A high school counselor’s viral warning about students’ alarming gaps in basic knowledge has sparked renewed debate on learning loss and educational readiness. While the story began in the United States, it resonates strongly for Thai educators and policymakers. The concerns focus on students who struggle with everyday facts—such as their parents’ jobs, their own ZIP codes, or distinguishing area codes from counties—highlighting a wider crisis in foundational skills after the pandemic. Research from international sources indicates that gaps in core knowledge persist across many countries, including Thailand, underscoring the urgency for reform.
Across continents, teachers report students who cannot reliably recall residence details, manage emails, or remember key personal data. This points to a broader disruption in cognitive, social, and emotional development, largely tied to the abrupt shift to remote learning during COVID-19. For Thailand, where education equity has long been a policy priority, these findings call for a nationwide strategy to rebuild essential skills.
Before the pandemic, Thailand made strides in expanding access to basic education and narrowing enrollment gaps. The shift to online and hybrid learning during COVID-19 widened disparities, created new obstacles to developing core academic and life skills, and affected students’ psychosocial well-being. Data from Thailand’s education authorities and international assessments show declines in foundational literacy and numeracy, as well as in practical competencies and daily learning routines.
The Changing Classroom: From Face-to-Face to Digital Learning
Research from both the international community and Thailand shows that remote learning produced uneven opportunities for knowledge acquisition and personal growth. Thai teachers describe record levels of learning loss, with students falling behind in reading and numeracy, struggling to connect new material to prior lessons, and losing life skills such as self-management, responsibility, and collaboration.
A secondary school teacher in Thailand shared that progress slowed, connections to prior knowledge weakened, and without regular reviews, students forgot content. Relationships in classrooms weakened too: students were less inclined to participate, and online settings often reduced active engagement due to parental presence during lessons.
In the United States, nationwide assessments show math and reading proficiency at troubling lows. For example, in 2022, only a quarter of eighth graders were proficient in math, and reading proficiency among fourth graders was below pre-pandemic levels. The disruption effectively erased years of educational progress.
Beyond academics: Life skills and well-being
Education is about more than facts. The observed gaps reflect broader deficits in motivation, attention, self-confidence, and social-emotional development. Thai teachers report:
- Difficulties with independent work and collaboration
- Increased absenteeism and disengagement
- Erosion of habits such as punctuality due to home responsibilities or limited parental support
- Mental health concerns, including stress and isolation
- Persistent digital access gaps that disproportionately affect rural and low-income students
Together with losses in literacy, numeracy, and practical experiences like laboratory work and arts activities, these factors widen Thailand’s learning gap.
Parents and teachers: Filling the void
Families and educators have shouldered new responsibilities. Many parents faced unfamiliar curricula and digital platforms, feeling underprepared to support their children. Some Thai households lacked devices or reliable internet, forcing students to share devices or attend online classes from community spaces. In the United States, chronic absenteeism rose in the pandemic era, especially among students in poverty who struggled to resume routines.
Teachers also had to redesign instruction, often without sufficient training. School policies and schedules shifted, causing confusion. Some schools reduced workloads to combat screen fatigue, but this sometimes came at the expense of non-core subjects and meaningful engagement.
New evidence: A Thai perspective
A 2023 study of Thai teachers’ experiences during online learning mirrors international findings. Students struggled with essential life knowledge, digital literacy varied, and disparities widened for students with disabilities or those needing extra support.
Key insights include:
- Slower acquisition of new content and quicker forgetting of lessons
- Declines in literacy and numeracy
- Reduced hands-on scientific work and practical activities
- Diminished life and social skills, such as cooperation and respectful communication
Thai teachers emphasize that online learning altered management practices and limited peer interactions, while some students helped their families at home, reducing class time and comprehension.
The data: How bad are the gaps?
Both qualitative and quantitative data reveal worrying patterns. Thailand’s education authorities adjusted policies to provide continuity through multiple learning modes, but many students, particularly in remote areas or from low-income families, fell behind. International assessments show declines in reading and math proficiency, increased absenteeism, and widening gaps across regions.
Technology: Promise and pitfalls
Some hoped digital tools could close the learning gap in Thailand. International organizations and local officials highlighted AI-powered personalization and targeted interventions. Yet challenges remain: digital inequality, variable teacher training, and infrastructure gaps. While some schools distributed learning packs and worksheets, the impact was modest; many students retained some IT skills but lost foundational reading and numeracy.
Historical and cultural context
Thailand’s education system has long relied on central curricula and traditional teaching methods. Critics say this sometimes undervalues critical thinking and practical life skills. The pandemic made these gaps more visible, as students and teachers navigated self-directed learning in less structured settings. Cultural expectations around teacher authority and limited opportunities for asking questions can complicate digital learning.
Paths forward: What can Thailand and the world do?
Experts and policymakers advocate a sustained, multi-faceted approach to recover lost knowledge and skills. Remedial tutoring, mental health and nutrition support, and better tracking of attendance and engagement are among recommended strategies. For Thailand, key steps include:
- Expand high-dosage, in-person tutoring for core subjects
- Improve digital access while supporting teachers and parents
- Regularly monitor learning outcomes to identify and assist underserved students
- Target support for vulnerable groups, including those with disabilities and rural learners
- Strengthen teacher development in digital pedagogy and social-emotional education
- Maintain flexible policies that support quick adaptation while ensuring stability for students and families
Community actions at the local level can reinforce these efforts through routines, open communication about learning challenges, and closer collaboration with schools.
Recommendations for Thai readers
- Parents: Actively engage in your child’s learning, attend school meetings, and provide emotional support.
- Teachers: Focus on recovering core skills, blend digital and non-digital methods, and address students’ social-emotional needs.
- Students: Seek help proactively in class and online.
- Policymakers: Adapt education frameworks to improve flexibility, equity, and targeted remediation.
- Communities: Support local schools with resources, mentoring, and tutoring, especially in rural areas.
Collective action and evidence-based strategies can restore basic knowledge and life readiness for Thai youth. The post-pandemic education crisis is a global challenge with local urgency. By combining international best practices with Thai experience, it is possible to build a more resilient, equitable, and effective education system for all learners.