Education
Other Important Issues
In the Nation on May 30, 1912, there is an article entitled “Education agency to spend most on AEC readiness” (Nation, May 30, 2013)
This refers to the Thai government budget expenditure on readiness for the AEC.
The article says that “Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said preparation for the AEC was one of eight strategies planned for next year (2014). A total of Bt 145 billion is allocated for the purpose”. The article also referred to substantial expenditure in the Thai public university sector to prepare for AEC entry.
A potentially major problem for Thailand is the relative lack of English language in Thailand, even though Thai children learn English as a second language from elementary school, high school and at university level, usually as a compulsory subject. English is, of course, the official language of the AEC.
However, the English proficiency of Thai citizens is still considered to be very low.
This is clearly indicted by EF English Proficiency Index (www.ef. co.th/.../media/efcom/epi/2012/full_reports/ef-epi-2012-reportmaster-Ir-2)
The English Proficiency Index, the world’s largest English language training index survey, ranked Thailand as 53