Nitinan Yotsakulsate

G.11-03

Preparation of Thailand

ASEAN or Association of Southeast Asian Nations is regional grouping that promotes

economic, political, and security cooperation among its ten members. Thailand, as one of the

members need to prepare for the AEC, as it now enters its second year. Thailand need to prepare for

many things. The three examples of important things that Thailand should improve which are

languages skill, the better education, and the quality workers.

The language is the important key of communicate between people. English the official

language for the world which very important skill for communicate among different countries.

Thailand as one of the members of ASEAN has to prepare for the open of AEC. Thai people still have

problem of English skills, for example speaking and writing. Thai people should realize the important

of language skill that will useful for the open of opened AEC. Chinese language also important as

well. Nowadays, China has been involved for the economics of the whole world which after AEC

opened Chinese businesses might come to Thailand and the Chinese speaker would get the benefits

from that. The opened AEC will make the foreigners come to Thailand both for business and tourism.

Thailand has to prepare to get the most benefits form open of AEC and make the least disadvantage

for the natural resources and tourist attraction. Thailand as a center of AEC, by geography, might has

more tourists come according from 2016 MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index, Bangkok is

the top-ranked destination city by international overnight visitor arrivals. Bangkok is projected to

receive 21.47 million international overnight visitors in 2016. The point interesting places that the

tourists would go has to able to hold as much tourists as needed. The language skill is very important

for Thai people which the government should pay more attention from the bottom which is students.

Thailand education has been poor for centuries. The government need to prepare the children

which will grow up and become adults one day to able to compete with the foreigners that will come

in Thailand. Thailands education about English language focus too much about grammar which made

the kids struggle with speaking skills. Also, the kids has been taught not to argue for themselves but

only listen to the elder which will harm themselves in the future. The teachers should teach the

modern life lesson such as the disadvantage of using too much mobile phone and give the reasons to
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G.11-03

make the kids understand and become a better adults in the future. For years shoddy teaching has

favored urban children whose parents can afford to send them to cramming schools or to study

abroad. (Not rocket science, 2017). From the article shows that the students nowadays has to study

extra class to get in a good universities. Thai government never realize how poor is the examination

that most of the student has to take extra class to get a good score. Every Thai seniors needed to take

the required exams such as GAT, PAT, essential subjects in order to admit to Thai-program

universities. According from National Institute of Educational Testing Service website, the percentage

of the students who attend the examination and the score range. PAT1, mathematics test in 2016,

64.73% from 253,213 students got 30.01-60.00 points from 300 points; result of this examination

show how poor Thailand education system is. Also, the mean score of PAT1 become lesser each year

according from Dek-d columnists thread of mean and score range compare to the previous years

(@llomintoll, December 2016). There are many comments from students who took the tests and they

agreed that their senior subjects arent covered enough information to make students pass the tests

which made they have to spend lots of money for tutoring school and books. As long as English

language learning in Thailands objective is to create people who can communicate well in English

which is unachievable goal through learning in a classroom. The objective needs to change to one

which can actually be achieved. That objective is to make Thai children literate in English. To put it

very simply, if a child can match a picture to a word, or better still if they can produce a word or

words to describe a picture (on paper or in their mind), then they have become literate. (Gary I.,

2016). From Ilness quote show that Thai government need to improve. Its really important for

students to get a good education because kids nowadays will become adults in future and lead the

country. Students also tend to take extra courses and ignore normal lesson in their classroom while

teachers tend to want to improve their academic status rather than teaching their students. This is the

weakness of Thai education. Thai education needs to be revamped. More teachers are needed while

tests should be conducted to assess quality of each school.(Chokchai S., 2014). I personally agree

with this idea because this problems are the common problems that students has to face all the times

but no one really do anything to change this. Thailand has to develop its education system to make a

good quality workers.

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As Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said every worker is considered a key

driving force toward national development while the government has introduced new employment

channels through SMART LABOR application and Smart Job Centers. AEC is completely focused

on business and economics. Thailand should prepare to gain the most advantages from this. As the

member of AEC, Thailand would gain interest and trust from foreigners business to invest which also

will need the quality workers. Thai people need to be active and develop to make their resumes able to

compete with other countries workers such as Vietnamese, Burmese, and others. Since AEC opened,

the Burmese, Vietnamese, Laos, Cambodians, and others can enter Thailand as a workers which Thais

need to improve their work skills to get the job. Their will have more competitive to get the job

because the foreigners that came are mostly a quality workers. Thai people need to prepare

themselves in many ways such as languages skill and work habits. Nowadays, there are many

foreigners industry invest Thailand and the persons that has languages skill will has more chance of

get a good job and good pay. According from TIR magazine Jan 2017 vol. 27, Prime Minister found

The Office of the Board of Investment (BOI) for business support and investment incentive to

foreigners investors in Thailand, including tax and non-tax incentives.

The opening of AEC will give both advantage and disadvantage to Thailand. Thais need to

improve and create the interesting skill such as languages to make them get the job that has to

compete with the foreigners that come in Thailand for work which the government should start from

the students. The good education will make the children become a good adults and make Thailand

become better in the future. Nowadays, Thailand prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has been develop

the country by using the state of Thailand 4.0. Thai people also have to develop themselves to make

the country better.

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References

Not Rocket Science (2017, January 19), Poor schools are at the heart of Thailands political

malaise. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21715011-countrys-class-war-has-its-

roots-classroom-poor-schools-are-heart-thailands

NIETS, score of GAT/PAT first examination in 2016, Retrieved from

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%E0%B8%9A_%E0%B8%8A

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%E0%B8%99GATPAT.pdf

Aseancenter, Thailand in AEC: Myths, Realities, Opportunities and Challenges, 2013

Retrieved from http://www.aseancenter.org.tw/upload/files/20131030_1-1.pdf.

Ilnes G. (2016, January 1). City life Chiang Mai, English Learning in Thailand: The simple

fact that no one seems to get. Retrieved from http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/citylife-

articles/english-learning-in-thailand-the-simple-fact-that-no-one-seems-to-get/

Llomintoll (2016, December 14) Mean and score range of GAT PAT score compare to the

previous years. Retrieved from https://www.dek-d.com/admission/43884/.

Mastercard Global (2016). Master Class, Bangkok Claims Title as Worlds Most Visited City.

Retrieved from http://newsroom.mastercard.com/asia-pacific/press-releases/bangkok-claims-title-as-

worlds-most-visited-city-2016-mastercard-global-destination-cities-index/.

Kemtong T. (2016, April 30). PM urges Thai workers to adjust themselves to change, improve

capabilities. Retrieved from http://nwnt.prd.go.th/CenterWeb/NewsEN/NewsDetail?

NT01_NewsID=WNSOC5904300010013#sthash.e3idpSkp.dpuf

Thailand Investment Reviews (2017, January). ABOUT BOI. Thailand Investment Reviews.

Vol.27 No.1. Retrieved from http://www.boi.go.th/upload/content/TIR_Jan_32824.pdf