Basic education in thailand is badly in need of new lessons
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Given the sad state of basic schooling in this country, you may be surprised to learn that the government actually pends more on education (18 per cent of the national budget) than on any other sector including national defence. That's proof that just th
There’s an urgent need for deep and cutting reforms. The Thai economy must shift to more sophisticated goods and services in order to remain globally competitive. And Thai workers and firms will face stiffer competition from better-educated Southeast Asian neighbours who will be able to move about the region more freely under the Asean Economic Community, which will become effective by 2015.
Thailand is currently ranked 85th in terms of quality of primary education in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 – a score equal to that of Vietnam and way behind Southeast Asian neighbours Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. The report identifies “an inadequately educated workforce” in Thailand as one of “the most problematic factors for doing business” (after government instability, coups, corruption, policy instability and the inefficiency of government bureaucracy.)
The WEF considers health and primary education as one of the 12 pillars of competitiveness. And good-quality basic education is “increasingly important in today’s economy”, the report says. Poorly educated workers can only do simple tasks, it notes. “Lack of basic education can therefore become a constraint on business development, with firms finding it difficult to move up the value chain by producing more sophisticated or value-intensive products”, the report says.
During the past two decades, Thailand has significantly expanded access to education in the rural areas. In early 2009, the government began providing 15 years of free education (three years in pre-school and grades 1-12). But attempts at educational reform have failed miserably and the quality of education has declined. Many fresh graduates do not possess the knowledge and skills that companies want.
The causes of the low-quality schooling are many, including the three Cs: curriculum, content and competency.
Much has been written about how the Thai public school system discourages creativity and individualism, is focused on lectures and rote memorisation, and is centred on the teacher rather than the student. Outdated and ideological textbooks that warp facts and history are common. Many teachers are not qualified, especially in subjects crucial to the new economy: maths, science and information technology. Students can barely function in English despite years of lessons. Members of parliament use their education funds for showy things like buildings and equipment rather than improving teaching and learning quality.
Access to schools, and to good schools, varies across the country. If you are born in the north or northeastern regions, it’s likely you will grow up poor because you will have received a lower-quality education as a child. And in many cases, the money-spinning tourism industry or the need to help their families in the fields prompts students from low-income households to drop out of school at an early age.
What can be done?
Privatisation may be one key. Many public schools are clearly inferior to the private schools. Such schools should be closed down or privatised. One solution may be public-private partnerships in which the public sector provides funding and oversight and the private sector provides quality service. Instead of being given directly to the schools, education funds could be given to families, who then decide which schools they will attend. This simple market mechanism would empower the poor and drive out lower-quality schools.
There are many private institutions in Thailand but the average family can’t afford them. So the government also could require private schools to reserve places for students from low-income households and subsidise the schools for such intake.
And to get better teachers, we must upgrade salaries and working conditions.
Thailand has fared better in its higher education. It appears that is at least partly because the universities are more open to foreign participation and competition. Encouraging more competition would be good for the primary and secondary schools as well.
To improve basic education, we must answer some key questions: How can the private sector be made a partner in providing quality education? Can the best minds be attracted to the education sector? Can the dropout rate be reduced?
Pongsak Hoontrakul is a senior research fellow at Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration, Chulalongkorn University. Reena Marwah is an associate professor at Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University, India. This article reflects their personal opinions, not of their institutions.
