Introduction

Its no secret the Thai education system has many problems. In recent years Thai government
schools have been the object of much criticism, not only from sources within the country, but also
from the international community.
But why are Thai government schools performing so poorly, and is there anything that can be
done to create a better learning environment for the thousands of students suffering in the dismally
run national education system?
In this article we will attempt to identify the biggest problems within the Thai national
education system, and at the end of the article we will explore some possible solutions to some of
these issues.
This article will deal exclusively with government schools, as I really dont same in-depth
experience to comment on the Thai private education system.
So lets get right down to it.
Lackluster Instructors
There are some really great teachers all throughout Thailand, teachers who go out of their way to plan
lessons, and cater their materials towards their students abilities, especially at my school.
That being said I have seen the same amount of teachers at schools throughout Thailand who parallel
that puritan work ethic with extreme laziness.
I wish I was joking when I tell you that Ive seen teachers who sit in the corner of the classroom and
play Farmville while the students stare blankly at giant worksheet packets that have been photocopied
from an English book, published 20 years ago, which none of the students understand.
Ive seen teachers sit in the hallway with a handful of students and chat in Thai, show each other
pictures on Facebook, all the while just laughing and having a good time. Then the bell rings, and oh,
what do you know? English class is finished.
I have seen teachers write ten random sentences on the board and tell the students to copy them 100
times, while they do mobile Facebook in the back corner of the room.
I like to eat cake. I like to eat cake. I like to eat cake. I like to eat cake.
You get the picture.
When students are solely taught to copy and regurgitate, they are not learning how to synthesize
information and formulate their own ideas.
To put it simply, the students are not being taught how not to think.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons that plagiarism and blatant cheating is so rampant, and overlooked
in the Thai school system. The students are not being taught to think for themselves, and so they resort
to copying from others with the hope that they will be told the correct things to say and think.
The laziness and general lack of care from some of these instructors is not only heartbreaking, it also
sets a precedent for students to think its acceptable for them to be lazy too.

Corruption
Corruption in the Thai school system was one thing I always assumed was greatly
exaggerated Until the students at my school went on strike for three days because of rumors that the
school director had been embezzling school funds.
Despite the wild figures that were spreading around the school, the Director was never found guilty of
any charges, and her name was completely cleared.But the incident got me thinking about just how far
a little bit of extra money could go to help the school.
I mean the doors are literally falling off of the classrooms. We have several very heavy window
frames, barely hanging by a single hinge on the third floor, and if one of them falls and hits somebody,
its game over.The desks in our classrooms have holes so big you cant put a notebook on them, or it
will fall through.
Corruption is rampant within the Thai school system, and the money thats taken is detracting from
student opportunity. Hopefully in the coming years we will see this change.
Questioning the Hierarchy
So why is there so much corruption within Thailands education system? Well the reasoning is simple

In the Thai hierarchy system that governs most professional settings, including the schools, it is very
taboo for an employee to ever question something one of the higher ups does.
To challenge someone higher up than you implies that you dont trust their expertise or judgement,
and can lead to a potential loss of face. Losing face is one of the biggest embarrassments in Asian
society, and is avoided at all costs.
Which means that if there is someone in the chain of command embezzling student funds, its likely
that most people would avoid calling them out for as long as possible because of fear for making
someone lose face.
The hierarchy system disallows a free flow of new ideas and innovations because anybody who is not
of an established rank within the system is unable to voice their ideas or concerns. Furthermore the
rigid hierarchy system protects the parasitic corruption that is corroding Thailands schools, by
making the higher ups unquestionable, and untouchable.
Diet and the Availability of Sugar
Although there are some healthier options at the canteen, sugar and candy are available at all times, all
over campus. Theres even huge bottles of sugar at every table, which many students use as a
condiment on their noodles or rice.Its pretty common to watch students eat ice cream for breakfast,
rice covered in Carnation milk for lunch, and a Pepsi and sweet roll for an afternoon snack.
There seems to be zero education on the harmful effects of sugar, and the students eat sweets with nil
moderation. Thai students are constantly buzzing and crashing from sugar highs.
Theres no doubt in my mind that if the students could cut out even just a little bit of their sugar
consumption that their focus and motivation would increase tenfold.

