Page 36 - Gazette1_63

STUDENT'S MAGAZINE \
STUDENT'S MAGAZINE \

Another advantage of the current situation is that the educational system is pushed to change,
which can lead to surprising innovations. The sluggish modernization of the education system,
with the old lecture-based approaches and old-fashioned classrooms, is suddenly forced to develop
rapidly in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Interactive learning applications are receiving
more attention, learning material is being broadcast through live television, and every school as-
signment is being submitted online. According to the World Economic Forum, students at a school
in Lebanon are even submitting their assignments for physical education online by shooting videos
of their athletic training and sending them to the teachers. These situations are pushing students to
improve their digital skills, which can be very useful to them in the future. By the time this pan-
demic blows over, both the teachers and students will be more used to having classes on the online
platform. The students might choose to take more online courses, while the teachers might consid-
er integrating more online resources into their classes once they find out how helpful the resources
can be. Right now, the educational system and the technology are still improving and innovating
in an effort to cope with the pandemic, so who knows what could happen? There might be better
educational websites, or cooler video call applications, or even virtual reality learning experiences
that can be developed as solutions to education problems during this difficult time.

Fortunately for Thailand, the COVID-19 pandemic has not affected education as much as
other countries because most schools in Thailand are currently closed for summer break.
However, that is not to say that we are not affected. The government has already an-
nounced that schools will be opened on the 1st of July instead of in May. According to The
Standard, the purpose of this postponement is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus
as well as to prepare for online education if a vaccine is not invented in time. In addition,
school admissions and standardized testing, such as the SAT and Cambridge International
Examinations, are being delayed. For students who are planning to go to college in the US,
a growing list of colleges have announced that the SAT or ACT is optional and will not be
required for admission for the class of 2021. According to the National Center for Fair and
Open Testing, about 1,000 U.S. colleges have already dropped the standardized tests from
admissions requirements, including top universities like University of California, Uni-
versity of Washington, and Tufts University. For Thai students who are studying abroad,
this pandemic has greatly affected them by forcing them to come back to Thailand. How-
ever, the process of coming back itself is very difficult. They need health certificates from
doctors and also confirmation letters from the embassy, which can be hard to obtain. For
normal Thai students enjoying their summer break, they are also affected by being unable
to participate in educational programs such as summer camps, as a result of social distanc-
ing. For instance, the M.1 students of EPTS don’t get to go to the summer camp in Canada
as they normally should. The orientation camp for new PDS M.1 students is also canceled.
They won’t get a chance to make friends or become more familiar with the teachers and
the school in general, which can make it difficult for them to adapt to the new environ-
ment when the school finally opens. If a vaccine is still not invented by then, online educa-
tion will likely be necessary. However, many questions still need to be answered. For exam-
ple, will the tuition fee go down? This is already a problem for Thai university students,
who are demanding their universities to lower their tuition fees with the popular hashtag
“#คืนค่าเทอมให้นักศึกษา” (return tuition fees to students) on Twitter. After all, we won’t have to
use the school’s facility or have school lunch. Another question is, will we have to wear our
uniforms during online classes? I know that this might sound like a dumb question.

35