Why are you making us study English at a Thai university? complain students

[Fex Bluse]

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

The idea of reading for pleasure seems to be an alien concept for Thais

It goes well beyond reading. Thailand has no tradition of intellectual culture that is evident even in other Asian countries like China, Japan, Korea. There was never a significant Thai literary tradition. 

 

Thai culture has evolved through a focus on simplicity, pleasure and fun. It's an ancient, agrarian, caste-like country with mostly pleasant people but you surely won't find much interest in higher pursuits here. 

[Chippy151]

16 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

why should they learn when they see most of those teaching them the subject cannot speak it either

Good point.

What do they see around them?

Their parents, peers, teachers, English teachers, lecturers etc probably can't speak English or hace no interest in learning it either.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Kieran00001 said:

You think Ofqual are lying and use your single piece of circumstantial evidence as if it were in some way more reliable, hillarious! 

No, I think you don't understand statistics (stupid people generally don't understand they're stupid).

I worked in 5 UK high schools between 2001 and 2009, the best school (Bude) may have got 50 good GCSE language passes in the year.

I suspect your 'Ofqual' results were % of entrants that gained a good pass and not the percentage of children in school.

Let's assume a normal school year, 3 language classes in a year, one would be GCSE, and the other 2 classes wouldn't be, and 3 more classes would have opted out of the languages for science or tech.

[BritManToo]

15 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Those of us with kids here that learn both English and Thai fluently have a leg up on the job market. Let the students complain.

Native English speaking is a bit different from learning a foreign language in school.

If my teenage daughter didn't speak English, she wouldn't be able to explain why she needs an extra 200bht spending money this morning.

[SiSePuede419]

OK, then admit students from Myanmar.  They speak English almost flawlessly. ????

[LukKrueng]

All the replies I read kinda missed the point of their protest. Students and parents are NOT against staying English as part of the university core subjects. What they complain about is a pre-registration course which costs additional money. Once they pass this course they can enroll and then they'll have to take more English courses as part of the curriculum.

[wilcopops]

you have to remember too that many native English speakers are totally unqualified to teach or assess another persons EL ability.

[Jane Dough]

19 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Indeed .. self awarded was included as they do like to big thereselves up a bit but the reality is somewhat different when they came 5th in the recent Championy-ship .. Another reality of their confabulations is that whilst they may be good at memorising words to compose in Scrabble what's the point if they don't know its meaning and in many cases are unable to pronounce them .. And that is highlighted even more when English words not in everyday use are brought together in a sentence as you may find in some profession's .. If it were put to girlfriend Grazing " It is incumbent upon me to bring to you're attention dear that the prior arrangment entered into by myself to provide you with financial patronage will now be subject to revision as the  generous currency exchange rate that we used to but now no longer enjoy is exerting considerable constraint upon my ability to continue providing succour at the rate you previously enjoyed " would just draw a portrait of puzzlement in her face .. So it far easy to go with " Sorry Babe its small money for you this month because £ cannot buy many Bart this time " but in doing that some of the grandiloquence of the English language is lost which is a shame as girlfriend Grazing does have a reasonably good grasp ( relatively speaking ) of English but I can't over exert her pretty little head by maxing out on higher class elements of it . 

Why not explain to her in Thai? I'll explain how to do it with all the bells and whistles of advanced Thai facetiousness if your grasp of the language is not sufficient. ????

[Justgrazing]

2 hours ago, Jane Dough said:

Why not explain to her in Thai? I'll explain how to do it with all the bells and whistles of advanced Thai facetiousness if your grasp of the language is not sufficient. ????

I have .. And in Welsh also .. 

[KhunFred]

On 12/21/2018 at 8:34 AM, Bill Miller said:

I am struggling to increase my vocabulary of perhaps 100 Thai words, with a 64+ year old damaged brain (stroke). These kids are complaining about learning 550 words of English? Shoot, could probably pick that much up from the television.
If you want to be a commercial pilot, for example, you must know English.
This degree of laziness really does make me nuts.
Seven years of Latin and four of French up through Secondary level. No, I cannot use them with ease now, but found out last March that, put me in France, within a couple of days I am asking directions, ordering food, etc.
And I was not an especially good student. ????

