New moral test set for students
Draft curriculum lifts pass-mark bar
By Sirikul Bunnag
Mathayom 6 students will be required to obtain accumulated grade point averages of at least 1.5 to graduate and pass the ''virtue'' requirement under a new basic education curriculum draft. The proposed graduation criteria, unveiled at a public hearing yesterday on the draft, is hoped to lift the quality of higher secondary graduates.
About 250 teachers and school administrators attended yesterday's event. They hailed the new requirement as a tool to bring back to class students who do not pay attention to their studies.
Suchart Wongsuwan, an adviser to the Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec), said the existing curriculum and the grading criteria are not conducive to lifting educational standards.
Under the present curriculum, students are required to obtain a GPA of 1 in each of eight core subjects, a minimum scale many educators agreed had been set too low.
''This means students can graduate if they receive 50% in every subject. We believe a GPA of 1 is not enough. A higher standard of secondary education is crucial for those wanting a university education.''
However, the graduation criteria for primary school and Mathayom 3 students has not been revised, he said.
According to Mr Suchart, there is also the moral virtue requirement which students must pass.
The draft curriculum suggests that students at all levels do community service to boost their sense of morality.
If the draft is approved, it will be the first time students are judged not only on their academic performance, but also their virtue capacity.
The draft would introduce a community service requirement, the first of its kind under the basic education curriculum, he said.
Primary and higher secondary students (Mathayom 4-6) should have accumulated community service of 60 hours, while secondary students (Mathayom 1-3) should obtain accumulative community service of 45 hours.
Narong Khongkij, director of Wat Saket school, agreed with the proposed revision of the graduation criteria.
At present, students who fail in a subject are made to sit extra classes to ''re-learn'' the subject. But often, teachers let them pass the class easily.
''Students can graduate if they pass the tests. But there is no guarantee that those who pass really understand the subjects.
''Some might have passed for the sake of sitting in the extra classes,'' he said.
Mr Narong admitted that some teachers let their students pass under pressure from the parents.
Kasem Suparanont, director of Sukhanari school in Nakhon Ratchasima, said the proposed requirement will force students to pay more attention to their studies.
''Some students come to school just to play the day away and certain teachers are kind enough to let them pass the tests,'' he said.
Obec secretary-general Kasama Varavarn na Ayudhaya has promised to come up with measures for slow-learning students before it enforces the proposed graduation rule.
According to Khunying Kasama, in recent years the commission revived the rule under which students are forced to repeat the entire year of studies if they fail the overall assessment.
The result is that tens of thousands of students had to stay behind while friends advanced to the next grade.
She said the higher GPA policy must be enforced carefully or there would be many more students staying behind. Findings from the hearings will be gathered and used to revise the draft before further submission to Obec.
Bangkok Post Jan. 27, 2008