Thailand Education System vs Manipur Education System
- Part 2 -

Chingakham Dina, Arambam Karamjit, Khwairakpam Sunita *

Students appearing for Class X Exam (High School Leaving Certificate)on 01 March 2016 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

Entry to University: There is no board exam to complete high school. Every school will conduct their own examinations. However there is a test called O-NET (Ordinary National Educational Test) to see the quality of students. There is no pass or fail score for this test. Students who are studying final year in primary school that is class 6, and high school students of class 9, class 12 students must take this test. Admission to universities or colleges is managed through central admission procedure. So, students who are learning 12 standard must take GAT (General Aptitude Test) for the purpose of university admission. However there is also university's own test that can admit students apart from allotted students by centralized admission procedure.

Scholarship and Student Loan: Scholarship are given to academically excellent students, socio economically backward families, as well as to those students who perform good work for the society. For higher studies, not only government institutions, there are many organizations, business offices who offer scholarship with an agreement that the student will work for the organization or the office after finishing the course. Any organization -government or private, they want to attract highly potential good candidate to work for them. Students loan is easy to find. In India student loan is just for a few lucky students, few students out of thousands. Getting student loan is not easy task in Manipur.

Students and Politics: In a period of more than a decade, we have never seen students campaigning for student election which is commonly seen in Manipur. There is election of course for students' leadership selection but they don't waste time in politics during study. We have gone through too much far in Manipur by taking all sorts of issues in students' hands such as social issues and politics. But in Thailand, politics and students don't mix. Thai students never waste their study time for politics but it is totally contrast compared with the system in Manipur.

Teachers and Their Responsibility: Thai teachers are more sincere and they know their responsibility. They will come to school without any absence. The principal and head of department will strictly check their attendance. Colleagues will raise voice if any teacher is missing from his/her duty. In Manipur, all teachers are their own boss. The head of the school cannot control over a teacher if he does not perform his duty. Because of this people's work ethic, taking responsibility in their hands and level of sincerity, they are more advance and we are still in third world.

Part Time Job and Practice Skills: Students are allowed to work part time at 24/7 opening shops, and malls etc. to practice skills by selling, exposing to business and marketing. They are paid for their time and service. In Manipur, when a nurse wants to practice in a clinic or hospital, the clinic/hospital demands money from the practicing nurse. We have never heard this in other countries that people work for a clinic or hospital and the clinic/hospital gets money from the persons who work for them. It is just total opposite. But in Thailand, students can practice their skill but they are respected and they get something for their time and energy.

Scope of Education as Foreign Students in Thailand

Bangkok is vibrant cosmopolitan city. It is famous for shopping, sight seeing, and it is a major tourist attraction in the world. It serves a transit hub to neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and then to Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia by bus and train. Once you landed in Bangkok you can easily access to the neighboring countries quite easily by land.

Being a cosmopolitan city, it is busy centre of business in southeast Asia. Education here also quite reflects to the nature of business, people, and global influence. Our youths move out from northeast to main city of India for education. In a new horizon of outlook, you can explore Bangkok in your map of educational destination.

Here are the potential advantages you will get by going school or university in Thailand.

1. No Student Will Fail

In Manipur's education system students will be failed. Teachers are happy to fail students which is a form of punishment for not working hard or for weakness in study. In Thai education system, students will hardly fail if it is not exceptional cases. Exams will be conducted by schools themselves up to 12 class. Unlike our Manipur's system, if any student fails due to absence from examination or due to poor mark, you still have chances to consult with your teacher who teaches the subject till you pass the exam.

In our system of Manipur, if you are absent on the day of examination due to accident or illness, or fail due to poor score, we are sorry. No excuses and goodbye, see you again next year. Because of this, every year students and parents of class 10 and 12 suffer from psychological illness. You don't worry from this fear in Thai education system. The system in Thailand is to nurture your child, not to destroy your child's carrier by punishing in the examination.

2. Career Opportunity

Study and schooling in Bangkok must be a new horizon in your career. Whatever you learn in India, the same topics and subjects will be learning in American classroom, British classroom, so does in Bangkok. The differences are how people manage things, how people interact with each other. The more you see, the more your mind and thought will be opening up. This is how education works and in that way you learn to cope up with problems and situation in your future career and business.

