Thai Education

[PeaceBlondie]

Another factor is that no matter how bad 95% of the education system is, what matters most is whether whether your family is rich and powerful. That defines your face, and thus you. And if the family is really rich, you receive an overseas education. And a good job.

[jbowman1993]

I wrote a long response to this thread, but then I realized, I don't care what any of you think. So I deleted it and am going to go jogging.

[wintermute]

I wrote a long response to this thread, but then I realized, I don't care what any of you think. So I deleted it and am going to go jogging.

Excellent. All you need to do now is to take it one step further and delete your user name too.

[robbiecia]

Another factor is that no matter how bad 95% of the education system is, what matters most is whether whether your family is rich and powerful. That defines your face, and thus you. And if the family is really rich, you receive an overseas education. And a good job.

Spot on!!!!!!!

[Andrew Hicks]

While not perfect, the Thai education system seems to produce adults who are far more pleasant to live amongst than bestial-mannered populace of England, Australia and the United States.

It is not the education system that produces those adults but all aspects of society.

The English speaking world is not as you describe, bestial mannered.

The big challenge is the breakdown of village society and the extended family (as is now happening in Thailand and happened in the West perhaps centuries ago) and its replacement by a mainly urban society. All traditional values may then evaporate and it is hard to preserve or replace them. In this respect the West has not done too badly and education has a major role in this.

The school in our village in Surin teaches the kids basic literacy and numeracy and is a warm and pleasant environment which also importantly teaches civic values and warns against drug use and other modern enticements. What is its precise purpose though when most of the children will struggle to be anything other than mothers or rice farmers. If the school is highly successful academicallly it will be educating the kids to leave the village and so contribute to social decline.

It still makes me mad though, the snobbish regard for low grade 'academic' degrees that you need to be a check out girl or receptionist or to have anything but the lowest of the low jobs.

I once saw an advert published by a resort in Phuket... "wanted beach boy. Must be male and have a degree from a good university." Bizarre!

[ruddick]

Another factor is that no matter how bad 95% of the education system is, what matters most is whether whether your family is rich and powerful. That defines your face, and thus you. And if the family is really rich, you receive an overseas education. And a good job.

Spot on!!!!!!!

From the point of view of the ruling class in Thai. There is nothing wrong with Thai education. How could the ruling class keep control of an educated population, they are having a bit of a problem now, which would get a lot worse if the education system produced a free thinking questioning population.

There could be a lot of questions asked which would be very difficult to answer. Like where does all the money go to, and "why do I as a poor farmer in Issan work all the hours there are and can't pay for the rice seed". When I see many Benz and BMW cars on the roads.

There are very large differences between those who have and those who don't in this country.

Education is the way out of the poverty trap but then where would the BKK elite get there drivers and maids from....

The top 5% will continue to send there kids overseas to be educated and the status quo will remain.

Writing the above has made me feel quite sad, I will have to go for a beer.

[Beardog]

Teaching children to be compliant, uncomplaining, patriotic members of their nation is not a duty or measure of academics, but it works in Thailand, Myanmar, China, Cuba, etc.

I monitored the 8th grade math final exam, and found mistakes in the questions and answers. It did not matter. Nothing really seriously matters. In fact it is not Thai to be serious. But the ajarns dress very nicely on Fridays, smile and wai well, and drive nice cars.

If the Thai teachers of English can mangle the English tests so badly, it is a Thai cultural trait. No matter anyway. It makes you wonder how any uni graduate knows their major subject material, though.

If most of the Thais went to school up to the 8th grade would help their plight out quite a bit. It seems since the Government is not much help & does not promote academics leading to a higher rate of success in life, along with most of the families upcountry needing their youngins to help with the farming chores.

The need for a higher education is just not a must here. If the Govn. would try in some way to help & enforce continued education the Thai's as a whole would have maybe some chance of advancement - besides the girls(or boys) going off to university to learn computer skills to land a rich farang. They might have a chance. I shudder to think of the qualifications to be a trained doctor of lets say oncologist or a bone specialist is. School till 14 three years of college & your a specialist. Ouch .

I really hope I am dead wrong on this one, but it seems like just about any certification or license in a trade is ("I think I can do so therefore I have a license to do) Want to see it ......the copy shop just did it for me yesterday!

[5tash]

Here's an interesting link on the subject.

The Dismal State Of Thai Education - One Acharn's Point Of View.

[bangon04]

1. In teaching English in schools the teacher charges on through the curriculum in the course book without regard to the children's actual attainment. Thus he/she is teaching at a level that is years in advance of of what they (or for that matter the teacher!) actually can understand.

The overall problems go to the very root of Thai society I fear.

The overall problems go to the very root of Thai society I is fear.

In reply to your point 1. above.

This is exactly what happens at the institution in which I work (tertiary education).

At a guess, I would say that about 95% of the students (all 4000 of them) are very poor at English. Regardless of this, the textbooks purchased by the institution are rated as either "intermediate" or "advanced". The "learner" rated books are restricted for use by the 1st year students only.

Each student usually does one hour per week of English, so if an "advanced" textbook is being used, the recommended teaching "timetable" within the textbook is also followed.

The result of this is that only a few students manage to understand & retain the information that is "raced" through.

