Better incentives needed to boost vocational courses

Students with such skills are also in high demand in Thailand. As a result, Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang has made the right move in issuing the policy to boost the number of vocational students. Yet, its success depends on how educational units implement it.

It is more than absurd to hear that a measure to boost the number of vocational students is likely to reduce the availability of seats at conventional schools, so that those unable to attend the schools would be encouraged to join vocational schools. Last week, Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) secretary-general Apichart Jeerawuth announced a plan to limit the number of seats per general-education class for senior secondary education levels to 40 only from the next academic year onward. 

The Obec has to date allowed up to 50 students per room where necessary. 

Apichart said his agency might also raise the minimum grade point average requirement for Mathayom 3 graduates who wished to enrol in general-education programmes from 2.00 to either 2.50 or 2.30. 

He has explained that these changes are planned to help Chaturon achieve his goal of putting the ratio of general-education students to vocational students at 51:49 by 2015. The current ratio is at 36:64.

If Obec really goes ahead with its plan, students will be forced rather than encouraged to go for vocational-education programmes. 

If vocational students are not interested in what they learn, the country’s various industries will continue to face a shortage of qualified staff. 

Thai authorities, therefore, should realise that they need to motivate students to seek vocational knowledge and introduce a holistic approach that covers everything from the quality of vocational schools/colleges, to accreditation of vocational graduates’ skills, the participation by prospective employers, and the availability of jobs. 

Why do students prefer to continue their education in the general programme? Most say they want to go to the university and get a good job. Most students also feel those going to vocational schools or colleges have poorer academic performance. 

So, if Obec raises the minimum GPA requirements for those going to the Obec’s general education programme, it will simply reinforce the stigma on vocational graduates. Besides, its move to limit the number of seats in the general-education programme will not be practical, given that the most illustrious schools now have to seat up to 50 students per room. 

Laos and Vietnam in fact have faced the shortage of vocational-education graduates like Thailand. They, however, have introduced more practical solutions. Laos, for example, has chosen to offer scholarships to students who agree to further their studies in the vocational fields promoted by the Lao government.

Nouphanh Outsa, who heads Laos’ Vocat-ional Education Office, said Vientiane has given priority to vocational education. “For example, because our country needs carpenters, students can take carpentry courses for free. They also get allowances during their study,” he said.

Dr Dao Viet Dung, vice director of Vietnam’s Vinh University of Technology Education, said his country used a similar approach. “We have to promote fields where we want more graduates.”

Chaiprug Sereerak, secretary-general of Thailand’s Office of Vocational Education (Ovec), is aware that there are many flaws in Thailand’s vocational-education sector. He calculates that the vocational schools are prone to offer training in so many vocational fields that their graduates do not have any real expertise in any specific field. He has also admitted that Ovec schools/colleges have still failed to attract enough professionals from industries and have had very limited teaching material. 

However, he has already started many efforts to address the problems. For example, under his leadership, Ovec will test vocational students’ knowledge before they are allowed to graduate with a vocational certificate. 

Dr Anusorn Sangnimnuan, who chairs the Vocational Education Commission, also came up with an interesting initiative to encourage big corporations to spend their CSR budget on vocational students. Scholarships are to be considered, if the Finance Ministry agrees to provide a tax incentive for them. 

Chaturon said he instructed Ovec to match its plans with the Bt2-trillion infrastructure |projects. “Then, children will see clearly that they can get a job as soon as they graduate from a vocational school or college,” he said.

A solid and tangible plan is needed to achieve this. Jobs linked to vocational skills must be the first to lure people to vocational schools. Thus, vocational schools and colleges also need to improve services, to meet market demands. Many want to get a Siemens apprenticeship, knowing it would help them win employment contracts at the German or other companies with those skills learned there.