Classroom is much more modern compared with Indian schools or universities. Growing up in Thailand, you can see a number of business and work opportunity not only in Thailand but also in southeast Asian countries such as Singapore and Malaysia which is one day journey by bus. You have the opportunity to travel most of the ASEAN nations easily if you live in Bangkok.

3. Chance to Get Admission

In a large population and with poverty, our government cannot arrange enough number of seats in each discipline. You want to study medicine but you cannot get admission, there is no way to pursue your dream course.

According to UN expert, India needs to double the university from the existing ones to educate our youths but our government cannot afford it. In this situation only a fraction of students get admitted in their dream career subjects. There is more chance to get admission in Thai universities as foreign student. But there is no course in medicine for foreign students. You have chances for other courses including engineering courses. But be ready your English skill because you are going to another country and it is required for admission.

4. Learn Thai Language

If you go to school in Thailand, naturally you will be picking and learning Thai language. If you can communicate in a foreign language, you have better opportunity for employment and you are about to able to do business with Thai people. This is an opening the door of opportunity.

5. Food and Weather

Food and climate are nothing strange to you in Thailand. Whatever we eat in Manipur, you can find plenty of them in Thailand. The taste of Thai food will be nothing new to you once you taste it, unlike mainland Indian food. We are much more closer to Thai in terms of foods and drinks. Yongchak, Soibum, fermented fish, vegetables, eatable insects, meat, fish so on and so forth. Weather will not torture you in Thailand.

6. Second Class Citizen Feeling

When you go to another city in India, you will feel second class citizen with our mongoloid face (Sorry to say this but our personal experiences).You will never have this feeling in Thailand. You just feel as if you are living in your hometown as the surrounding people and their culture will not shock to you. People are friendly. Nobody will call you and talk behind you 'Chinky' as it is in other states of India. Local people will just feel you like their local fellow people. If they found you foreigner, they will react even friendlier, not like as fearful feeling as in Delhi or Kolkata.

7. Opportunities for Learning Other Foreign Languages

If you study in Thai high school, you have the opportunity to learn other foreign languages easily. English and Chinese are taught in almost all schools, and French, Japanese, Korean, German are also taught to a bit less extent. You will learn Thai without any struggle as time passes. Bangkok has much more opportunity for learning foreign languages than any cities of India.

You can learn any foreign language easily which you will never see or heard of that opportunity in Manipur. Teaching and learning is more in participation and practical in nature while in India, learning is mostly in theory and students might not able to work directly after they finished their course in India because of our teaching and learning depends heavily only on theory.

8. Admission

In Thailand new school session will begin on 15 May every year. Admission for foreign students should start by January and February. All documents and paperwork should be done by April and May. There are two semesters in a year. There is no winter holiday in Thailand as winter is almost unknown in Thailand. Some universities have autumn intake/admission. For university students, some universities provide hostel. Their hostels are very different from our India university hostels.

The room, canteen, floors, and surroundings are neat and clean like expensive hotel in India. Free internet will be provided in the hostels and university campus. If you want to stay in private apartment, there are plenty of them. Rental will be much cheaper compared with apartment in India with same facilities as supply is much more plenty in Thailand whereas in India rental is very costly due to demand far exceeds than supply with the large population size.

In the university, nursing, hotel management, tourism course and hospitality courses are popular among the foreign students. Thais are famous in these areas very well so they are really famous in tourism sector, as well as in medical tourism too. You can see more foreign students in the above mentioned disciplines. All other modern courses are offered in the university.

If you like to know more about education, courses or admission, contact Mr.Dina at the following address below.

Concluded

Writers' Profile: Chingakham Dina- Working at Pathumwiali School, Pathumthani Thailand. Also taught in Cambodia / Can be reached at chingakham(at)yahoo(dot)com
Arambam Karamjit- Teacher SKN School, Nonthaburi, Thailand/Former Retail Outlet Manager, Hang Ten Co Ltd, Singapore / Can be reached at ronin9992008(at)gmail(dot)com
Khwairakpam Sunita- Works at Pathumwilai School, Pathumthani Thailand / Can be reached at sunita.khwairakpam(at)yahoo(dot)com