Are Thais taught basic arithmetic?

[Victor Laszlo]

Perhaps make sure you have the correct amount next time, save all that rigmarole. 

[1happykamper]

This Post article spells out the problem. Thailand IQ is actually becoming lower! 

 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/584201/low-iq-levels-a-wake-up-call-for-thailand

[ChipButty]

I'm certain they don't do mental arithmetic or times table, even at my ripe old age Im still pretty good I can work it out faster in my head than they can with a calculator, we have a local mom and pop shop in the soi and she is useless she just cannot add up, 

[ravip]

17 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Have a look in your home country, very likely the same.

Agree. Has happened to me in a couple of countries.

[fondue zoo]

10 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Some foreigners I know point-blank refuse to learn even basic Thai. I have no idea what that is supposed to achieve.

 

I only know the nouns for many foods and coupled with 10 fingers haven't starved yet.

Of course the locals think I'm mentally impaired, oh and.. fat, can't forget the fat.

 

[1FinickyOne]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

When I was in school, I remember being encouraged to use tricks and shortcuts (drop two zeros, add them at the end) and that made a huge difference for basic math. I taught my woman how to do that for currency conversion and she was shocked at how easy it was. She told me that kind of thing was not only not taught, but it was discouraged in school. 

 

Very dull and conventional teachers is perhaps one of the issues here. 

Not at the school my niece went to... like most things, it's individual. 

[ignis]

Many shops keep running out of 5 + 1 baht coins.. wonder why

 

You go buy something for 62 baht, give the cashier 102 baht = calculator = they leave the 2 baht on the counter and give you 38 baht change

 

They don't appear to notice that the 8 baht they just put on the counter + the 2 baht left on counter = 10 baht

[The Old Bull]

I went to buy a case of twelve UHT milk advertised at $25 per case but I noticed the price per item on the shelf was $1.76 so I asked the cashier to ring them through one at a time. She baulked saying the price per case was always cheaper so we were at a standoff till the manager showed up .After much head scratching and calculating he finally agreed and rang them through one at a time. Another one you have to look at is sugar sometimes two 500g bags are cheaper than 1 kilo. Justa couple of weeks ago I bought two 500ml whipping cream cheaper than a1 liter box.

[Ombra]

20 hours ago, marin said:

Its not just Thai's it is a generational thing. Back home in California last summer a lot of times the sellers had to use a calculator on something that is just wired into boomers heads. 

You are right. My mother was born in 1920 and died in 2004. When she went to a supermarket, she calculated the cost of items faster than the cashier and she had the exact amount of money in her hand when the cashier told her the total. It was normal with people of her generation. And she complained about younger people's failure to do the same.

[phetphet]

While there must be some good maths teachers here, the education level in some schools is severely lacking. Our twelve year old has had extra curricular maths lessons since she was six. Below is an example of what she is currently learning:

 

 

[Denim]

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

I'm certain they don't do mental arithmetic or times table, even at my ripe old age Im still pretty good I can work it out faster in my head than they can with a calculator, we have a local mom and pop shop in the soi and she is useless she just cannot add up, 

 

My first Thai wife and step daughter were the same. They told me that at school the teacher would give them a list of numbers to write down , moving from left to right.  They then had to add them up as the moved along the line. They got lost.

 

I showed them how to add up and subtract using columns .  They were dumbfounded ! It was like magic.  They then spent an hour giving each other larger and larger numbers to add up and getting correct answers. They were really pleased with themselves and it really gave thir self confidence a boost.

 

 

 

[Tropicalevo]

As many have said, it is not only Thais, but they do seem to be more common in the 'lack of arithmetic' skills.

My Thai manager- lovely girl, intelligent but uneducated. (Left school at 14 - pregnant.)

We have to calculate electricity charges for guests. Simple maths.

Subtract meter reading one from meter reading two and multiply by unit cost.

 

12470 - 12119 =  351 x 10 = ???    and my manager went for the calculator.

I showed her how to add a zero.

 

When we do the calculation for customers, 95% foreigners, I have usually worked out the answer before they have found the calculator buttons on their phones.

They look at me in disbelief when they have found that my answer is correct.

 

It is most certainly a generational thing.

[herfiehandbag]

15 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Best way to learn quick maths is Darts ! They should play more darts at school. My wife is an ex teacher but her level of maths in her head is next to kindergarten levels

I used to have a friend whose party piece was scoring darts in Roman Numerals!

[pomchop]

20 hours ago, Negita43 said:

Alternate basic arithmatic for some

When charging 2+2 = 5

When giving change 2+2 = 3

😄

exact opposite of my experience of over 25 years around thailand.  I have found over and over at 7/11 etc when they make a mistake it is nearly always they give me too much change...and then when i point it out they seem confused as they don't know what to do or how to adust it on computer etc

 

....overcharge i am sure happens in some bars and a few places but as said not my experience.

[pomchop]

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I'm certain they don't do mental arithmetic or times table, even at my ripe old age Im still pretty good I can work it out faster in my head than they can with a calculator, we have a local mom and pop shop in the soi and she is useless she just cannot add up, 

The owner of a usa company where I worked had an accounting degree from USA university.  We would often be in meetings where something math related would come up...he would always punch it into a calculator but i could normally figure it out as it was simple math in my head and give him the answer...he always seemed amazed and asked me how i did it?  an ACCOUNTING major....i used to think WOW are you kidding me?  And he went to school back when we all had to learn add subtract multipy divide without using a computer. 

 

Today i sort of get it that they seem to think why should i learn all that stuff when i can just let siri give me the answer.  Sad i think as i sort of enjoyed figuring suff out in my head.  Are computers making people more aware/smarter or dumber?

[Tropicalevo]

18 minutes ago, pomchop said:

Today i sort of get it that they seem to think why should i learn all that stuff when i can just let siri give me the answer.  Sad i think as i sort of enjoyed figuring suff out in my head.  Are computers making people more aware/smarter or dumber?

 

Totally agree. Mental arithmetic was my favourite subject at school.

And as you say, figuring stuff out in my head is fun, a challenge, and hopefully helps to slow down the dementia.

I do a lot of work on spreadsheets, and as my spreadsheet skills are only average, I check that I have done them correct by totalling in my head.

[NanLaew]

22 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Today, I paid my green fees at a golf course. The cost was 350 baht for 9 holes.

 

I gave the manager a 1000 baht note, and a 50 baht note. He looked confused, and tried to give me the 50 baht note back

 

He was using a calculator. He has said before he has a university degree.

 

It's not the first time I have encountered this. Some staff in 7/11 get it, some do not.

 

Is it the education system?

 

I have done the big note + small note cash payment method dozens of times in Big C, Makro, 7-eleven, car wash, the local market... many, many places. Despite this being a largely western habit, I have never yet had a confused cashier, or the handing back of the small note or any misunderstanding what I am trying to achieve by doing this.

 

Therefore, based on the OP's recent experience at the gold club, I somehow feel that I have been cheated out of a life-enriching, Thai monetary transactional experience.

 

Who should I complain to?

[NanLaew]

48 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

I used to have a friend whose party piece was scoring darts in Roman Numerals!

 

An ex-girlfriend of mine could write words, in cursive script, in reverse using either her left or right hand.