These awards are particularly gratifying because they come at a time when when it seems no one has anything good to say about the Thai educational system, which clearly does not need to be revamped to promote students' independent thinking and ability to present ideas. The chief criticism is that Thai students are, in most cases, taught to learn by rote, or from memory, without thinking about the meaning of the facts and the relationships between them.
The Ministry of Education has for nearly a decade endorsed a policy to adopt a more student-centred approach and it was written into the Nation Education Act of 1999. For the most part, however, the policy has not been successfully implemented in the Thai public school system, outside of a few top schools which attract gifted students from Bangkok and beyond, like Mahidol Wittayanusorn Shool and Triam Udom Suksa. Getting a place in these schools is highly competitive and many excellent students are turned away.
It is no coincidence that nearly all of the winners in the high school Olympiads came from these special schools for top students, which are staffed with superb teachers who know how to get the best out of them.
Quite simply, these schools are the model for the Thai educational system, and more should be set up, not only in the sciences but also in the liberal arsts.At the same time we should be asking how the entire school system can be revamped to get the most out of the average student,who may excel if given the chance.
But for now, let nothing take away from a well-deserved tribute to these young scholars, who represented their country so well on the international stage.