Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics - IEA

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PART 2: THAILAND 159 or a Bachelor’s degree, generally without teacher education or formal qualifications in mathematics, science, and foreign-language subjects. Fry also found that students entering teacher education had generally low examination scores, thus underscoring concerns about teacher quality. Teacher education In the 1990s, Thai teachers generally obtained either a two-year diploma or a Bachelor’s degree from a variety of teachers’ colleges and universities. Recently, the government emphasized changing teachers’ colleges offering two-year degrees into full universities and upgrading overall teacher requirements (Fry, 1999; Office of the Education Council, 2004). The Ministry of Education created a new five-year Bachelor’s degree curriculum for prospective teachers that includes four years of coursework and a oneyear teaching practicum. In 2002 and 2003, about 36 rajabhat (teaching) universities (RUs) began developing new content for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education administration and teaching. A number of policies and programs have further attempted to upgrade the overall quality of the teacher labor force. For example, the government has offered scholarships and job security guarantees in order to attract more qualified students into teacher education programs. Between 2004 and 2006, 7,500 five-year scholarships were provided for qualified students entering various levels of basic education (Office of the Education Council, 2004). Also, in-service teacher education initiatives sponsored by a number of institutions have sought to move away from traditional pedagogical practices. Acting teachers with two-year diplomas can take an additional two years of courses, or 66 credits; it was hoped that, by 2007, all diploma in-service teachers would have Bachelor’s degrees (Office of the Education Council, 2004). Because the number of teachers possessing Master’s degrees is still fairly small, the steps taken to encourage teachers to acquire postgraduate degrees have been modest (Office of the Education Council, 2004). The Teachers’ Council of Thailand recently established professional standards requiring teachers to have either a Bachelor’s degree in education or a Bachelor’s in another subject plus 24 credits in education, along with a one-year teaching practicum. These teachers also receive instruction manuals prepared at the national level to help them use student-centered pedagogical approaches and to learn the knowledge and methods needed to teach eight different subject areas. The standards and manuals are a reaction to the fact that many of the secondary school teachers who earned their jobs at the time of the rapid expansion in basic-education enrollments possessed tertiary degrees but had little or no teacher education. A few small national programs are active in offering special support for teachers qualified in mathematics, science, and computing. One program, for instance, has offered close to 3,000 scholarships for prospective science and mathematics teachers. The Institute for the Promotion of the Teaching of Science and Technology (IPST) in Bangkok has also offered in-service teacher education in mathematics and science, and the “master teachers” they produce are supposed to help other teachers in different localities improve their knowledge and practice (Office of Commercial Services, 2002).
160 TEACHER PAY AND STUDENT MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT Teacher recruitment and salary structures The Ministry of Education not only approves and enforces general policies and guidelines for all basic-education institutions in Thailand but also devolves authority concerning academic, budgetary, and human resource allocation decisions to local schools. Each local school has a 7- to 15-member board that works with administrators to make decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, training, and the like. The school boards can also determine allocation of certain local resources for education and conduct quality assessment and assurance activities (Office of the Education Council, 2004). Although the central government stresses the importance of revenue for education being collected at the local level, it still provides the major financial support for basic education throughout the country. The government covers the capital and operating costs of public schools, as well as the operating costs of private schools (Office of the Education Council, 2004). Teacher salaries are thus provided according to a uniform national standard that is the same across primary and secondary education levels, and the same for both genders. 28 Salaries are generally higher for public school teachers, but private schools can charge “additional fees for improving the quality of education” within limits set by the government-based Office of the Education Council. The national salary structure generally does not reward teacher performance or distinguish between different academic subject areas. This situation has led to various imbalances in teacher supply, even though local schools can elect to increase salaries above the national standard according to individual teacher performance, subject area needs, and the like (Fry, 1999). According to information contained in the UNESCO Institute for Statistics database, primary school teachers in Thailand can receive additional bonuses and benefits for teaching extra hours, holding a higher educational qualification at entry, and gaining higher scores on the qualification examination. However, salaries tend to be based on experience rather than on age, and they are not aligned with completion of professional development programs, performance, and/or academic subject area. 29 The teacher salary structure can be mapped onto the national Civil Service Commission salary structure, which has separate “scales,” each with various levels (Office of Commercial Services, 2002). Achieving higher salary levels depends on years of experience as well as on receiving a satisfactory mark on the annual confidential evaluation report (Office of Commercial Services, 2002). Teachers can rarely jump a scale, except when they complete special research projects or written requirements. Because it is much easier for individuals in other government sectors than it is for teachers to jump to higher scales, teacher salaries are generally lower than the salaries of other government employees. Teachers also have fewer opportunities than many other professionals for quick promotion, another factor limiting the likelihood of highquality secondary students wanting to enter teaching (Office of Commercial Services, 2002). A 1998 survey of more than 1,000 graduates found that very few students pursued mathematics and science teacher opportunities, and that low salaries were the greatest deterrent to entering teaching (Fry, 1999). 28 Public teacher annual salaries for all basic-education levels in 1999 (in equivalent US dollars converted using PPPs) were $5,781 for a new teacher, $14,208 for a teacher with 15 years of experience, and $27,098 for a teacher at the top of the salary structure (UNESCO & OECD, 2005). In 2003, the corresponding numbers were $6,048, $14,862, and $28,345, respectively (UNESCO, 2005). About 37 years are needed for teachers to move from minimum to maximum salary at all levels of basic education. 29 In 2001, the base monthly salary level for teachers with a Bachelor’s degree was 6,360 baht. For a teacher with a Master’s degree, the base monthly salary was 7,780 baht (Office of Commercial Services, 2002).
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