DEPUTY Bangkok Governor Pusadee Tamthai is encouraging teachers at city-run schools to tackle challenges and try to deliver better education to children who come from different backgrounds.

“To improve students’ education, we need to enhance the quality of teachers,” Pusadee said.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) operates 438 schools in the capital. Together, they have more than 295,000 students and some 14,700 teachers. In addition to the per-head subsidy from the government, the schools also receive an annual budget of about Bt850 million from the BMA.

Yet, being a teacher at these schools can be challenging as the children usually come from underprivileged families. Studies reveal that a huge number of primary students at these schools come from broken families, and many of them have grown up in unfavourable conditions.

“There is a prevalence of illegal drug trafficking in their communities,” Pusadee revealed.

She said the BMA was aware of this problem and thus, seeking cooperation from relevant agencies to deliver as much help to these children as possible. She also said that teachers must not use the children’s background as an excuse if their students do not progress well.

“Don’t blame the students’ background. When you find a challenge in your job, look for possible solutions. Then you can discuss your plan with us and we can prepare related support,” the deputy city governor said.

Overseeing BMA’s educational affairs, Pusadee has been placing strong emphasis on teacher development. She said development efforts would include teacher training, which covers knowledge and different techniques. Teachers will also be taught how to screen and identify students who have learning disorders or special needs.

“The BMA operates schools for children with special needs as well,” Pusadee pointed out.

The deputy city governor explained that she did not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach and encouraged teachers to do their best in this context.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra announced earlier this year that his administration would significantly improve the performance of students at BMA-run schools. His goal is for average scores in the Ordinary National Educational Test (O-Net) to soar beyond 50 per cent.

The goal is quite ambitious given the current scores earned by BMA-run schools’ students.

For Prathom 6 students, the average score for maths, science and Thai-language was just 41.26, 36.67 and 45.31 respectively. For Mathayom 3 students, the average score for maths, science and Thai-language stands at 22.99, 34.89, and 43.04 respectively, while for Mathayom 6 students, scores for the three subjects stood at just 18.08, 27.25 and 44.15.

The most depressing scores are in English, Pusadee reckoned, though she noted that these poor scores only show that the BMA needs to urgently improve the quality of teachers and teaching/learning standards.

She said the BMA plans to start developing 15 model schools this year, and the goal of boosting O-Net scores will be seriously pursued at these schools first. However, she was quick to note that improvement efforts would apply to all BMA schools, adding that she was confident that average O-Net scores of Prathom 6 students in BMA-run schools would rise this year.

O-Net tests will take place later this month for maths, science, English, Thai and social studies, which includes religion and culture.

“So far, 205 schools of the BMA-run schools have volunteered to undergo training in order to identify the reasons behind Prathom 6 students’ failure to perform well in O-Net. So, we expect to see improvements,” Pusadee said.

Recently, the BMA was criticised for procuring overpriced Western musical instruments, including 437 pianos, which cost over Bt100,000 each.

However, Pusadee defended this, reiterating Sukhumbhand’s explanation that, “No matter where the children come from, and even if they are from a disadvantaged group, they should not be denied the opportunity to learn how to play Western music.”

She said the development process usually takes time. “The results may not be clear in four years. If possible, a city governor’s term should be six years long, for the sake of continuity,” she said.