A "central direct exam" will set up for students wanting to go to university, to end the |current problem of students having to travel to colleges to apply for and sit direct admission tests separately.
The decision yesterday, by the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT), was announced by Prasart Suebka, chairman of CUPT and the Association of University Presidents of Thailand (AUPT).
"We will try to hold the examination to select students through the university direct admissions for the 2012 academic year. So I will rush to have a meeting with CUPT's members to discuss this in detail," said Asst Professor Pong-in Rakariyatham, chairman of the admissions forum committee.
CUPT's meeting took place at Suranaree University of Technology in Nakhon Ratchasima province.
Pong-in said the central direct examination would be held in the second semester for Mathayom 6 students (12th graders), as CUPT was keep to stop students having to skip classes during the semester to sit tests at many universities.
"Perhaps, we will organise the central direct examination in late January," Pong-in said.
He said students could sit tests |at exam sites of the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS), which provides the General and Professional Aptitude Tests (also known as GAT and PAT) for students across the country. CUPT will probably let NIETS provide the central direct examination to students.
CUPT would act as coordinator between students and universities. It would send the scores of students who join the central direct exam to universities for selection.
Pong-in expects the 27 member universities of CUPT will join the central direct exam system.
Other agreements at the meeting included holding GAT and PAT twice a year - in October this year and March next year. Another round of those tests normally held in July was cancelled. CUPT will use the same weighting of accumulated grade-point average (GPAX), Ordinary National Educational Test, GAT and PAT for the central university admissions in the 2011 academic year. Chulalongkorn would hold a Spanish language test as part of the PAT 7 (foreign languages) for students, Prasart told reporters |after.
The meeting also assigned Pong-in to find solutions for problems with PAT 2 (science) after engineering and science deans said they wanted to separate physics, chemistry and biology tests, not include them all in PAT 2 as a science test.
Meanwhile, the proportion of direct and central admissions should be 50:50, Prasart said. (Special quotas for talented students are not included as part of the direct admission's proportion.)
Deputy Education Minister Chaiyos Chiramethakorn was also present at the meeting, and said he was satisfied with the resolutions.
He previously proposed the |idea of having CUPT handle the exams to reduce expenses for parents and students, who should be studying in class instead of running around to sit tests at different universities.
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