Finland leads the way in educational reform
What makes an education system great?
The best education systems come from richer countries with better support systems throughout the country as a whole. Money is clearly a big influence on the quality of education, so where does that leave Thailand?
The plight of slaves
Postbox letter from Captain Haddock
Unless you just want to have an adventure or get started in your career, for most graduates Thailand is a very unattractive place to work.
A look back at 2014
From an education and news point of view
For foreign teachers working in Thailand, the coup had a number of knock-on effects which started with a couple of days off school as educational institutions were temporarily shut down to silence protests from educators and university students.
In praise of school activities
School activities and the real business of education
It can be pretty frustrating when classes are cancelled and students go missing for activities and pre-activity preparations.
What is a qualified teacher?
Postbox letter from Concerned in Chonburi
As things stand, I hear from a recruiter that the authorities are visiting schools - government schools at that - and rooting out teachers who do not hold both a PGCE and a Bachelor's degree.
Let's wait and see what happens
Postbox letter from John
It is very interesting to read all the gossip and drama surrounding the new visa rules. I think 'apparently' is the correct word to use during this debate because I think people need to look at this situation realistically.
At least nobody died
Sometimes just be thankful that's as good as it gets
I'm now in my third year as an English teacher at a secondary school in Thailand. I guess you could say I'm a veteran now, though this is a job which 'veteran' doesn't mean much
No thank you U-NET
The latest brainwave from NIETS
Not content with creating incomprehensible, inaccurate and often absurd examination questions for primary and secondary school students, NIETS are now planning a standardized exam for all students finishing university
Time for a change
I've had enough of the Thai government school system thank you
I’ve managed to locate my frustration and work out a solution - the Thai education system just isn’t for me. Not the government schools anyway, or at least the school that I have been teaching in for the past 18 months. So I’ve decided to get out. Not out of Thailand, just out of the system.
Dear NIETS
An open letter to The National Institute of Education Testing Service
I had hoped to send this letter to you directly but I suspect your offices are besieged by angry protestors, frustrated with corruption and incompetency. So it seemed a better idea to write you an open letter. I am writing this in the hope that this year's O-NET (Ordinary National Educational Test) examinations will better assess the Mathayom 6 students than previous efforts have done.
