From: sl2k+@andrew.cmu.edu (Schitt Laowattana)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Re: Demand-Supply of S&T Manpower in Thailand
Date: 10 Oct 92 08:07:57 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.8epjzRe00Uh7Q1Sm5z
Organization: Doctoral student, Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

Excerpts from netnews.soc.culture.thai: 10-Oct-92 Re: Demand-Supply of
S&T Ma.. by A. Anuchitanukul@Xenon.S 

> So, 6719-5686 newly graduated engineers will be unemployed in the year 
> 2539 (1996??) and so do 3936-3590 scientists.   What do those 4,932 with
> a Bachelor's degree in agriculture do?  Does zero demand imply unemployment
> for them?  

Sawatdee Krub Khun Anuchit,

    That's right.  Supply will be over demand in the year 2539 for
bachelor degree.  This is one of the major bummers indicating that we do
not plan ahead.

    As noted at the end of the message, zero means the supply is sufficient.


>  
> I do not agree with the way that we are solving the engineer-shortage problem
> today.  Many new universities are opened, many vocational schools are 
> relabelled "university" and they start to give out so many B.Eng degrees
> (probably with the same curriculum and with the same faculty).  
> This is wrong.  We can't solve this shortage problem by simply increasing 
> "quantity" and at the same time ignoring "quality". 

    I agree with you on the quality(please see my previous post
"Part[1]: Major Problem).  However, we have to optimize between quality
and quanity since our industry in most fields is expanding exponentially.

    Sufficient number of qualified S&T instructors must come first
before we can produce qualified S&T students.  I believe that some Thai
professionals aboard  are helping to solve this problem.  This summer
1991, they went back to give short courses at various universities.

>  
> I personally feel that many engineering schools (even the big old
brand-named 
>  
> ones) today supply the market with under-qualified engineers.  No need to 
> mention many newly opened/upgraded schools which still can't figure out
> who are going to teach courses. 

    After seperating from governmental management, engineering
universities will be able to recruit more qualified personel and
hopefully they can perform their jobs better.  I believe the second
round to enact this law will come soon.  The first attemtp was failed
during Anand 1 administration.



>  
> I have seen some newly graduated engineer who can't do calculus or
even better
>  
> yet, an engineer who is an expert on (using) word processing (and that
is the 
>  
> only thing he/she really knows).  Sitting in an interview committee
can get yo
> u
> a headache because the applicants are so under-qualified that you don't
> want to hire any of them.  

    Please don't be disappointed.  Improving standard in engineering
education and activities has just been started.  Although, it seems a
little bit late.  But, hey ! we can't loose more.  Let's do it.

    I strongly believe that you can exercise your potential & capabilty
to help them(students & educational standard) one way or anothor. 
Please step in when you have an opportunity. 




>  
> The goverment have been pressuring the gov-owned universities to admit
> more engineering students every year, despite the fact that the facilities
> and human resources (e.g. lecturers) are limited.  

    This is an immediate solution which our government is implementing. 
Of course, it contains flaws as you indicated.  We also allow students
with associate degrees to get further training(two years) and then
obtain B.Eng.  There is no way we can compare these students to those in
actual engineering programs.  Please understand, we are currently under
tight constraints.

    For long term solution, we will get highly qualified personel from
the MoSTE Scholarship program within 8-10 years.  The government is also
promoting international cooperation between our engineering schools with
ones aboard.  The newly established S&T centers like FIBO(Center of
Operation for FIeld roBOtics Development) must spearhead on R&D
activities which ,in turn, promote excellence in engineering education.

    Please be patient and stand by.



>  
> To be competitive in the modern world, we need technology.  We need
> *quanlity* not quantity.  It's time that someone addresses this issue. 
>  

    Actually, we need both of them.    


Warm Regards,


Schitt(DJ)  Laowattana

****************************************************************************
Current Address in USA:

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
USA
Tel. No. 268-8880
Fax. No. 268-3348
e-mail: sl2k@andrew.cmu.edu


Permanent Address in Thailand:

Center of Operation for FIeld roBOtics Development(FIBO)
King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Thonburi
91 Suksawasd 48  Ratburana  Bangmod
Bangkok 10140, Thailand

Tel. No. 428-3374, 427-4421 and 4270151-9 Ext. 461
Fax. No. 427-8077, 427-8787

*****************************************************************************
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai