kwilco

Rather bizarre announcement. Although it may be true, it seems a bit premature and more concerned with image rather than actual reality.

On 4/21/2021 at 11:20 AM, CM Dad said:

Yes, you are correct about the UK system.  However, you failed to mention that many of the issues regarding Thai schools have been directly copied from the British system.  If you are a product of that archaic system then perhaps that explains your poorly written comment.

What as been copied directly from the "UK" system? (there is no such thing as a UK system - BTW)

pretty obvious now that there are several people posting here who have no knowledge of educational theory and practice at all.

23 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I think a lockdown is inevitable. 

 

But, lets not panic - the numbers in Thailand are still far far less than exist in our home countries. 

 

That said, the ‘whole numbers’ are somewhat irrelevant and simply depend on the amount of people tested. 

If Thailand were to test 100,000 random cases per day, how many of those would be positive. 

400,000 per day? how many of those?

Testing 3000 people per day who have symptoms or been exposed to someone with symptoms or have tested positive is a highly misleading observation / metric of the true picture of the Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand. 

 

 

Of far greater significance is: 

1) Number of People who have died because of Covid-19

2) Number of People in ICU because of Covid-19 (and available beds)

3) Number of serious Covid-19 cases (i.e. Number of people in hospitals requiring treatment for Covid-19)

 

 

Thailand still needs to concentrate on getting the Vaccines distributed as quickly as possible. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whilst you are right about Thailand's low numbers the situation gives cause for concern because Thailand has either through draconian measures or pure luck achieved this. The reasons are far from understood.

The problem is that the Thai healthcare system can't cope with even a moderate rise in numbers and the effects of this could be devastating, leading to a further dramatic rise.

Covid on a world scale is still increasing and there is no way Thailand can be complacent about this....there is no demonstrable reason it can't go the same way as India given the opportunity.

On a world scale, Covid is on the increase, but sadly I've noticed on this and other web sites that foreigners in Thailand seem to have very cavalier attitudes towards Covid, ranging from ignoring mask wearing, not isolating to the fine lunatics of anti-vaxxers.

I would be very concerned about foreigners in Thailand and their "can't happen here" attitude.

10 hours ago, colinneil said:

King Canute he is not.

mmmmmm ... King Canute failed.... he did this to demonstrate to his sycophantic follows that he was NOT all powerful, I don't see any of signs this with Prayuth. However, it remains to be seen if he fails, if he will admit failure.

one has to worry about a national leader who when faced with national problems thinks he is the only person capable of solving them.

12 hours ago, Thomas J said:

I did not say Malaria is a virus.  I am pointing out that various diseases have had vaccines and cures for decades and yet still are very common.  The idea that somehow that efforts to coral in Covid will be more effective is just plain foolish.  If you can't stop the flu, can't stop a cold, cant stop TB, can't stop malaria, what would possibly make you of the opinion that you can stop Covid. 

 

You really don't understand it, do you? I'm pointing out that different diseases are differently treatable by creating vaccines or other cures - you seem to think it's a level playing field and are essentially comparing oranges and apples.

You also don't seem to understand what people are trying to do regards Covid - no-one is saying we can "stop" it - they are trying to manage it.

Some vaccines have eliminated or all but eliminated some diseases (e.g. smallpox, and measles maps rubella, )

As I said Covid 19 is a corona virus that is already reached and understood and so a lot of the processes of developing a vaccine are already established.

18 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

 If you recall the "experts" have changed their minds repeatedly.  In the beginning, Fauci said masks were not effective, now suddenly they are.  The latest study from Stamford showed masks not effective and may even be harmful for a persons health because of breathing in bacteria on the soiled mask.  

I am merely pointing out there are over 219 million cases of Malaria in the world each year, despite there being drugs to prevent it and effective treatments for it.  On average 9% of the world catches the flu each and every year, that is upwards of 750 million people.  That is despite vaccines being available.  In 2018 1.7 billion people worldwide contracted TB despite there being a vaccine. 

But somehow there are those who cling to the belief that "This Time It Will Be Different"  and the vaccines will be our savior.  

Almost completely inaccurate.

You fail to understand how different diseases are transmitted and treated in different ways.

