BANGKOK, 30 July 2012 – According to world-renowned language school Education First or EF, Thai youth are ranked number 42 in English language skill out of 44 surveyed countries.
According to a research by EF on the levels of English language proficiency among youth in 44 countries, Thailand ranks 42nd, one spot lower than Cambodia. The ranking also puts the country behind other ASEAN countries, such as Vietnam at number 39, Indonesia at number 34, and Malaysia at number 9.
The Secretary-General of the Office of the Education Council has pointed out that Thailand does not have specific strategies or targets in its teaching of foreign languages and Thai students do not understand the objectives of language learning. Therefore, he said the country must immediately reform its educational system in order to be on par with the international standard.
In addition, he stressed that when the ASEAN Community is established in the next 3 years, Thailand will need to make all official communications in both Thai and English, hence the importance of improving language skills among Thais.