In many ways, I sympathize with these students. They are attending the equivalent of a trade school in the United States, yet are being asked to learn a foreign language that most of them will never need to use. I realize that the Thai government seems to think that knowing English is important enough to put many signs in English and Russian, so that says a lot. The King has stressed the importance of English also.  Still, there are many and perhaps MOST who will never need it. They should cut them a break and drop the requirement. Reminds me of being forced to learn Spanish as part of undergraduate degree. It was the hardest thing I have tried to do yet. I'm siding with the Thai kids on this one.

[Kieran00001]

9 hours ago, BritManToo said:

No, I think you don't understand statistics (stupid people generally don't understand they're stupid).

I worked in 5 UK high schools between 2001 and 2009, the best school (Bude) may have got 50 good GCSE language passes in the year.

I suspect your 'Ofqual' results were % of entrants that gained a good pass and not the percentage of children in school.

Let's assume a normal school year, 3 language classes in a year, one would be GCSE, and the other 2 classes wouldn't be, and 3 more classes would have opted out of the languages for science or tech.

 

You're calling me stupid?  Think what you like, I don't have a problem reading stats, unlike you and your apparant inability to read a simple sentence, I did not claim that the foreign language stats were a percentage of all children in school, I clearly stated that they were of the 43% who chose to take a foreign language GCSE, now sort it out, stop trying to pretend having been a teacher makes you a clever chap and stop calling other people stupid, it really is not a good look.

[kentrot]

Hasn't the University Admin. heard of ASEAN ?

 

It's a group of all YOUR neighbours who have agreed that they will communicate with each other in one official language - ENGLISH.

 

If a select group of Thai's are too lazy to keep up - they will get left behind. "Up to you telac"

 

There are many committed Thai's who work hard to learn a word here and there.

But getting a sustained attendance in many English tutorial classes is not easy. The drop out rate is atrocious. It could have something to do in part, with the antiquated style of teaching. Look good in your uniform with mandatory haircut and you can pass with flying colours.

[garyk]

Kinda curious which is easier to learn, Chinese or English?

 

[Sonhia]

Most Thai students plus adults are generally not interested in English language, after all no other life exsists outside the Kingdom except the rest of the world with a greater proportion of mankind speaking a form of English language.

 

Students can simply fudge the entrance requirements, so why are they making a fuss? It is common practise and knowledge that most requirements in Thailand are fudged such as high school exam results, University diploma's, applications for employment and soooooo on... Corruption and deception are part of Thai culture. It is normally a case of who you know, how much an individual is willing to part with and how high-so an individual is. Just look at the present administration

 

Knowing how to say an English word does not mean a person can either understand or utilize an English word in its correct English grammatical structure plus content, and what if the word is either a BrE or ArE word?

BrE - British English

ArE - American English

 

Yet another 'hot air' report.

 

 

 

 

[Bill Miller]

16 hours ago, KhunFred said:

In many ways, I sympathize with these students. They are attending the equivalent of a trade school in the United States, yet are being asked to learn a foreign language that most of them will never need to use. I realize that the Thai government seems to think that knowing English is important enough to put many signs in English and Russian, so that says a lot. The King has stressed the importance of English also.  Still, there are many and perhaps MOST who will never need it. They should cut them a break and drop the requirement. Reminds me of being forced to learn Spanish as part of undergraduate degree. It was the hardest thing I have tried to do yet. I'm siding with the Thai kids on this one.

"Equivalent of a trade school...", really Fred?

Serious misunderstanding on my part, then, or on the school's end?

I have always understood "university"  to signify an institution of advanced academic studies.

Then again the US has "Liberty University", marshalled by luminaries such as Falwell, (very) Jr. ????

[BritManToo]

16 minutes ago, Bill Miller said:

"Equivalent of a trade school...", really Fred?

Serious misunderstanding on my part, then, or on the school's end?

I have always understood "university"  to signify an institution of advanced academic studies.

 

This place is really a tech college, the place where they make zip guns to fight with other schools.

So serious misunderstanding on your part.

