On 10/10/2019 at 8:22 AM, Eligius said:

Many of us here have said it numerous times, but it bears repeating: it is no accident that Thai education and critical thinking 'skills' are at rock bottom. The Thai system was designed that way. It is part of the faux-elite's tacit plan. Keep the 'peasants' stupid - and you can have your way with them and exploit them in all and every regard, and they will grovel and thank you for your abuse, with a lovely big smile and high wai. One sees it all the time.

There will be no resistance.

And the worst of the non-resisters will be the Masters Degree holders and Ph.D.s. They largely go along with the system and feather their own nest. 'I'm all right, Jack'.

Who needs critical thinking here? The whole country is a no-go area for genuine thought (let alone critical thought!). It is banned, verboten, the highest of all crimes.

 

Yes, well said...it is all about 'social engineering'... a brilliant initiative really.Instead of ruling by tyranny just remove the one psychological process that would lead to physical(social) disruption....in short give the underclasses a pseudo-lobotomy. If this state is a reflection of "Thai-ness", then no wonder we can't understand it.

On 10/10/2019 at 11:13 AM, orientalist said:

How much better are private schools? My stepdaughter is in Por 1 at a school (with an English Course) that claims to teach critical thinking, but is it worth the 19,000 baht per term?

don't expect much for 19,000 THB per term.

Critical thinking ? Thais are taught that the world revolves around their country and other countries must adapt to their ways and we will get along fine without any “real critical analysis “ of the world and how it’s changing


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29 minutes ago, wreckingcountry said:

Thais are taught that the world revolves around their country and other countries must adapt to their ways

Reminds me of some American (not all). 

Thailand has all the critical (not sure about thinkers) it needs just look at these forums????

On 10/10/2019 at 7:19 AM, Jimbo in Thailand said:

You only have to teach in the public schools here to understand why there is zero critical thinking and why Thai students perform at the bottom of the heap.  In a class of 40 students, for example, when you give a quiz you will typically only have 3 or 4 students who actually answer the questions.  The rest of the students will copy those students' papers.  When you check the results it will be obvious there will be 3 or 4 groups of matching papers with identical mistakes in each group.  Sad but true.

 

Public schools also can't fail a student, or hold him/her back from continuing on to the next grade level.  I was shocked to find that some of my rural Isaan high school students couldn't even read/write Thai language, much less English!  And yet, the Ministry of Education continues to be absolutely clueless as to the 'why'.

 

T. I. T. ????????????

That's perhaps a reason why it's so important that Kindergarten kids learn how to write computer programs. 

Not failing is a very important problem - it applies all the way through to tertiary education......just remember this when you meet a Thai doctor.

I often think that the great libertarian and advocate of freedom of speech, John Milton, must have travelled in a time machine into present-day Thailand when he wrote of the 'perpetual childhood of prescription' - everyone's constantly being told, like little children, to do this, and not do that. Orders from above all the way down the line.

 

No critical thinking allowed. No wonder Milton went blind!

 

 

symptom of military governments worldwide.

On 10/15/2019 at 10:30 AM, Angry Dragon said:

don't expect much for 19,000 THB per term.

Right. It's actually 9,xxx for the term plus another 9,xxx for one hour a day of English tuition from a foreign teacher (a company is subcontracted for this), part of the Thailand 4.0 push, they said. The kid is light years ahead of the others in her class, and she definitely isn't shy around foreigners, but she wanted the English Course. And that's all I can afford...

On 10/10/2019 at 10:45 AM, Spike1938 said:

That is exactly right. Too much time on Buddhism, the Royal Family (which I accept as being a part of the culture) and not enough on world history and geography. Ask a 12 y.o. Thai where the province they live in is on a map and 8 out of 10 can't I bet. My Thai niece had an English teacher who couldn't speak English. I offered to help and was told they didn't want a falang teaching Thai children. BTW - I taught English to Mexican immigrants in California. I am qualified.

It seems the world is now aware of Thailand's lack of understanding about anything beyond Planet Thailand

 

On 10/10/2019 at 9:17 AM, Airbagwill said:

I get the impression that most people commenting on this thread don't actually know what critical thinking is.

 

huhhhh?

On 10/10/2019 at 5:51 AM, Somtamnication said:

Education by rote; don't raise your hand in classrooms or you get canned; and so on. Some societies do not want people thinking outside of the box. Just sayin'

Exactly what i was thinking. 

