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EIN April 2024 Newsletter
News and updates from EIN
Adam Pavlakovich
April 17, 2024
EIN April 2024 Newsletter
Table of Contents
Weekly Meetup at Arcadia Barcade 🕹️🍻
Join us every Wednesday from 6-9PM at Arcadia Barcade near the Phra Kanong BTS Station for our weekly meetup! All EIN members enjoy a 20% discount. Let's connect, share, and have fun!
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Member Projects and Highlights 🎉
EIN Roundtable Discussion
On April 10th, EIN hosted its inaugural roundtable addressing the current challenges we are encountering in the educational field. Monisha and Whitney, EIN Executive Committee Members, facilitated a productive dialogue encompassing the struggles faced by children during the COVID era, particularly in terms of social adaptation, literacy deficiencies, and developmental hurdles.
Furthermore, we delved into the integration of AI in educational settings, exploring strategies to mitigate indifference among students and educators towards AI utilization for assignments, as well as ensuring its appropriate implementation to enhance student engagement in the classroom.
The event was truly enriching, and we are excited to announce that more roundtables will be organized in the future to foster targeted and well-moderated discussions.
The JUMP! Foundation
The JUMP! Foundation launched a new series of summer programs tailored to cultivate the next generation of global leaders. JUMP! Expeditions are an excellent experience for youth seeking a confidence boost, enhanced sense of belonging, or leadership development.
JUMP! is a non-profit based in Bangkok that has worked with international schools across the region for two decades. If you want more info on the programs, you can reach out directly to [email protected]
Some upcoming programs:
Central Thailand
Theme: Seed to Summit: Adventure, Ecology, and Sustainable Futures
Date: July 3-9 (7days)
Location: Chiang Mai
Age: 14-18
South Thailand
Theme: Wild Roots: Coastal Adventures & Jungle Journeys
Date: July 12-21 (10 days)
Location: Krabi and Khao Sok
Age: 14-18
North Thailand
Theme: Seed to Summit: Adventure, Ecology, and Sustainable Futures
Date: July 24 - August 4 (12 days)
Location: Northern Thailand - Chiang Mai
Duration: 12 days
Age: 14-18
Nepal
Theme: Quest Beyond Peaks: A Journey Within
Date: June 17 - 30 (14 days)
Location: Mardi Himal - Nepal
Duration: 14 days
Age: 15-19
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Free Resources
InsightPact is dedicated to empowering professionals like you with the tools and resources needed to succeed in today's dynamic world.
That's why we're thrilled to offer you access to our collection of free professional development resources! Whether you're seeking to enhance your leadership skills✅ , improve team collaboration ✅, or you’re considering remote/distributed work✅, our resources cover a wide range of topics designed to help you prosper in your career.
Weekly Meeting Agenda Template ⭐
It's a fact that having a well-planned agenda with practical time allocation, which is communicated in advance, can significantly reduce most of the frustrations that people experience during meetings. You can use this weekly meeting agenda template to create a more effective structure for your meetings. Feel free to customize it and adjust the timings to suit your preferences and team's needs.
Team Building Activity Pack
A fun step-by-step activity guide for building team connections and establishing better working relationships. This pack includes a themed slide deck and an activity flow to guide you through the timing, agenda and technical facilitation instructions for your next team building.
Professional Development Support Guide
Investing in professional development courses or workshops is a great way to grow your skill set and advance your career while still meeting your day-to-day responsibilities. But the cost of these opportunities can be daunting. This guide (complete with template) provides you with the steps you can take to approach your employer to request financial assistance, make your case and secure professional development support from your employer.
News in the Education Industry 📚
Foundational Skills Crisis in Thailand Recent findings by the Equitable Education Fund and the World Bank highlight a significant foundational skills crisis among Thai youth and adults. The studies reveal that a large portion of the population lacks basic literacy and digital skills essential for the 21st century, posing a substantial economic and social challenge for the country (EEF - Equitable Education Fund).
Revamping the 'One Student, One Tablet' Initiative The Thai Ministry of Education plans to reinvigorate the 'One Student, One Tablet' policy, initially introduced over a decade ago. This revised initiative aims to provide equal educational opportunities by equipping every student and teacher with a tablet, thereby enhancing learning experiences and reducing educational disparities (Globe | Bangkok’s News + Lifestyle).
Improvement in Education Competitiveness Thailand's education sector has seen a rise in its competitiveness ranking, attributed to increased public expenditure on education and a higher proportion of the population receiving tertiary education. These improvements reflect ongoing efforts to enhance the quality and accessibility of educational opportunities in the country (สอวช).
