A TYPICAL THAI SECONDARY

SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Children in Thailand who are fortunate to attend public school (many don't study beyond elementary school) will normally study in elementary school from kindergarten to grade 6 (in Thailand called 'Pratom' 1-6) and then at secondary school from grade 7 to 12 (called 'Matahyom' 1-6) after which they may even have the rare and good fortune to attend vocational school, college or university in Thailand.

Here is an outline of the courses students take in grade 7  and grade 12 (academic).

Grade 7 Curriculum

• Thai language

• Our Country (Thai Social Studies)

• Physical Education

• Art for Functional Living

• Science

• Mathematics

• Health Education

• Housework (for females)

• Basic Handyman Work (for males)

• Population and Environment

• Ethics of Selected Individuals

• Buddhism

• Fundamental English (grammar)

• English Listening and Speaking

• English Reading and Writing

Grade 12 Curriculum (Academic strand)

• Thai language

• Social Studies

• Health Education

• Physical Education

• Mathematics

• Fundamental English (Grammar)

• Thematic English (Conversation)

• Buddhism

• Physics

• Chemistry

• Biology

There are also various elective courses students make take (about 1 hour per week per semester). These courses vary from school to school and include such courses as computer science, agriculture,  graphic arts,  music and theatre, cooking.  The curriculum here is amazingly similar to what one finds in North American schools.  A significant difference is the class sizes (ranging in schools from 45 to 65 students)  and the highly teacher-centered style of instruction.

Students attend school in Thailand from Monday to Friday.  The school begins at 8:10 A.M. with a morning assembly in front of the school in the sports area in which the principal or vice-principals and assorted teachers inform, praise and berate, reward and punish students.  After ten minutes or so, they move on to home room for another ten minutes, and at 8:30 classes start.  Classes ensue until 11:30 when students have lunch, and the afternoon session goes from 12:30 until 3:00 (for lower secondary) and 4:00 (for upper secondary).   Some students attend private tutoring or go to cram schools (the wealthy who are preparing for university entrance exams), but the bulk of students enjoy their free time after school free of the stress and study that students in Japan and Korea must bear.  

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