THE EDUCATION MINISTRY plans to roll out big changes in its English-language curriculum.

Its aim is to ensure that all Prathom 6 graduates can speak the language well enough in the near future to express themselves in everyday situations.

“We will achieve that goal within 10 years,” Deputy Education Minister Dr Teerakiat Jareonsettasin said during a recent exclusive interview with The Nation. He said he was confident that the changes would be so clear that even children could recognise the difference.

The number of hours students study English at state schools for Prathom 1 to 3 students will rise from one hour per week to five when the next semester begins in early November.

Teerakiat said he would design an efficient learning schedule including teaching five new words every hour, one hour for reading practice, one hour for functional English, and one hour for revision and learning improvement.

“We will prepare new textbooks for them too,” he said. The deputy education minister said the new textbooks for Prathom 1 to 3 students would be efficiently designed, based on a collaboration between the Office of Basic Education Commission and the Chulalongkorn University Language Institute.

Teerakiat said 350 teachers had been recruited for a seven-day training programme between March and April in preparation for the improvements in English-language learning.

“We have organised the programme with the help of the British Council. At the end of the programme, we will have 28 master trainers who will help train other teachers,” he said.

To ensure teachers can pass on English competency to their students, the Education Ministry is setting up eight training centres this year. Every centre will have foreigners and master trainers on duty to guide teachers who will conduct English-language classes for young students.

Teerakiat said he believed these centres would be able to train 3,500 teachers this year.

“We aim to establish 18 such centres ultimately. When all of them are up and running, we should be able to train 13,500 teachers,” he said.

Teerakiat added that the Education Ministry planned to overhaul the way English was taught at schools after it became clear that many graduates were struggling with English communication, despite extensive study of English grammar.

“We will set a new standard for English teaching and learning. And this standard will be based on the Common European Framework of Reference [CEFR] for Language,” Teerakiat said.

The CEFR is an international standard for describing language ability. Widely recognised around the world, the CEFR describes language ability on a scale of levels from A1 for beginners up to C2 for those who have mastered the language. This system makes it easy for teachers and students to determine different levels of qualifications. It also means that employers and educational institutions can easily compare qualifications of the centres to other exam systems in the country.

Teerakiat’s goal is to help all Prathom 6 graduates achieve the A2 level within five years. The A2 level refers to a pre-intermediate level. Students who can speak at that level should be familiar with frequently used expressions and able to express themselves in English in everyday situations.

“At present, I believe they don’t even reach the A1 level,” he said. The A1 level reflects a basic command of the language, familiarity with everyday expressions and the ability to make very simple sentences.

Teerakiat said he set the B1 level for Mathayom 3 graduates as an intermediate level. With a B1 command of English, students should be able to describe experiences, events, dreams and expectations as well as offer their own opinions.

“We will set the B2 level for Mathayom 6 graduates,” he continued.

The B2 level signifies an upper intermediate mastery of the language. At that level, students should be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts and produce clear, detailed English writing. They must also be able to spontaneously enter into a conversation.

“We are working towards this direction in collaboration with the British Council,” Teerakiat said.

He said the British Council had been chosen as a partner because it had a modern curriculum and teaching methods, and its team was ready to go to provinces and help with training.

Teerakiat said he would allow time for teachers and students to adjust to the new curriculum, which will take full effect starting in 2018.

The deputy education minister said he was focused on the outcomes for students, |not on how many awards each school receives.

“The ultimate answer is student quality. My bottom line is that students must receive knowledge and be able to use it,” Teerakiat said.