You fail to understand that skepticality is the basis of all scientific research and nothing is a parmenant "fact". Good science changes its mind all the time - it is quacks who stick to one idea.

..and you fail to understand that the basic concept of masks remains true but it has been shown that as we learn more about transmission in aerosol of Covid that whilst a mask doesn't protect YOU, it protects others from your exhalations. This was not understood at first.

BTW - Malaria is a completely different kettle of fish - it isn't a virus, it is a parasite and now after 50 years they might have a vaccine. Drugs for malaria were relatively ineffective bacuse it was a virus.

Covid  19 is a corona virus that science is familiar with and because of this they had a head start on where to start to look for a cure

I have always felt that Thailand was more "lucky" rather than prepared for Covid.

I think many tend to look at the health service in Thailand through rose-tinted spectacles and overestimate its capacity to deal with any pandemic, which is very limited.

It isn't understood how Thailand has avoided a major epidemic and it is quite possible that new strains or variants could start off a chain of infection that could devastate the country.

Covid is on the increase on a world scale and Thailand is not immune. There is huge economic pressure to open up the country to both business and tourism but the risks involved appear to be getting greater by the day. They need to look at the infrastructure available to cope with this...hospital beds, quarantines/restrictions and a mass vaccination.

21 hours ago, chang1 said:

A mate of mine knows a hospital worker that was given a vaccine (I presume from China) and is suffering so badly that she is not wanting the second dose.

words fail me! In a population of nearly 70 million and this poster thinks one secondhand, probably apocryphal anecdote is in any way a valid contribution.

On 4/21/2021 at 12:20 PM, CharlieH said:

With envelopes being handed over to even get the child into the school to start with, how likely is that child going to fail having paid ? Be realistic, it aint gonna happen.

I think there is a general underestimation by foreigners of the extent to which graft, nepotism and corruption permeates Thai society,,,,and how it works....... brown envelopes isn't the norm but corruption is.

I've given an example (or two)elsewhere of how corruption in the education system can work.... it is far more subtle than just giving cash and this is part of the reason why it is considered acceptable by so many people in Thailand (over 60%).

A students family can exert all sorts of pressure on a school or university to advance (undeservedly) their offspring's progress.

One has also to consider how the concept of "kreng jai" works here. Especially in how a teacher might use face if a student fails - so one has to help save face - this is regraded as a "good deed" and probably worthy of merit!

Sometimes "corruption" doesn't require any communication at all, it is just understood as part and parcel of the education system.

Here's an anecdote that illustrates the "no-fail" concept. A teacher fails a student who basically hasn't attended for most of the year and is quite incapable of answering anything on his test.

So the head teacher tells the other teacher that the student will have to come in over the holidays and study until he passes the paper.

.....and the teacher will be responsible for teaching him and seeing that he passes.....

So the teacher just ups his grade to a pass and takes his holiday as normal.

Most Thai teachers are aware of this and set papers accordingly. 

I have witnessed students taking 1 hour tests and ALL left after 10 to 15 minutes.

The worst spect of this kind of "testing" is that is extends throughout the Thai educational system....right up to tertiary education. many professionals in Thailand qualify without "failing" any exams

For instance, anyone with a bit of medical knowledge would be horrified talking to some "qualified" doctors, whose scienceeducation level would shame an O level student in the UK.

This is Thailand's third wave.

the country has been "lucky" in that it has had very low infection rates, but itt seems that foreigners living in Thailand have become very complacent because of this.  They don't seem to realise that the disease is increasing on a global scale and countries like India are becoming a potential world time bomb.

Thailand needs to keep its guard up - premature relaxation of restrictions and an influx of foreigners could totally turn round the situation Thauand t

with a massive third wave.

Vaccination is NOT the solution at present - lockdown restrictions are the only protection and that will remain so until Thailand's vaccination tops 70% of the population....there's a long way to go on that.

19 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

National Health Security Office (NHSO)

I suppose if you pay your national insurance, you'd expect the jab for free in line with Thai citizens

....otherwise I can't see why you should have a free jab. You have a certified income so use it.