Class Sizes
Class Sizes may not be an issue with some of the smaller schools, but at my school of 4,000 students
the majority of classes have 50 students in them.
50 students is a huge management responsibility for any teacher. There are simply too many students
in the class to manage any behavioral issues, and the second you turn to put out one fire, there could
be another one starting on the other side of the room.
Furthermore, having a room jam packed with 50 students makes it very difficult to circulate around
the room and check to make sure everyone can hear and understand whatever lesson it is you are
teaching.
Another big issue with having classes this big, is that grades and attendance become very difficult to
keep track of. I teach 14 different classes of 50 students every week, which totals out to over 700
students to keep track of.
Passing Periods
Thai tardiness is a serious problem in the schools. The students are consistently late, and hardly ever
held accountable. Part of the reason they are not held accountable is because there are no passing
periods in between the classes.
As soon as the bell rings and one class finishes, the next class is immediately expected to begin, and
there is no time for the students to walk between their classes.
Often times the students are able to blame their previous teacher for letting them out late, or saying
that they have a far distance to walk, and thus cannot make it to class on time.
Simply implementing a 5-6 minute walking period in between each classes, indicated by bells, and
enforced by detentions, would really help to at least give the students an idea of when they need to be
in their next class. Hopefully over time, a passing period would help students practice punctuality on a
regular basis.
No Fail Policy
Thai students will automatically pass a class no matter what. Now there are a lot of problems with a
no fail policy, but Ill keep this brief.
Heres what happens when a lot of students know they will pass a class no matter whatYou ready?
They dont do anything! They come to class 30 minutes late, or dont come at all. They sit in the back
of the class, talk, play on their phones, and disrupt the students who are actually interested in learning.
Theres no incentive for participating in class other than the desire to learn, which many of these
students havent really developed yet.
So you end up having a lot of students who go to school just for the sociability of it, and those
students are a big distraction to the students who actually want to learn because they can see the
benefit of a good education, and they are interested in more than just an easy diploma.

The Second Semester Breaks

The second semester at government schools runs from early November to early March.
During that time, there is sports week, scouts week, New Years break, Language and Culture Day, the
Kings Birthday, Constitution Day, two weeks of testing (during which there are no classes) and
basically a million other holidays and events that cancel class.
Which is fine, everyone loves a holiday The problem is that they usually happen on the last half of
the week, and the result is that you have two months of no school on Thursdays, Fridays, and
sometimes Wednesday.
As a teacher its extremely difficult to plan a curriculum around 2 and 3 day class weeks, especially
when a majority of the students will forget most of what you taught them by the next time you see
them.
Not only that, but the students also have a really hard time focusing on class work, when they know
that another 4 day holiday break is right around the corner.
The other kicker about the endless holiday situation is that many English classes in the Thai
government schools are only once a week.
So if you are a student who has an English class during the second half of the week, you might not
have class for three to four weeks, and you still may be expected to take the same test that students
who have been in class the whole time are taking. Its ridiculous
The Focus is on Appearance, not Education
Thai students are expected to keep their uniforms pristine, their hair cut a certain length at all times,
their homework papers looking flawless, and for any preparations for events (which there are a lot of)
to be completed with the utmost attention to detail.
Every morning the students are drilled into perfect single file lines where they do a daily routine of
signing the national anthem, which is followed by a Buddhist prayer.
A huge amount of discipline and attention to detail is directed towards these matters assemblies,
uniforms, the layout of tests anything to keep up appearances.
If even one line of students is askew at the morning assembly, the students may be subjected to a mild
military style punishment of push-ups, jumping jacks, or what have you. If a boys hair is longer than
its expected to be, then a teacher may come up and start cutting that students hair.
But where the hell does that discipline and attention to detail go once the students enter the actual
classroom?
The students are consistently late, often times by more than 15-20 minutes, and there seems to be no
repercussions whatsoever.
There is constantly trash, half-eaten candies & half drunk cups of soda all over the classrooms, and
both the students and teachers walk right by it without even batting an eye.
There is very little consistency with the material being taught, and almost known of the material caters
to the actual proficiency level of the class.

So while on the outside things appear to look crisp, well-taken care of, and organized, once you get
inside the actual classroom, none of that attention to detail can be found.
Test dates, and curriculum deadlines are constantly changing with no notice, and ridiculous new
standards are constantly being introduced, for seemingly no reason.
To be honest its a very difficult concept to grasp unless you have actually seen what Im talking
about, but to put it simply:
There are a lot of resources and focus put into maintaining appearances, but little to no emphasis on
teaching strategies, proficiency levels, classroom management, or student accountability.