Start with the best

I teach at Udon Thani Rajabhat University in northeast Thailand. During a recent course conducted by its Language Center, it was found that out of seventy Thai teachers of English at primary level, only six had degrees in English.

Of course, not having a degree in English does not prevent one from being a good English teacher, provided that she or he has been properly trained to teach English as a foreign language. Unfortunately many Thai teachers have neither: they don't have a degree in English and have not been properly trained to teach English as a foreign language.

New standards from the Basic Education Commission only act to increase the abyss between the teaching skills levels needed and those that actually exist.

This is nothing new. Since 1996, these areas have been highlighted for improvement. A decade later, however, not much has changed regarding the needs for improvement in professional competency to teach English in primary education.

There is a large English language skills gap between the language competency level at which students actually are and the level where the government would like them to be. A tremendous amount of work by both students and teachers needs to be done to close the gap. It seems unlikely that English teachers who are without the necessary skills, no matter how dedicated, will be able to close that gap and produce the leaders of tomorrow unless they have the badly needed government-supported training.

Approach for secondary schools

In stark contrast, the government now requires that secondary school teachers of English demonstrate their competency to teach English by sitting the internationally recognized Cambridge Teachers Knowledge Test. This is a step in the right direction. Thais who teach English should be encouraged to meet internationally recognized teaching standards.

But what about the English teachers of Prathom students, shouldn't they be required to sit that or similar tests? And shouldn't they receive government support to underwrite additional training and fees for such an exam?

It is not the fault of the teachers that they do not possess the skills required to teach English to the standards required by the government. I think the government has a responsibility to help these teachers acquire the minimum skills necessary to adequately do their job. One way to achieve this is to have the community universities involved in the process.

Udon Thani Rajabhat University was initially set up as a teacher-training college. Maybe it is time to go full circle and charge the Rajabhats around Thailand with training and retraining teachers who teach English to our primary students.

Such changes, of course, will require additional financial support from the government. And any cry of a lack of funds or a lack of political will, will serve to maintain the untenable status quo. Because the quality of the nation's education directly affects society and the country's economy, any increase in funding should be considered as an investment in the Thailand's future, not a drain on the public coffers.

My university has taken the initiative and is looking at setting up some kind of local teacher-training network in order to elevate the pedagogical skills of teachers. There is also an opportunity to increase the English language skills of these teachers by offering further training.

The thinking behind this approach is that Thai teachers of English frequently bemoan the lack of English language support that is offered, bearing in mind the multiple subjects that have to be taught at Prathom level.

Equipping teachers with the "tools to do the job," should improve the language competency of English language students. Accordingly, when students arrive at university for pre-service teacher-training, their English language teaching skills should be of a higher standard than now. This will allow them to have improved performance whilst at university which, in turn, will hopefully produce better-equipped teachers to teach all levels of students, but especially Prathom students.

English should not be treated as a second or foreign language in Thailand - something available only the elite - but rather as a necessary tool for all so as to enable Thailand to more adequately compete in the globalization of its economy and workplace.

We want the best for our children and it would be a gracious act should the government move to correct this deficiency in teaching English to Prathom level students.

Steven Graham is an English language teacher at the Language Center, Udon Thani Rajabhat University in northeast Thailand. If there are any comments or areas for debate that you would like to discuss, you can contact Steve at shed_chelsea@hotmail.co.uk .