18 hours ago, nchuckle said:

 I went to Singapore on their 50th independence celebrations to stop my daughter off who was doing a years student exchange at a top university there. I found nothing of what you speak ,just a very knowledgeable,helpful successful people. It was the making of my daughter and helped her get a very good job back in the U.K. Compared to thailand where they can’t do simple sums without a calculator and have very low levels of English,it’s light years ahead.

The fact you base your assessment on this topic on a si gke personal anecdote would make some question your own level of education.

Critics of the education system, including some parents, state that education in Singapore is too specialized, rigid, and elitist. Although some efforts of these sorts have been made, many Singaporean children continue to face high pressure by parents and teachers to do well in studies.

2 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

'Asia' is not a uniformly better performing educational establishment. While Singapore,Hong Kong,Korea are in the top strata ,Thailand in particular is languishing near the very bottom of the PISA EDUCATIONAL TABLES. 

You might also want to consider that the truly groundbreaking and inspirational inventions all come from the free thinking West

Singapore is a classic example of how education hs gone wrong.....(Japan and Korea too have acknowledged this)

The problem is that hot-housing on perceived useful topics has lead to a population that are social inept and inflexible when it comes to changing jobs or careers. 

You end up with a population that knows lots but understands nothing.

In the past they hoed authority to authoritarian governments who consider they know best - and this has led to their current difficulties.

the UK is just STARTING on this road with ever more dictatorial governments

1 minute ago, Bkk Brian said:

There are poor schools in the UK but there are also some excellent ones mainly outside of inner cities, I would imagine thats the same in the US and most places.

 

However I think what counts is objective views and a list of criteria that actually measures how well a nation is doing. In that sense Thailand has a long long way to go.

 

2020 Worlds Best Education Systems

 

1. India
2. United States
3. United Kingdom
4. Australia
5. Brazil
6. Russia
7. Canada
8. Singapore
9. Belgium
10. Ireland
11. China
12. South Korea
13. Spain
14. Japan
15. Germany
16. Switzerland
17. Sweden
18. Finland
19. Denmark
20. New Zealand

 

https://worldtop20.org/worldbesteducationsystem

 

https://worldtop20.org/global-education-report   Criteria used

unfortunately lists like this - despite being "lists" are totally subjective - for instance the US system is absolutely dreadful when you look at the parochial parameters of the system and the people it churns out.

3 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

All good schools on the uk the teachers dress smartly with shirt and ties. 

Completely false premise. 

The UK system has a ghastly mix of schools which means that the main system has never been put into full operation. 

This article shows how lacking the Thai education system is. Thailand boasts free eduction to more students than anywhere else in the region, yet what they get is very, very poor....and is archaic, it is embarrassing.

Australia actually doesn't have a star quality education system, yet at least it attempts to use modern educational theory and practices.

There is a problem in every country in the world that people too many people seem to think they are "experts" in education just because they went to school.

The Thai system is ineffective and rotten from the bottom up to the very top. Unfortunately after 20 years in Thai education you begin to realise that any attempt to change is met with typical Thai hardline resistance baulking and eventually you'll find people are trying to get rid of you. Yet thanks to Thailands endemic corruption, the people in high ranking positions know diddly about education.

15 hours ago, polpott said:

And you base this on what? Lockdown restrictions are easing in the UK. Kids are back at school and you can go for a pint yet still number of new cases continues to fall.

 

10 deaths yesterday.

Seems you don't understand the first thing about Covid.

10 hours ago, polpott said:

First dose gives good protection after 3 weeks as illustrated by only 1882 new cases today and falling. Also, your chart is out of date. Now 10 million people have recieved 2nd dose which is 19% of adults. Currently administering 500,000 second doses per day and around 140k 1st doses.

The drop in cases is orunarily due to lockdown regulations in UK 

Drops in deaths and serious amongst elderly is helped by vaccinations.

Until the numbers get to 70% of population the herd immunity won't kick in.

As I said originally until people are FULLY VACCINATED they won't qualify for a valid level of vaccination to enter countries like Thailand who are requiring vaccination to avoid quarantine.

As there is now a third wave of Covid sweeping the world, Thailand is going to be very wary of allowing foreigners in to their population which is still in its infancy with regards to vaccination.