A key factor in any country's economic success is the standard of its
education system. While it has been historically difficult to measure how
China's system compares to the rest of the world, recent studies suggest
Chinese standards are high and are rapidly overtaking those of many other
countries in both Asia and the West.
Meanwhile, Thailand's education
system compares poorly to other countries on many measures. With the advent of
the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, high education standards will be
more important than ever if Thai businesses and individuals are to succeed
regionally.
The tests that highlight China's
strong showing, known as the Programme for International Student Assessment
(Pisa), are carried out every three years by the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development. After the last one in 2009, the BBC ran a website
headline referring to "China: The world's cleverest country?" This
year's results will be available next year.
China's stellar showing was led
by Shanghai and Hong Kong. Although it was unclear from the Pisa published
results whether others parts of China were doing as well, the OECD says
unpublished data confirm that pupils in other parts of China also performed
strongly, including in poorer provinces, with students doing well regardless of
their family income.
That's a far cry from Thailand.
Recent newspaper headlines refer to education gaps between poor and well-off
families that are "costing the country trillions", and complaints
that Thai education standards are "in a free fall", as key numeracy
and literacy standards, as measured by international tests such as Pisa,
continue to slide.
Thai educators acknowledge that
the basics of literacy and numeracy need to be improved and that standards
among Thai schools often vary widely.
So what can we learn from China?
Cheng Kai-Ming, a professor of education at Hong Kong University, says China's
success is due to "a devotion to education not shared by some other
cultures". The World Bank says successful school systems such as China's
are distinguished by features that include an emphasis on improving the quality
of teachers and making sure they are highly regarded, providing information to
make schools accountable and giving autonomy to schools and head teachers.
Putting more money into the system does not necessarily lead to better results.
Thai education standards, as
measured against international peers, have been slipping for many years, so
it's not news that we need to arrest the fall. The coming of the AEC, when
Thailand will be much more exposed to competition from its neighbours, brings
greater urgency to the challenge. Literacy in English, the common language of
business, is a key concern.
A 2012 study by Kasetsart
University economists, which focused on blue-collar workers, concludes that
while a more liberal labour market under the AEC could provide opportunities
for Thai workers, they need to improve their weak English proficiency compared
with other AEC members. While schooling is not the only key to tackling this
problem, say the authors, it is a major factor.
Improving Thailand's education
system is a complex, long-term project, and we can learn from many sources,
including China, which is now reaping the dividends of years of hard work and
smart planning.
Suwatchai Songwanich
Business & Investment Opportunities
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