The Education Ministry is considering scrapping the Ordinary National Education Test (O-Net), following a directive by Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan.
The permanent secretary for education, Supat Chumpathong, said he will meet with the director of the National Institute of Educational Testing Services (NIETS), Sirada Burachart, to discuss the fate of the standardised test.
He also said there have been several proposals to replace O-Net with a different type of test to assess the quality of students. O-Net measures students' basic knowledge in four key subjects — mathematics, sciences, English and Thai languages.
Another proposal pushed for the O-Net to be taken by Grade 6 students only, so the ministry can adjust the curriculum for older students, based on the test results.
The permanent secretary noted that the O-Net is currently seen more as an academic competition, rather than a tool for children's development.
Many concerned parties have also proposed that the O-Net should be randomly administered on students, like the Programme for International Student Assessment test, said Mr Supat.
The permanent secretary admitted that there are still students who have not participated in O-Net.