BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): The Thai Sang Thai Party on Wednesday (March 1) vowed to push for reform of the country’s education system by reducing the number of years students have to spend in the classroom and providing free university education, if it becomes a part of the next government.
The party, which was formed in 2021 by former members of the Phue Thai and Thai Rak Thai parties, is preparing for its first national election campaign.
Thailand’s education system is dysfunctional, its chief strategist, Bokhin Palakula (pic right), said while outlining Thai Sang Thai’s election platform at its headquarters. The system fails to inspire students, makes them study too much, and gives them no chance to develop creativity, Bokhin said.
The Programme for International Student Assessment has shown that since 2000 – when Thailand joined the World Bank assessment scheme – the English scores of Thai students have remained very low, with Thailand ranking in the bottom four countries, Bokhin said.
The cost of a university education in Thailand is too high for most students, Bokhin added.
Party spokeswoman Tidarat Yingcharoen (pic) said the education system operated under an outdated structure that prevented students from pursuing their own goals and discovering their own identities.
The Thai education system forces students to study hard, but their abilities remain lower than students in other countries, Tidarat said.
Students lack financial support to study at universities, she said, adding that It will cost 21.409 billion baht to provide free education for underprivileged students from kindergarten to the university level.
Bokhin said Thai Sang Thai will reform Thailand’s education system according to the following principles:
- Education must help students discover their own abilities as soon as possible. Students must be taught to acquire scientific knowledge on their own and become able to adapt to a changing world. Students must be taught to share and be kind.
- The number of years of study must be reduced by three or four years so students can finish studies at the age of 17 to 19 years old. This will reduce parents’ financial burden and allow students to enter the workforce sooner.
- Courses must be modernised, and made more concise and flexible to respond to the needs of students. Courses must provide skills and experience for students from the primary level.
- Education methods must be changed to prioritise attitudes over skills and knowledge. Studying can be done in the classroom and online with students learning from real-life experience. Classes must be reduced to only three days a week.
- The method of distributing the education budget must be changed. Currently, the budget reaches the schools without reaching parents. The budget must be channeled to students to encourage them to study. Each school’s management team should have representatives of parents to define what kind of education they want for their children.
