Chaturon needs to turn words into action

In the three months since taking up his post, Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang has generated plenty of discussion with his ideas on how to improve the country’s public school system. 

From the sound of it, the man is determined to push for real and meaningful changes. 

Chaturon wants reforms not only in teaching and learning, but would also like to invest in teacher development and in new ways of improving evaluation of teachers. 

Unlike his predecessors at the Education Ministry, Chaturon is not hiding behind quick-fix gimmicks for quick political gains; he is addressing head-on the root cause of problems that have plagued the country’s education system for decades.

The question now is, can he put all of these ideas into action. Having the courage to call a spade a spade is one thing. But does he have the political will and the energy to push for real change, which will mean making tough decisions likely to rub a lot of people up the wrong way? 

Chaturon wants authorities to decide teachers’ promotions according to their students’ performance. Grades and promotions must be linked in order to make teachers more accountable for their students’ academic progress. 

However, while his talk of improving teacher evaluation via student performance is impressive, the question is whether he will have the courage to cut loose those teachers who do not meet their targets. 

Like bureaucrats anywhere, many teachers hang onto their jobs and treat them as a free ride towards retirement. This comes as no surprise if you consider that they are underpaid by a government that doesn’t give the profession the respect it deserves. 

But if it is demonstrated that a teacher does not have what it takes to deliver the services demanded – in other words, if it is established that a teacher is not cut out to do the job – will the authorities have the courage to remove them?

For decades, our education system has burdened students with all sorts of tests and exams. Teachers, however, have never been placed under such scrutiny. 

When students don’t make the grade, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that they are the ones at fault. But if we start putting the spotlight on teachers, we should not be surprised to discover the problem could very well lie in the teachers themselves. 

Chaturon has also spoken of opening up teaching to professionals from various fields. Indeed, professionals from whatever discipline should not be prohibited from entering the classroom just because they don’t have a teaching licence.

Another issue he needs to examine is the central university admission system (CUAS). Since the system came into being, an increasing number of places have been allocated to students applying directly to universities via entrance exams. The likely result of this trend is inequality in educational opportunity, because students who can afford to take these entrance tests have an automatic advantage over their less privileged counterparts who can’t afford the costs involved. 

There is no easy way out of the education mess: careful planning and thinking are needed if we are to change the system for the better. Only time will tell if Chaturon has the political courage to push for these changes.