I'm a Thai who has been teaching English for many years. I lived in Dhaka, Bangladesh for 6 years and I enrolled for an MA TESOL there. My MA there and the work at a university there taught me tremendously about CLT and communicative English; and what could really help students to communicate in English.

For any Bangladeshi student who enrolled on an English course with communicative environment, I found that almost all of them could use English well after they graduate (university level). The assessment aligned with what had been instructed and trained...and many involved speaking, presentation, discussion, listening along with reading and writing.

In Thailand....., the curriculum still focuses a lot on grammar; though many try to implement " English Conversation Class" and have the 2nd English class taught by foreign teachers. however, I was told Thai teachers would still explained to them in Thai in their classes and many even had to write the pronunciation of those lessons in Thai alphabet so the kids could read.

The parents also believe that their kids don't know enough vocabulary or don't know enough grammar to speak well. That's because generations after generations here have been taught with the grammar translation method...and it is still going on....among parents and worse, English teachers who are Thai.

I am seeing a huge gap between the practice and the need of the school to keep the look of International standard while O-Net and A-Net tests are so hopeless and do not align with any lessons they teach in classes in many schools at all.

However, I wouldn't ask who is to blame...., but what can we do to improve it?

Sunida