Schools in decline as renewed violence enters fourth year.

Schools in decline as renewed violence enters fourth year.

SIRIKUL BUNNAG

Today marks the beginning of the fourth year of violence since a decades-old separatist insurgency reignited in the Muslim-majority southern

border provinces in January 2004. The persistent violence has not only claimed hundreds of lives over the past three years, but has also

crippled education services, casting doubt over the future of the troubled region.

According to research by the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (Onesqa), student grades have dropped

markedly over the past three years.

In 2004, southern students in Grade 12 scored higher than the national average in the annual National Test (NT) in physics and maths. Last

year, student scores in the Ordinary National Educational Test (O-Net), which replaced the NT, trailed behind national averages in all subjects.

The statistics, however, came as no surprise to the assessment agency and academics.

''I was not shocked by the figures. The unrest has regularly prompted schools to close and forced plenty of experienced teachers to move

away,'' said Onesqa director Somwang Pitiyanuwat.

Prasert Kaewpetch, director of the Centre for Educational Management in the Southern Border Provinces, said students in the violence-

plagued region attended school only 150 days a year, compared to an average of 200 days for pupils in the rest of the country.

Teachers, students and their escort teams have been a constant target of militant attacks along with other symbols of Bangkok's rule in the

region.

Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and parts of western Songkhla formed much of an independent Islamic kingdom before it was annexed by Thailand in

1909.

But as militants continue to torch schools and target teachers, students are finding it harder to complete their academic programmes. Of 100

schools burnt down over the past two years, Narathiwat reported the highest number of 55 schools, followed by Pattani, 24, and Yala, 21.

About 1,600 experienced teachers have also fled the restive region over the past two years, said Mr Prasert, adding that many of their

replacements lacked teaching experience.

The performance of 12th-graders has dropped considerably as a result.

Efforts to increase security in public schools have failed to boost morale or confidence among teachers, students and parents.

According to Mr Somwang, the majority of schools also failed to pass the office's quality assessment tests.

Of a total of 1,144 public and private schools assessed, 857, or about 80%, failed tests which measure the competency of students, teachers

and schools.

About 82 schools still have not been assessed due to the ongoing violence.

Most students exhibited poor analytical thinking, lacked skills for self-study and development, had trouble with both individual and group study

and showed little enthusiasm to pursue honest professions, the report said.

Besides other shortcomings, teachers were not applying the approved, child-centred teaching approach and were marked below standards

required for effective teaching.

Most schools offered curricula that were unfit for the local context and did not have adequate teaching materials, according to the report.

Of the 205 schools that did pass, only nine scored satisfactorily, said Mr Somwang. They are Ban Dugu, Ban Sungai Kolok and Rang Pueng

schools in Narathiwat; Ban Maprao Ton Diew, Yaring, Anuban Pattani and Decha Panyanugul schools in Pattani; and Nibong Shinupratam and

Anuban Yala in Yala.

The Basic Education Commission will restore the NT this year to gauge literacy levels of sixth, ninth and 12th-graders.

Bangkok Post
Thursday January 04, 2007