Only one chance at the O-Net

Only one chance at the O-Net
The head of the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT) yesterday insisted the body would allow Mathayom 6 graduates to take the Ordinary National Educa-tional Test (O-Net) only once.

Published on December 16, 2007


It will also ask universities to allow students unable to present O-Net results to undergo individual university's direct admission procedures, said council president Wanchai Sirichana.

Following the CUPT's meeting yesterday, Wanchai told reporters the council had agreed that Assoc Professor Monthol Sa-nguansermsri, rector of Naresuan University, would be his successor from January 1.

He said the CUPT was also looking for ways to help those wanting to get into university - but who had no O-Net result from the year they graduated from Mathayom 6 - by asking universities to be more open to such student applicants through direct admission.

They include those who missed their O-Net exams due to unfortunate personal reasons, those who were engaged on foreign-student exchange programmes, those who graduated from other countries and undergraduate students wishing to study at institutes other than their current ones.

The CUPT will allow students who recently missed their O-Net exams the year they graduated from Mathoyom 6 due to personal reasons to take alternative O-Net exams which it will ask the National Institute of Educational Testing Service to hold for them later, Wanchai said.

Wanchai, who is president of Mae Fah Luang University, said the central university admission for 2008 and 2009 would remain the same, using both the scores of O-Net and the Advance National Educational Test, and the GPAX (Grade Point Average Mix).

In 2010, the O-Net scores at 30 per cent, the GPAX at 20 per cent, the aptitude tests - comprising the General Aptitude Test and the Professional Aptitude Test - at 50 per cent would apply when students' admission scores are being considered, said Wanchai.

The CUPT also vowed to push forward the 'good-deed' scores accumulated by students from Pathom to higher-secondary level to be part of the consideration for the university admission system, he said.

The council will ask all universities to use such aspects as a component in student interviews for both central university admission and individual universities' direct admissions from next year, he added.