Isolation A Problem In Thai Education System

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28475, 3 January 1958, Page 2

Isolation A Problem In Thai Education System

IBy

CHIRIBHA ONRUANG

of Thailand.}

Nothing made me want to come to New Zealand more than reports of the system of education, especially the correspondence school.

In Thailand, we have compulsory schooling. The Primary Education Act of 1921 requires all children over seven years of age to attend schools until they are 14 (unless they finish the primary course before that), so more than 50 per cent, of the people can read and can write now. But we still have a great number of children who live far from the school areas and do not have the opportunity to study. T/us is a big problem in our country So it pleased me very much to have a chance to visit and study the correspondence school in New Zealand.

The correspondence school service in New Zealand, I think, is very well developed. Not only does it . provide education for children in isolated country families; but also for the disabled, for pupils in the Cook Islands, Niue, and Western Samoa, pupils going overseas for periods up to a year, and for some resident overseas in territories not under the jurisdiction of the New Zealand Government. It provides not only the primary and postprimary courses but work for adult examinations, and studies in agriculture, art. craft, needlework, French and Maori. In Thailand, we have some private correspondence schools, but they are not well known and have few pupils—mostly adults. They provide training in commercial practice, accountancy, shorthand and typewriting rather than general lessons. In comparison with New Zealand,’ it is very hard to organise this kind of education in Thailand. Apart from needing the best communications, a correspondence school needs the understanding of the parents (especially the mothers) who can act as a supervisor to the child when the lessons arrive. New Zealand mothers are able to guide the children how to learn, because a lot of them are very well educated. But the parents in my country, who live in remote areas, are mostly (like their children) not educated at all. So it is

very difficult for them to help their children.

The Thai Government, however, is trying to develop education every year.

Unfortunately, when World War II broke out, the occupation of Thailand by the Japanese Army interrupted all this work. Many schools, especially the big secondary schools in Bangkok, were destroyed through bombing. Nearly all schools had to be closed down. During the war, teaching was carried on as near to normal as possible, but, of course, the safety I (both physical and moral) of the 'school population was the chief concern. Educational materials, such as text-books and paper, were very short. Two years after the war, education in Thailand had much improved. Up to the present time, we have 44 new district secondary schools and already we have facilities for secondary education for both boys and girls in each of the 71 provinces, and many new primary schools in every province. The teachers’ training schools also increase every year. Now, we have more than 30 such schools. We also have many vocational and adult education centres.

Because of the big population —25 million over the whole country—it is very hard to organise education for all the people. But the New Zealand Correspondence School has given me ideas which might well be adopted to my country.