gundl2

Auf Wikipedia ist das Schulsystem recht gut beschrieben:

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bildungssystem_in_Thailand

Daher nur in Kürze: Thailand gibt 27% des Budgets für Bildung aus (F, GB) nur etwa 11%. Der Standard ist aber sehr gering. Die anderen ASEA-Staaten liegen deutlich besser. Das hat damit zu tun, dass Thailand nie unter der Herrschaft der Kolonialmächte war.

Schulpflicht ist 9 Jahre. Vorher gibt es freiwilligen Kindergarten, 2 Jahre, der in der Grundschule stattfindet. Die gibt es überall in den Dörfern. Für die nächsten 3 Jahre Sekundarschule müssen die Kinder in die nächste größere Ansiedlung, meist mit dem Schulbus fahren.

Auch in der Grundschule unterrichten die Lehrer nach Fächern, das Studium dauert an der Universität  4+1 Jahre: Fachstudium + 1 pädagogisches Jahr und wird mit einem Examen abgeschlossen. Ohne dem verdient man deutlich weniger (Lehrermangel!) und es gibt keine Vorrückungen. Fai hat 4 Jahre Uni und verdient 9000 Baht, wenn sie die Prüfung hätte, würde sie mit 15000 Baht einsteigen. Kittichai als Direktor über 11 Lehrer verdient 34000 Baht. Aber er hat auch eine zusätzliche Prüfung machen müssen. Für jede nächsthöhere Rangstufe muss ein Examen abgelegt werden. Das Gehalt hängt von der Schulgröße, nicht von der Schulart ab!

Unterricht ist von 9-12 und 13-15 Uhr. In der Mittagspause kriegen die Kinder Essen in der Schule und müssen nachher Zähne putzen. Tisch decken und Geschirr waschen ist Sache der Kinder.
In der Früh müssen alle vor der Fahne antreten und es wird die Hymne gesungen.
Wenn Lehrer fehlen, dann gibt es keine  Supplierungen! Die Kinder beschäftigen sich selber……
Es gibt selten Raufhändel und die Kids müssen sich das selber ausmachen.Reinigung der Schule ist Sache der Kinder. Das machen die Mädchen…….

Ich habe mich gewundert, warum selbst eine kleine Grundschule Internet hat, und weshalb der Router in der Klasse 2 steht und nicht bei den Großen. Bis ich im deutschen Wikipedia gelesen habe, dass die Regierung allen Kindern in der ersten Klasse ein Notepad (Android 4.0) spendiert. Die Lehrer finden das nicht so super, weil die Kinder nur damit spielen. Im Isaan lernen die Kinder zunächst Lao, dann erst Thai. Sie kämpfen daher im ersten Jahr überhaupt mit Sprachkompetenzen.

Wikipedia describes the system very well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Thailand

So, here only add ons:
Thailand spends 27% of budget for education (F;GB only 11 %), but the standard is low. Thze other ASEAN_states are much better. Has to do with the fact that Thailand never has been colonialized.

Compulsory school attendance is 9 years. Before there are 2 years of kindergarden, which is also at the school. Elementary and primary schools can be found in any village. For secondary school kids have to take a school bus to the next town. Even in elementary school teachers teach only one subject. Study at university is 4+1 years. They have to finish with an examen. Without that they earn much less (there are not sufficient teachers….). Fai has 4 university years, but not the degree and earns 9 000 Baht, with the examination she would start with 15 000 Baht. Kittichai, the director earns 34 000 Baht. Income depends on size of the school, not of kind!
For each higher level in school administration services Kittichai has to pass another examen.
Casses  are from 9-12 am and 1-3 pm. Kids get their lunch from the government, have to clean theyr teeth after meal. They are responsible for cleaning dishes, classs and school area.
If there is no teacher, there is no substitute! Children stay alone, even the younger ones.I wondered why even small elementary schools have Internet. Each child of class 1 gets a tablet from the government! At least in Isaan this seems not to be satisfactory: Most Isaan kids speak at home Lao, they start learning Thai at school (at the same time also English!). They struggle.

Last Wednesday afternoon I was informed:“Friday there will be Kid´s Day, no school! Parents should come and see, there will be singing and playing and the kids get sweets“. Many thoughts in my head! But I could not get more information because of language difficulties and my experience is, that Thais are not used to exact descriptions.Will it be similar to Austrian „Open Door Day“? When schools make kind of advertisement for new students? What can I afford within only 1 day of preparation?
1)“Get out of bed“, a children´s song that I already have practiced with some classes. Parents should see how „sanuk“ it can be to learn English.
2) Giant soap bubbles, I have a concentrate brought from Europe. (Thanks heaven, to buy even the simplest chemicals is very hard to impossible)
3) „Helicopter-Experiment to make children active.