Higher Education Sandbox Initiative The Higher Education Sandbox, discussed in NXPO's Future Talk, explores innovative educational models in Thailand's higher education system. This initiative seeks to adapt higher education offerings to better meet market demands and workforce needs, particularly in high-skill areas such as technology and data science (สอวช ).
Comprehensive Education Management Policies for 2024 The Ministry of Education has introduced extensive management policies aimed at overhauling the Thai education system. These include promoting active learning, enhancing assessment systems, supporting digital learning, and developing new vocational and professional education pathways to better align with labor market demands (SAWASDEE THAILAND - THAILAND.GO.TH).
Significant Budget Allocation for Education and Innovation The Thai government has allocated a substantial budget of 146 billion baht for higher education, science, research, and innovation for 2024. This funding is set to support a variety of initiatives, including manpower planning, academic excellence, and the integration of innovative economic models into the education system (สอวช).
Upcoming Events 📅
Southeast Asia Blockchain Week (SEABW2024):
Date: April 22-28, 2024
Location: ICONSIAM, Bangkok, Thailand
Focus: Exploration of Web3 technology in Southeast Asia with industry leaders discussing the future of blockchain.
The 4th Southeast Asian Conference on Education (SEACE2024):
Date: May 9-11, 2024
Location: Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore
Focus: "Education for Change: Addressing the Challenges of Uncertainty" – discussing responses to rapid changes and uncertainties affecting various fields.
ICEF South East Asia 2024:
Date: June 11-13, 2024
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Focus: Networking event for professionals in the international education sector, focusing on student recruitment in Asia.
EIN Member Article of the Month 📝
The Game Changer: Ditching University Diplomas for Tailored Certificates
The education realm is forever morphing, and we're currently witnessing a major pivot from conventional university degrees to bespoke certificates. This isn't just reshaping education, it's also revolutionizing the job market.
Many of us grew up with the certainty that a university degree was your golden ticket to a cushy job. But the job market is a different beast now, with employers valuing practical skills and job-specific know-how over traditional degrees. And guess what? Tailored certificates are emerging across the market to meet this need. (Bessen, 2019).
So much change so quickly can be attributed to the breakneck speed of today's work environment. Tech and automation are shaking up the job scene, birthing new roles and retiring old ones. In this fast and furious world, tailored certificates are your fast track to the skills needed for these fresh gigs. For example, a certificate in data science or digital marketing can get you job-ready much more quickly than a four-year degree (Fleming, 2020).
Let's not forget the cost factor. University degrees across the international market have become untenably expensive, often leaving students with a mountain of personal or governmental debt. Certificates, on the other hand, are typically lighter on the wallet and high in specialization. A Georgetown University from back in 2015 found that some certificates can lead to higher earnings than bachelor's degrees, proving their worth in the job market then and now.
Flexibility and pacing is also a major factor. Many certificate programs are offered online, allowing you to learn at your own pace and place, without the multi-year commitment. This flexibility and efficiency is a godsend for working professionals looking to upskill or reskill without hitting pause on their careers (Cappelli, 2015).
However, this doesn’t mean that the traditional degree is completely out of the market. Instead, they are in need of a truly reflective overhaul regarding use, cost, delivery, and preparation for every-changing job markets. Universities need to not only add certificates to their offerings to stay relevant, they need to rethink the traditional system so broad-knowledge programs and targeted upskilling certificates are complementary toward change.
All in all, the market pivot from university degrees to tailored certificates mirrors the evolving needs of the job market. Certificates offer a flexible, cost-effective, and targeted route to job-specific skills. But they're not a magic bullet. Both degrees and certificates have their place in the education ecosystem, and the choice between them should hinge on individual career goals and circumstances.
Job Postings 🚀
Explore new career opportunities shared by our network members.
If you have any interest in these please email [email protected] with your CV and the job you’re interested in.
LSP Schools is hiring teachers
LSP School supports students in reaching their full potential. It provides guidance for university admissions, organizing preparatory exams, offering mock exams, and providing courses from OnDemand Ignite by OnDemand and EduSmith.
Math & Science Teacher for Grade 10-12 (2 vacancies)
https://careers.learn.co.th/p/8f73fc3169af-mathematics-and-science-teachers
Technology for Grade 7-12 (2 vacancies)
https://careers.learn.co.th/p/2d7843a5cb89-technology-teachersSocial Study for Grade 7-9 (3 vacancies)
https://careers.learn.co.th/p/c5913ccdba3a-social-studies-teachers
Beyond Books is hiring new coaches and assistants.
Beyond Books teaches extra curricular classes in over 26 schools in Thailand. Please see their current job listings here.
HEYA Education is looking for a School Administrator and a Marketing and Sales Specialist.
Job Descriptions here.
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