As Thailand and the Education Ministry are trying to improve education -- such as promoting the use of AI, handing out laptops and increasing funds for research, issues that could and should be addressed at primary and secondary schools in Thailand are being avoided, delayed, and increasingly ending up in the lap of tertiary education. This causes problems for lecturers, students and other stakeholders.
First and foremost, students need to understand how to learn, develop learning habits, and be aware of themselves before reaching tertiary education. Students also need a general knowledge of basic life subjects without resorting to search engines or depending on AI.
Addressing these issues at the appropriate level helps those in academia and society.
Essential reading, writing, arithmetic, and thinking skills are still lacking. Surprisingly, remedial classes are being required for an increasing number of university freshmen, as AI usage further masks the problem of learners who are lacking in the basics.
Simply calculating 20% of 1,500 in their head takes time and often requires a calculator. For many, reading and understanding a newspaper article is challenging; books are avoided! Being able to write a summary of a paper is considered a major task.
"It's on Google" or "It was in an academic paper" are shallow justifications for including material in an essay. Accuracy, relevance and thought to meaning are missing. Thinking ability, curiosity, or interest in the subject are superficial.
Even worse, the fundamental knowledge of facts and figures required is not there. Society cannot continue to innovate and progress when people rely on something outside their own knowledge or understanding.
The level of maturity and decision-making abilities are also sadly lacking. Simple things like being on time for class, paying attention to the lecturer or speakers, and handing in assignments on time are difficult for tertiary students in the 2020s.
Punctuality is essential in professional and personal life, yet tertiary students are still learning of the necessity of being on time without supervision. Missed deadlines are brushed off with frivolous explanations at universities. "I forgot" is becoming common despite the ready availability of technology to prevent this.
Their smartphones give them minute-by-minute alerts of Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok posts from content creators they follow, so it is not difficult to set reminders for personal needs and responsibilities! From essay topics to career choices, students increasingly have problems making decisions. "I don't know, you tell me" is a regular refrain -- a dangerous state of bland, unthinking acceptance.
Parental involvement needs to be consistent and decisive. My neighbour's eight-year-old tells his parents he does not like to read, so he does not read at home, yet the parents do not see this as a problem for developing his learning ability. Primary schools must engage parents to help build a learning environment at home that complements the classroom.
Parental interests, expectations and desires are markedly different from their children's; too often they look to the result and not the journey. Students are enrolled in degree programmes they are not interested in, and they do not know which career path to pursue.
Being able to make independent decisions is crucial for a young adult. By simply telling their maturing children what to do, parents are not helping their offspring or those with whom they interact. Making independent decisions is essential for personal development, autonomy, and success in various aspects of life. It allows the students to live authentically, take responsibility for their actions, and navigate challenges with resilience and confidence. Society needs responsible adults.
At primary school levels, there is an emphasis on rote learning for many subjects for a reason. When properly done, this can build the basic blocks required before moving on to critical thinking and understanding complex problems. Hearing music in words when read properly encourages more reading and is crucial for young ones as they start their reading journey. They should enjoy the rhythm and rhyme of words as if singing.
Loving to read requires consistent exposure to positive examples in both class and at home, thus creating a useful lifelong habit. Great leaders are all voracious readers.
As the student matures, the secondary school level focuses on developing more independent work and thought, especially when needed for research reports. Teachers need to be involved in the learning process, and students should be exposed to making choices. The joy of independent discovery drives the desire to do and achieve more. By the time learners finish secondary school, they should be able to learn for themselves and make the right decisions.
University, rightfully, becomes the route for further growth. At the tertiary level, the student leads their own learning, with the lecturers more of a guide.
Parenting, convenience, technology and societal change in expectations have contributed to a cacophony of messages that negatively impact children. The young need guidance and basic knowledge to be responsible enough to decide whether to enter university and how to use the material provided to round off their education.
Students need to be better prepared.
We are at a stage in the 2020s where students are entering and leaving universities unprepared to reach their potential or contribute positively to society; some are even functionally illiterate and innumerate because responsibility and care were not taken in laying the groundwork for learning.
Mariano Miguel Carrera, PhD, is a lecturer at the International College at King Mongkut's University of Technology, North Bangkok.