Even in our own countries, we supposedly have a good education, but what do we actually learn?

Not really critical thinking there either in most cases.

 

Maybe things have changed now, but in my day we studied what was basically a lot of useless shเt..

Remembering by rote to pass tests, quoting other peoples studies in history,

and even now a lot of those theories have been proven not factual

 

Actually to be brutally honest, 

in the year 2019 we in the west are STILL divided about existence vs. creation..

and the guy in the sky.lol

 

So really, we can hardly have a shot at other countries/cultures.

 

On 10/10/2019 at 7:39 AM, JRG23 said:

Has anyone read 1984? Cheap liquor, prostitution, lottery tickets........ 

 

How can you nurture the development of critical thinking or creativity when free thinking, genuine analysis, and criticism (including criticism of one’s self) is wholeheartedly discouraged and, even worse, rendered illegal? 
It will never never never happen. Not the people’s fault - but the seriously warped and self-indulging establishment and ‘system’. 

Orwell comes quickly to mind. An absolute lack of ability to question authority at nearly every level coupled by a populus that is fixated on internet rubbish.

 

If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.

 

Oceania has always been at war with East Asia

 

"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows"?

George Orwell

 

Dark days indeed. Not just for Thailand but the world.

1 hour ago, pookondee said:

Exactly what i was thinking. 

Even in our own countries, we supposedly have a good education, but what do we actually learn?

Not really critical thinking there either in most cases.

 

Maybe things have changed now, but in my day we studied what was basically a lot of useless shเt..

Remembering by rote to pass tests, quoting other peoples studies in history,

and even now a lot of those theories have been proven not factual

 

Actually to be brutally honest, 

in the year 2019 we in the west are STILL divided about existence vs. creation..

and the guy in the sky.lol

 

So really, we can hardly have a shot at other countries/cultures.

 

This is a false equivalence. 

 

You are correct that western education is not perfect. 

 

But, you are not correct that it is generally equal to what is on offer here in Thailand. 

 

Or are you saying they are exactly the same in every way? 

On 10/10/2019 at 7:10 AM, yellowboat said:

Thailand is a playground for the rich and powerful.  If you are not one of them, you are a serf.  The article is a nice idea, but those in power enjoy a status quo where their children are educated by tutors, go to elite schools and then off to some other country, leaving the average Thai crumbs. 

 

A Thai friend who had to leave school at 10 years old to support her family said development is only for Bangkok, not for any other areas. 

A surf isn't that part of living under a monarchy

14 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

This is a false equivalence. 

 

You are correct that western education is not perfect. 

 

But, you are not correct that it is generally equal to what is on offer here in Thailand. 

 

Or are you saying they are exactly the same in every way? 

No, not saying its equal or better,

just all our societies have an overall agenda..

Our western societies want to produce wage slaves who will shut up and "toe the line" and keep paying taxes..number 1.

 

I cant see how that differs anywhere.

 

After many years of observing, you can see there is a slight difference between controlling people, as opposed to preferring them to be basically dumb and not question anything.

 

I have no doubt, if the rulers of our societies could "do it all again" they would much prefer the Thai model.

 

Farmers in my country are usually pretty rich.

Overall i think people get paid ok back home.

But those things comes with a burden of the country not being able to compete trade-wise internationally.

people cannot afford to start business with all the regulations and cost to employ people.

The multi-nationals have all but taken over nearly everything in the west anyway.

 

like it or not,

Thailands education system is in part why its different and why people are coming and spending money here.

 

On 10/10/2019 at 8:22 AM, Eligius said:

Many of us here have said it numerous times, but it bears repeating: it is no accident that Thai education and critical thinking 'skills' are at rock bottom. The Thai system was designed that way. It is part of the faux-elite's tacit plan. Keep the 'peasants' stupid - and you can have your way with them and exploit them in all and every regard, and they will grovel and thank you for your abuse, with a lovely big smile and high wai. One sees it all the time.

There will be no resistance.

And the worst of the non-resisters will be the Masters Degree holders and Ph.D.s. They largely go along with the system and feather their own nest. 'I'm all right, Jack'.

Who needs critical thinking here? The whole country is a no-go area for genuine thought (let alone critical thought!). It is banned, verboten, the highest of all crimes.

 

You forgot that while on their knees to receive their penance they have to have the right pictures