Thai schooling gets a failing grade because political gamesmanship ruins any chance of improvement
Anyone tempted to blame the poor academic record of Thai students on the students themselves need only look at the system schooling them. Beneficial policies have been lacking for more than a decade while each change of government sees fresh improvement schemes involving massive investments.
Currently the country's secondary-school education system is ranked among the region's worst, and English-language grades continue to plummet.
The fanfare that greeted the Yingluck Shinawatra government's one-tablet-per-student notion faded long ago, along with plans to establish "English-only zones" in schools. Both initiatives have been superseded by a policy of reduced classroom time. Now we have a debate over shifting the university calendar to match that of the rest of Southeast Asia, and university admissions are about to undergo yet another revamp.
With few if any of these policies able to come to grips with the root cause of Thailand's educational failing grades, this constant ebb and flow of ideas and efforts at least identifies the source of the problem. What we have lacked all these years is a master plan that can withstand the political whirlwind.
We have a school system that's always at the mercy of politics. Typically, the Education Ministry portfolio is awarded to someone from the government's coalition-allied parties. Less lucrative in terms of mega-projects and the kickbacks they bring, it's regarded as a second-tier post.
Nor, remarkably, is education policy ever a key platform in election campaigns, a fact as condemning of the voting public as it is of politicians. Candidates who do seek to win votes by addressing school issues tend to spout exactly the sort of populist notions that have failed to bring about sustainable benefit.
Government by coalition is not a factor in the failure of the system. Both the Thaksin and Yingluck administrations, ruling by electoral majority, appointed streams of education ministries, every one of whom came up with a fresh idea that brushed aside preceding efforts. Now we have an ostensibly interim government with Cabinet ministers unable to initiate long-term reforms. Even if a good policy were to be broached, the next elected government is likely to sweep it aside.
Drastic change is needed if Thailand wants to stay globally competitive - and regionally relevant now that the Asean Economic Community is upon us. We must end the habit of flip-flop policies. In its latest survey, assessing 76 countries, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ranked Thailand's secondary-level education 47th. By comparison Singapore was first and Vietnam 12th. In English-language proficiency, Thailand is third worst in Asia, having dropped to No 62 out of 70 in an Education First study. Higher up the list are Malaysia, Indonesia and, again, Singapore and Vietnam.
There is little cause for optimism as to breaking the grip of the education bureaucracy. Instead, perhaps it is time for a bold move - let's take the schools away from the stolid civil service and the mess of politics.
What we need is a elected, independent education "tsar" - given the post for at least a 10-year term, enough time for a leader with vision to steer reform in the right direction. What happened in the past and what continues to happen now is too closely linked to political winds and waves. For the sake of the younger generation and the future of the country, we need to shed the anchor of party gamesmanship and hold to an absolute course.