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English language proficiency was a key topic during Walailak University’s Freshman Orientation 2024, held on June 3. Enhancing English language skills is one of the university’s commitments, aiming to enable students to communicate effectively in English and be prepared for a globalized community.

English is considered the most spoken language in the world, with approximately 1.45 billion speakers in 2023, followed by Chinese (Mandarin) with 1.13 billion speakers, according to global data and business intelligence platform Statista.

At Walailak University, fundamental English courses are taught in small classrooms with only 25 students per class. The number of English teaching hours for first- and second-year students has been increased to 270 hours, the highest in the country, with a focus on communicative English. Students practice pronunciation and communication every time they attend class.

"These days, it's not just about international jobs; even within Thailand, English has become a crucial requirement for job applications. At Walailak University, there are up to 270 hours of English instruction, the highest in the country. This means that during the two years of fundamental English courses at Walailak University, students spend the most time learning English compared to other universities in Thailand," said Associate Professor Dr. Surin Maisrikrod, Vice President.

"As for the teachers, we are confident that they will train our students well in using English. Our teachers come from many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, India, Turkey, Bhutan, China, and South Africa. We have teachers from all over the world. Therefore, this is an opportunity students must fully utilize. Whenever you see the teachers, just start speaking English with them," he said.

Since assuming the presidency in mid-2016, Professor Dr. Sombat Thamrongthanyawong has led Walailak University through major reforms. In addition to the commitment to producing high-impact research, Walailak University has adopted the United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) in all its teaching. Teaching and learning have shifted to focus on student-centered learning. Classrooms have been converted to smart classrooms, with only 35-40 students per class to facilitate interaction between teachers and students.

Assistant Professor Dr. Suthanya Doung-In, Assistant to the President, said the UKPSF has been adopted in universities from over 27 countries and Walailak University implemented it in all our teaching and learning.

“We emphasize active learning that allows students to combine knowledge with skills to enhance their critical, analytical, and synthetic thinking. Teachers are like facilitators who create  interaction in the classroom and not only lecture," she said.

As a result of the teaching and learning reform based on UKPSF, the university has seen improvement in its teachers' evaluations and witnessed a drastic drop in the first-year student dropout rate from nearly 30 percent before the reform to just 0.04 percent in 2023. At present, the university has the highest number of teaching staff certified by AdvanceHE based on UKPSF, with a total of 691 lecturers, or 92.13 percent.

In the upcoming academic year 2024, Walailak University will welcome 3,744 freshmen students out of 59,438 applicants through the university admission system (until TCAS3 round). Although Thailand is transitioning to an aging society with a decreasing number of students, the number of students applying to Walailak University has increased by roughly 1.5 times from the previous year, with higher Accumulated Grade Point Averages (GPAX).