School heads lack English, ICT skills

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School heads lack English, ICT skills

Poor survey showing surprises authorities

Published: 7/06/2010 at 08:35 AM
Newspaper section: News

Many school executives lack skills in English and information and communications technology, despite having master's degrees, the Office of the Basic Education Commission says.

The office asked Srinakharinwirot University earlier this year to test the abilities of about 40,000 school directors and deputy directors under its jurisdiction.

They were tested for administrative knowledge, leadership and abilities in English and information and communications technology (ICT).

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About the author

: Writer: Sirikul Bunnag; Position: Reporter

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Discussion 42 : 09/11/2010 at 04:42 PM42
Post this to my Facebook
Practice is the best way to increase English ability for non-native speaking.
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Ray Ong

Discussion 41 : 07/06/2010 at 11:56 PM41
Disc 31 Drake is right. There are many different English accents, some of which are unintellibable to other native English speakers. This does not include all the other various accents derived from other langauages. Most people in Thailand probably do not need to speak Thai, but it does open more opportunities for them to advance. Some of the most fluent do not speak gramatically, but better that than someone who knows how but is too nervous to speak. I speak Thai poorly and I find it hard to fault someone for whom it is their native tongue.
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Brian

Discussion 40 : 07/06/2010 at 04:15 PM40
One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is the fact that Thais don't read. Thai culture has never promoted reading and as a result, relative to other cultures, there are few if any great Thai authors.

Reading, as well as speaking is key to proper language acquisition. If most Thais don't even read Thai, in a literary sense, but only in a minimal popular sense (newspapers, gossip magazines and cartoon books), how can they possibly adopt the good reading habits necessary to develop a high level of competency in a second language such as English?
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logcap iv

Discussion 39 : 07/06/2010 at 04:07 PM39
i think they should fire them all if they fail the test. how can you teach if you can't pass. disgrace.
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TEFL Jon

Discussion 38 : 07/06/2010 at 04:06 PM38
The nature of Thai society dictates a child's place therein from its birth. Thai children know this at a very early age. The poor ones know that the opportunities afforded to the rich will not come their way, so they don't bother studying. The rich will get their degree whatever they do so they don't bother studying either! Net result is a low quality of English which can only be redressed if the children know that they will do well in life through ability, not status. How soon will the change be made?
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David too

Discussion 37 : 07/06/2010 at 03:08 PM37
I read another comment on the aid of TV to learn a foreign language . I strongly endorse this .
Before I came to live in Thailand , I lived in Italy . I had leaned to speak Italian from friends , over a number of years . When I came to live there ; I watched documentary and discussion programmes on the TV , with headphones . In about two weeks I noticed a marked improvement in my spoken grammar , use of verbs and idioms . Little children learn by hearing their parents speak ; the same can apply to adults . Thailand could do with at least one English language programme .
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hammerharry

Discussion 36 : 07/06/2010 at 03:00 PM36
Discussion 24 my fellow country man is 100% correct. Another problem is for those (Foreigners) that can read the Thai sub titles they are never synchronized correctly with the Audio, so when the Thais try to relate the sub titles to an either what they see on a TV show or perhaps a movie they do not make sense, it becomes very confusing for them. To be perfectly honest the Thai people have made extraordinary steps with there English language abilities over the years. Our Thai partners pay for a teacher to come in twice a week to teach the local employees English with attendance normally 95% minimum, now if we done this at home, free Thai lessons nobody would turn up. we have a speak only English day and speak only Thai day once per month, now this is a lot of fun each word spoken in the wrong language costs one baht and at the end of the month the person whom has contributed the least picks up the pot, most of the time it is won by one of the cleaning ladies, 2 of them have a better grasp of the English language than I do and neither of them even has a high school diploma, one of them is 63 Years old and if its on the internet she knows where to find it. Programs like this are a step in the right direction for the Thai people. You should be applauding educational programs like this, well done to the Thai education authorities, pay teachers what they are worth money well spent. How on earth people in this forum make negative comments about something that can have huge benefits for the Thai people. Educating the Thai people is imperative for a better future. More programs like this please Mr PM.
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David too

Discussion 35 : 07/06/2010 at 02:41 PM35
Thailand has a problem that obstructs having good English Teaching in schools . The requirement of university degrees , that would prevent Native English speaking people from teaching English in schools .

Bachelors degree level of education in Thailand is very low compared to British , European or American standards . The same applies to a Masters degree or Doctorate . As already stated the latter two may be cheated or sat by somebody else , if not bought .

My wife has two bachelor degrees and is head teacher of a school ; yet I attended an English Public school , followed by vocational courses , have no university decree , but am infinitely more knowledgeable and educated .

My sister-in-law is an English teacher and senior staff member at a high school . Her knowledge of English is just about passable ; but not really of the level at which she is teaching .

Might Thai English teachers benefit from attending one of the many schools in Thailand , for teaching English as a Foreign language .
English teachers should go abroad to speak English . Alternatively English speakers who have graduated from a TEFL school , but without degree , be allowed to teach .
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BKK Farang in Exile

Discussion 34 : 07/06/2010 at 02:40 PM34
Not really a surprise, I have seen Thai School owners with PhD in something from American Universities, who cannot string a sentence together, let alone write one, how did they get there PhD in the USA if this was the case, it seems very dubious to me. Remember most teachers from the UK do not have a University degree, they went to teacher training college.
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dhawatchai

Discussion 33 : 07/06/2010 at 01:36 PM33
678 millions for test result of which is already known. 560 millions for admin skills, 500 mils for morality plus 60 mils for i.t., billions more for 5 or 6 training centres.

it's all wonderful for bureaucrats. but for us tax payers, it's pouring a bottle of maggi sauce into chaopraya river. nothing will come out of it.

until education authorities know how to reward teachers on performance, most of them will merely go through their daily routine. what's the use of training if it is just another burden on their time.
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