Bangkok--28 Sep--
Bangkok 28 September 2018 – The British Council and the Ministry of Education are working together to improve the skills of 17,000 primary and secondary English teachers in Thailand through the Regional English Training Centres (RETC) project. Approximately 75 per cent of English teachers in Thailand are ranked at the A2 elementary level in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), representing an IELTS score of 3.5 to 4, combining it with language accuracy and memorisation rather than using the communicative approach. The RETC Boot Camp project was first introduced in 2015 to improve overall English teaching proficiency. After two and a half years, 15,300 English teachers (or 90 per cent) have improved their confidence in teaching English and using it in their classrooms. Additionally, more than 30 potential teachers have been intensively trained to become Thai master trainers (TMTs), working with the British Council's trainers to extend mentoring, and the transfer of knowledge to teachers and school directors, as well as creating academic networking opportunities with regional supervisors to improve follow up sessions. As the next step, an assessment and evaluation system is to be considered to assist in the adaptation towards the communicative approach.
Dr Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, Minister of Education, stated that the development of Thai students' English skills is crucial and needs serious improvement. Each Thai student studies English for at least 12 years at primary and secondary school, but most are unable to communicate in English which is the main obstacle to global competition. Two main challenges that need to be addressed are Thai teachers' English skills and their teaching approach. By focusing on language accuracy and the memorisation method rather than the communicative approach, most Thai students cannot communicate effectively in English. Many Thai students also have a poor attitude towards English classes. After recognising the challenges, the RETC in collaboration with the British Council and Ministry of Education, aims to refine Thai teachers' English skills and adapt the existing teaching methods into a more communicative approach to enhance students' listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
Mr Andrew Glass OBE, Director of British Council Thailand, stated that since the start of the project 15 RETCs have been established and that approximately 17,000 out of 40,000 of Thailand's English teachers have been trained and mentored in the communicative approach. Additionally more than 30 teachers have been intensively trained to become Thai master trainers (TMTs). TMTs can be counted as agents of change, working with British Council trainers to mentor and transfer knowledge to teachers and school directors, creating academic networking opportunities with regional supervisors to improve their follow up sessions. The outcome of the project has exceeded expectations in capacity building and facilitating change in the primary and secondary English teaching field.
After completing the project, the research clearly indicates that 90 per cent or approximately 15,300 English teachers have more confidence in teaching English in the communicative approach and more confidence in using English in their classrooms. Moreover, 72 per cent of English teachers improved their lesson planning and were able to give clearer instructions, while 94 per cent improved their lesson management. In addition, 93 per cent of English teachers have improved their English subject knowledge. All in all, the success of RETC is a result of the collaboration between a number of parties, including policymakers, educational service areas, Rajabhat University, regional supervisors, and core teachers to help solidify the project, Mr Glass concluded.
Mr Sutthiwat Sutthiprapa, one of the Thai master trainers and a full-time English teacher at Khor Wittayakom in Nakhon Phanom Province, mentioned that all the knowledge he gained from the RETC project can be applied in his English classes. It significantly changes the atmosphere of the classroom and the students' attitude towards English. Students are eager to attend the class and make every effort to participate in class activities. I believe that if every English teacher in Thailand exploits the RETC concept, Thai students' English ability will increase considerably.
For more information, please contact British Council Thailand or browse www.britishcouncil.or.th and www.english.obec.or.th.
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About the British Council
The British Council is the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, creating friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. Using the UK's cultural resources, the British Council makes a positive contribution to the countries we work with — changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.
The British Council works with over 100 countries throughout the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million online, via broadcasts and publications.
Founded in 1934, the British Council is a public body and a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. The majority of our income is generated by delivering a range of projects and contracts in English teaching and examinations, education and development contracts, and through partnerships with public and private organisations. Eighteen per cent of our funding is received from the UK government.