[wilcopops]

10 hours ago, garyk said:

Kinda curious which is easier to learn, Chinese or English?

 

For who?

 

 

 

 

[wilcopops]

4 hours ago, Bill Miller said:

Still, there are many and perhaps MOST who will never need it. They should cut them a break and drop the requirement.

A very wrong premise.

[Bill Miller]

24 minutes ago, wilcopops said:

A very wrong premise.

The quote was not by THIS Bill Miller.

I believe learning a foreign language has benefits beyond ordering lunch in Majorca. ???? 

[outsider]

Future leaders of Thailand, this lot.

[overherebc]

Why learn english????

Because if you don't you won't be able to talk to real engineers.

[jackdd]

On 12/22/2018 at 1:21 PM, LukKrueng said:

All the replies I read kinda missed the point of their protest. Students and parents are NOT against staying English as part of the university core subjects. What they complain about is a pre-registration course which costs additional money. Once they pass this course they can enroll and then they'll have to take more English courses as part of the curriculum. 

I think what you say is wrong

It's quite late now, so maybe i'm wrong, feel free to correct me, but imho the Thai source says that currently the students who fail the english test have to take english courses and after passing these courses they can enroll in the regular courses. These english courses for students who failed the initial test cost money and this is what the students / parents are complaining about.

[LukKrueng]

7 hours ago, jackdd said:

I think what you say is wrong

It's quite late now, so maybe i'm wrong, feel free to correct me, but imho the Thai source says that currently the students who fail the english test have to take english courses and after passing these courses they can enroll in the regular courses. These english courses for students who failed the initial test cost money and this is what the students / parents are complaining about.

here's the 2nd paragraph of the op:

 

 

They have said that they were required to learn up to 550 words in English. If they didn't pass a test they couldn't enroll at the university

 

maybe I'm wrong, but the way I understand it is:

1. Take a course

2. Pass a test

3. Enroll to university

[sanemax]

26 minutes ago, LukKrueng said:

here's the 2nd paragraph of the op:

 

 

They have said that they were required to learn up to 550 words in English. If they didn't pass a test they couldn't enroll at the university

 

maybe I'm wrong, but the way I understand it is:

1. Take a course

2. Pass a test

3. Enroll to university

Being able to speak 550 words is a requirement to enroll at university , and they should already have that ability , after studying English for 12 years .

    That's learning one word a week  , if thats beyond them, taking further education isnt for them 

[sammydavis]

maybe if they had physical education and play more sport their brains might start working and they wouldn't be so fat on rice

[Enki]

On 12/21/2018 at 12:42 PM, SheungWan said:

Interesting to compare with the UK where the majority of school leavers cannot even achieve a decent grade in their own language, never mind a foreign one. PS I wonder how many British bar-goers on Soi Buakhaow have a good grade in English Language GCSE? 

Having a good grade in your own language is usually a problem of retarded school systems. People are by nature perfect capable to speak their own language, and with training/teaching/schooling read and write it. But what exactly is a future conjunctive form ... oh, I used two foreign words already ... do you really think a three year old can not answer the question: "What would you do if you met your grand ma tomorrow?" in a perfect grammatically correct sentence? Of course he will. But teaching a 13 year old that this phrase is "future conjunctive" is completely pointless for that 13 year old ...

[SheungWan]

31 minutes ago, Enki said:

Having a good grade in your own language is usually a problem of retarded school systems. People are by nature perfect capable to speak their own language, and with training/teaching/schooling read and write it. But what exactly is a future conjunctive form ... oh, I used two foreign words already ... do you really think a three year old can not answer the question: "What would you do if you met your grand ma tomorrow?" in a perfect grammatically correct sentence? Of course he will. But teaching a 13 year old that this phrase is "future conjunctive" is completely pointless for that 13 year old ...

What a mess!

[balo]

They will pass , I am sure the extra donation will help.

So they can get their jobs in an "official" office and sit on their <deleted> all day doing nothing. 

[ThaiFelix]

Maybe they should be learning american instead because american is easier to learn as its not neccesary to be able to spell.????????

[AlexRich]

On this occasion I think the Thai’s make a very good point. A lack of English should not exclude a Thai from a Thai university course.