Thailand’s Basic Education Commission admits online learning had never worked well, says new school year will begin normally in May

PHOTO: Thairath

Bangkok –

  The Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) insisted on school’s first semester nationwide starting on May 15th, 2022, as online courses had gradually affected children’s reading and writing abilities.

OBEC was responding, notes TPN, to rumors of yet another year of possible disrupted classes and schooling, stating that they believed children must be in school in-person, especially younger children, for proper learning. However, TPN also notes that individual provincial governors and local leaders could still “strengthen” rules, which has been a problem recently with some areas having school normally in Thailand but others disrupted due to provincial leaders having stricter regulations.

OBEC secretary-general Amporn Pinasa said the office had continued to manage the education system under the Covid-19 situation in the 2022 academic year. However, they admitted that online courses had never provided functional for studying and learning, especially among kindergarten and primary school students. Therefore, the on-site classes would not be postponed further and scheduled for May 15th, 2022.

“However, this was not mandatory. If any school was not ready or if the parents preferred to have their children study online, studying online could proceed,” Amporn added, seeming to allude to how some provinces and schools had stricter rules.

The secretary-general also expressed concerns over literacy and numeracy skills among elementary school students if online studying continued in the academic year 2022.

The OBEC, therefore, aimed to teach literacy and numeracy skills in students in Grade 1, 2, and 3, rather than focusing on all of the eight main subjects at the same time, namely Thai Language, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Studies, Health and Physical Education, Art, Home Economics, and Foreign Language (English).

Amporn stated: “This would potentially intensify the children’s skills while providing additional studying to fulfill what had been missing for children in the past 2 years of the Covid-19 crisis.”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=–=–=–=–==-

Need Covid-19 insurance for your next trip to Thailand? Click here.

Follow us on Facebook

Join us on LINE for breaking alerts!

Subscribe
Nop Meechukhun
National News Writer at The Pattaya News from September 2020 to October, 2022. Born and raised in Bangkok, Nop enjoys telling stories of her hometown through her words and pictures. Her educational experience in the United States and her passion for journalism have shaped her genuine interests in society, politics, education, culture, and art.