After the event KittiChai shall bring me to Bueng Kan that I can spend the weekend with other volunteers of the NGO.

Friday morning it turns out: there will be a presentation at stage. OH! I have a CD-Player for the class, but due to language problems it is not possible to copy that song to the big sound-machine. Big loss of audience…. but it is as it is…..
For the Helicopter experiment drawings have to be copied and cut to save time. Phae helps that much!

In the meantime presentations start on stage. As I am finished with my preparations I only can see the last sketch and the director tells me, that someone else will bring me to the town.

After the show all people will be fed, and for the remaining there will be plays. I only can manage, that the soap-bubbles are announced separately .
Here they are and wonder about the big bubbles!

The rest of my presentations did not happen, because the „transportation theam“ urged for leaving…In the meantime the list of songs became longer, and the helicopter experiment will happen some other day.
Class 5 and 6 find the existing songs too childish, they prefer Isaan Pop. Sounds nice for my ears, but is not in English! Since days I search the Internet but do´nt find. I proposed Elvis Presleys“Return to sender“ The song has a strong rhythm, the text is easy and good to understand. But they dislike. Seems they prefer what they know… No idea what I can do.
Even in Isaan (Lao) language or Thai there is much Isaan Pop, I tried hard.
Maybe this give some impression:

Half of the time passed, time to think it over.

What did I find, what are the perspectives for the next weeks?

The school has less teachers than classes, same for the other school. A teacher with all examinations earns 9000 Baht a month, another with less qualification 5000 Baht. Primary school teachers earn less than high schoolteachers on private schools even better earning is possible.

There are male teachers at school, they mostly sit in the teachers room at the computer, saw them only rearely in classroom. I don´t know what important work for school they do, but I have read it is part of the political system to keep people. Can´t say wether this idea is correct or no.

The 2 schools have better equipment than I expected. There are 2 multifunctional printers/scanners, WLAN  – also for kids. But computers are private, so I never saw a kid computing. All classrooms have small, but workingg TV-players. I could connect them with my converter to my computer.

There is a school budget and the director seems good in fund-raising.

After one day rain, all is muddy. He got some money to make a concrete soccer-field and some other sporting places. One weekend at least 80 educators of the surrounding came and worked from Friday afternoon until sunday. The classrooms were used as biwak. The village supports such actions, because KiddyChai, who was a monk once does ceremonies for them if needed.

Schoolyear is Mai to March. I could not find out about syllabus. Thai school system is known to be poor – in difference to Malaysia and New Zealand. But I have heard about a project with New Zealand to develop a better system.

I have seen 2 English books. The one I like more I have looked all 6 volumes. I think, when there is possibility to teach that, kids should be at level A2. But not each child has a book, they cannot borrow one. The English teacher who came back after a baby pause even has no book. She nearly speaks no English, so communication is hard. But I don´t know about her writing knowledge, I have met her only 2 days before New Years break. It is part of the system, that people don´t dare to speak, because they have fear to loose face in case of a mistake.

Children of 1. class seem to be over forced, they have to learn Thai writing and Latin alphabet at the same time!!! Additionally are the principal differences in structure of the two languages and the differences in adolescence, which seems to be bigger than in Austria.

Thai school system is mainly based on learning by heart and to copy. I found out, that in 3. class they are not able to read.

Because of the missing teachers many lectures cannot be hold. Knowledge of the children is small. People are poor here, many children don´t know the next city Bueng Kan, 70 km distance. So they don´t know for example the difference between village-town-city-country.

When you only know the closest surrounding, how can you become curious?

The children are brave, disciplined, independent – they clean the dishes, the school area….but they are not independent in thinking: they prefer to do in single line.

For me there is also the cultural difference to be involved in an American NGO. I am not educated as language teacher, the other American teachers at private schools in Bueng Kan are. Though I have learned singing now for one year, I am not strong enough to use in teaching. Until now I have not assisted a lecture the American way. I don´t know what American teachers mean when they speak about „funny“ lectures. Until now I miss a profound talk about teachhing methods. So it is hard to reflect and develop a method which meets the needs of the children and my ability the best.

I feel a gap between the 3 cultures.

Ups! that is much, though I only wrote some of my observations.