Thailand Is Facing A Crisis in Education

20% of the national income of Thailand is used for education; however, the majority of this amount is used for to fund schools that are already well off and selected regions for political purposes.

Problems

Resources are limited
Language and learning barriers due to different dialects
Schools are not funded properly
Class Sizes are too big (34-55 children in each class)
Thailand ranks low in the global educational rankings
Students from small schools rank lower than student from bigger schools

Education is not affordable
Teachers are not trained
Western teachers are not qualified
Children face bullying
Teachers are forced to pass students even if they fail
Teachers are not given proper salaries
Teachers have to teach multiple subjects

Statistics

430,000 children do not finish school because they cannot afford to go. Many of them stay out till 1 am selling flower, peanuts and other items to try create income for their family
50% of children are unable to use their main language within the schools
3.9 million adults are unable to read a sentence in their own language
33% of children, between the ages of 13-15, experience bullying, physical and emotional violence at school
The government give higher quality schools and favored regions more money and resources
Thailand has 173 universities; however, many are underfunded
Families who are able to afford a good education send their children to international schools or schools abroad so children with good educations are isolated and then given better job opportunities
2012 International PISA scores revealed that students from big city schools improved at a rate of 21.3%; whereas, students from small schools fell behind 16.1%.

Global Rankings

Out of 72 countries, Thailand ranks…

55th in overall educational results
54th in math and science
57th in reading

Out of 40 countries, Thailand ranks…

35th in educational systems

What Are We Doing About it?

We teach discipline and life skills
We reduce the class size (2-4 people) and each student is given personal attention from the teacher
We give a free English education for families who cannot afford it
We provide qualified, experienced teachers with teaching degrees in English
We focus on equality for every student. Everyone is given a chance to learn and develop regardless of their age, gender or ethnicity
We provide a safe space for children, who are experiencing physical and emotional violence from either at home or at school