Make-or-break entrance exams began over the weekend despite some high-schoolers asking the Central Administrative Court to postpone the troubled Thai University Central Admission System (TCAS) last week. However, the agency dismissed the petition because it was not clear whether rescheduling TCAS exams is legal or not and that abruptly postponing the exams would affect many students and the organisers.
Students have long cried foul at the tight exam schedule, which began on Saturday and will run until mid-April. However, it was not until March 17 that six students went to court with Pheu Thai Party spokeswoman Arunee Kasayanond -- who serves as an adviser to the House committee on education -- to file a complaint against five test organisers, including the Education Ministry, on behalf of almost 10,000 students.
The students had sought an injunction on grounds that they were not ready to take entrance exams because Covid-19 had forced schools to close and therefore the final exams should be rescheduled. The students asked the test organisers to postpone national exams for at least one or two weeks until students finish their final tests and complete courses, especially since the Education Ministry states that those who take entrance exams must graduate first. Otherwise, students will have to take too many exams.
The move came after organisers said that they had announced the exam schedule seven months ago and asked all schools to set the proper date for their final tests and that a change of plans would derail other activities. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Life sat down with experts who pointed out that there is a growing education gap and that the system has failed to create a level playing field for every student.
Widening gap
Prof Sompong Jitradup, an expert in education at the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) and former lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Education, said students have fallen victim to bad government policy, ranging from changes in the academic calendar to growing inequality in education.
"If the government wants to hold entrance exams in this condition, it should have supported students more. They are suffering from mental health problems because they have had a tough time learning online and coping with an overload of homework [during school closure]. They have felt stressed and isolated, and in some cases aggressive, but adults have not paid attention. When the Education Ministry decided to ignore their demands, it only further impacted their mental health. If you can change the academic calendar, why can't you postpone entrance exams?" he asked.
Sompong said the coronavirus outbreak has further widened the education gap between students in urban and rural areas. In remote areas, children don't have reliable access to the internet and in some cases tech devices. As a result, there has been an average decline in academic performance in reading, mathematics and science by 40%.
"As soon as students returned to the classroom, they had to deal with entrance exams looming on the horizon. They are under huge stress because they have to cram to compensate for poor online learning. It's not fair to them," he said.
This year, 257,274 students are due to take the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and the Professional and Academic Aptitude Test (PAT), while 387,139 are scheduled to take the Ordinary National Education Test (O-NET) and 175,003 for nine core subject tests. Meanwhile, some students will be required to take specific tests in their fields also such as medicine and art while others have to take foreign language proficiency tests for international programmes.
In recent years, TCAS has evolved from just handling admissions and entrance exams. It was introduced in 2018 to level the playing field for all students. Initially, the process consisted of five rounds of applications but that was reduced to four this year. In the portfolio round, talented students hand in their work to universities without taking written exams. In the quota round, students who come from specific regions can submit their scores to universities. In the admission round, universities consider students based on exam results and grades. In the last round, universities accept students based on their preference.
Sompong said TCAS is perpetuating social stratification because it enables famous universities to select "the cream of the crop" through multiple rounds of application like a sieve and this is why disadvantaged students have been left behind. He insisted that the number of rounds and exams be cut to reduce competition.
"No country on Earth is doing this. They open only one or two rounds [per academic year]. Thailand values this kind of educational assessment for its fairness and transparency. However, nobody brings up inequality. Only 5% of poor students go to university," he said.
Sompong has called for the use of an evaluation method that promotes children's development and potential. Universities should not base applications on standardised multiple-choice exams but on competency to encourage students to be diverse and know what they want to be.
"Universities shouldn't exist for the sake of themselves but for the future of our children and nation," he added.
Capitalism at play
Six student representatives went to court with Pheu Thai Party spokeswoman Arunee Kasayanond, left, to request a hearing on this year's TCAS exams. Photo courtesy of Pheu Thai Party
Why isn't a level playing field created for every student? Asst Prof Athapol Anunthavorasakul, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Education, drew attention to the impact of capitalism in our education system. The competition for high-tier university seats is one of many cases of how socio-economic backgrounds can give students an advantage.
"It works only for parents who can invest in their children. They can prepare portfolios for them as soon as possible. However, the education system doesn't develop human resources in the long term," he said.
Athapol said the government applies capitalism to the management of schools. It allocates budgets according to the size of schools -- large, middle and small -- and encourages them to offer special programmes to ensure their own financial independence.
"That is why a large number of special programmes have mushroomed in recent years, however, it only widens the education gap because parents want to enrol their children in these classes. The problem may not be capitalism per se but how we apply it. Many countries are using capitalism to support their education system. For instance, schools in Japan are funded by local taxes because they are part of local administrations. Also, schools in Singapore have collaborated rather than competed over the past decade," he said.
Athapol said, however, that some schools in Thailand are following in their footsteps without taking into account political and social backgrounds. For example, education in Finland is a success story because it does not allow schools to compete on academic excellence. However, when the Finnish curricula is adopted here, it becomes only a means of escape from state schools.
"They don't change mainstream education. They just provide choices to parents who can afford it. Even homeschooling is an extreme form of escapism because parents have no faith in schools. However, not every family can afford this," he said.
Athapol has proposed that education should become part of high-quality welfare benefits rather than commodities. Nowadays, the government is providing shoddy educational services and forcing parents to pay for premium programmes at their own expense.
"It causes inequality at an early age. Education should be an investment by the government, not an individual. The country must invest in education wisely. Many countries are combining capitalism with social welfare which means they can offer free education until university," he said.