The system in Thailand seems to "over-teach" some students. To become an electrician, students are dragged through engineering theory (theorems, complex numbers etc) when clearly an electrician has little to no use for such. Conversely, these same students will spend a tiny amount of time being instructed on "practice" (working with hands). There is such a thing as DVT (Dual Vocational Training) in Thailand but it is optional for the student. It is, however, the closest thing to an apprenticeship in Thailand.

The testing system in Thailand (for English students) is flawed. At my institution, all tests are multiple choice. Speaking & listening tests are left to me. I am required to test about 650 students with regard to their listening & speaking skills. Even if I allow a maximum of 3 minutes "testing time" per student, it still takes about 3 weeks. Can a student's listening & speaking skills be judged in 3 minutes? Not really. The only thing that this test will really determine is basically a "yes/no" thing..."yes, they can" or "no, they can't" listen/speak English.

At one school (in BKK), I was asked not to conduct "proper" tests. Why? It would take too long (didn't fit in with their "multiple choice" timetable). Another teacher actually told me that she refused to mark written exams because it was too time consuming.

My summation.

1] Emphasis is placed upon quantity rather than quality (revenue?). Subjects are taught too quickly.

2] Older Thai teachers tend to stick to the outdated cultural idea that teachers are always correct & students must not ask questions.

3] A 40% weighting is given to a student's "morality" as a part of there overall mark (complete rubbish..get rid of this).

4] Attendance should not form a part of a tertiary student's overall mark.

5] An inane "assessment" system exists whereby students are asked to comment upon teachers. There seems to be no "right of reply" in this method of assessment & leaves a door open for someone seeking revenge or someone who wants to make trouble, since this system is taken seriously. This system needs to be abolished. If a student has a problem with a teacher, an avenue of communication should be available such that a student can "fairly & openly" voice their grievance & the "accused" has a "right of reply". The current method of assessment can quickly become a "kangaroo court".

6] Final examinations should not have a majority weighting for an overall mark. Semester/yearly testing should be regular & carry proportional weightings for the overall mark. The latter is not done at my institution.

Excellent analysis. I frequently test my stepdaughter on the lessons she "learnt" the previous week (in school). It nearly always turns out that the book chapter was skimmed at great speed without any attempt to check understanding. This is mainly in English. In "Science" (as far as i can understand from the pictures and the explanation she gives) the textbook seems to jump superficially from one shallow topic to another without any sense of progression. In Thai and "social studies" it seems that Thailand is the centre of the world both geographically and culturally.....

[bangon04]

Another factor is that no matter how bad 95% of the education system is, what matters most is whether whether your family is rich and powerful. That defines your face, and thus you. And if the family is really rich, you receive an overseas education. And a good job.

There is another thread in the news clippings forum : Lack of Teaching Materials and teachers are the main problem:Poll

It seems to me that the Thai system of education is functioning exactly as it is intended to do. Those members of the elite (mainly Bangkok, mainly Chinese, but also military and political), who have the money, send their children tp private school - away from Thailand if possible. The rest of the population is educated to a standard which is designed to provide a plentiful supply of farmers, maids, taxi drivers, shop assistants, gardeners and security guards etc in order to keep Thai society in best (hierarchical) order. and at a reasonable salary level..

Too much education could spoil this order - the last thing we want is the peasants demanding an equal share of Thailand's wealth and prosperity. For example, if Rice Farmers were taught multiplication in school, they would be in a position to demand fair prices for their rice. This would never do..

The best thing to make sure that the elite retains its advantage is to produce large numbers of obedient workers who do not have the ability to question their superiors, and who believe that they already receive the best education available in the best society in the world. Those with darker skin should feel especially grateful for any education provided "free" by the state.

conspiracytheoriesRus.com

Edited September 16, 2008 by bangon04

[bangon04]

. I shudder to think of the qualifications to be a trained doctor of lets say oncologist or a bone specialist is. School till 14 three years of college & your a specialist. Ouch .

I really hope I am dead wrong on this one, but it seems like just about any certification or license in a trade is ("I think I can do so therefore I have a license to do) Want to see it ......the copy shop just did it for me yesterday!

Is it just my imagination or if you look at the doctors list at Bumrungrad (or similar) most of the doctors are ethnic Chinese educated abroad?

[cashill]

do not know mut bud learnt fom this 1

[jumnien]

. I shudder to think of the qualifications to be a trained doctor of lets say oncologist or a bone specialist is. School till 14 three years of college & your a specialist. Ouch .

I really hope I am dead wrong on this one, but it seems like just about any certification or license in a trade is ("I think I can do so therefore I have a license to do) Want to see it ......the copy shop just did it for me yesterday!

Is it just my imagination or if you look at the doctors list at Bumrungrad (or similar) most of the doctors are ethnic Chinese educated abroad?

The PAD refers to them as the "Sons of Chinese" and considers them the only valid leaders of Thailand.

[PeaceBlondie]

But after saying all this, in many threads every year, we must acknowledge how far Thai education for peasants has progressed. The two Thai men I have known best had at least a 9th grade education, and then furthered themselves informally after leaving school. All four of their parents received four years of prathom, no more. Perhaps public education was so pathetically inadequate that its expansion was more of the same, too little. Systemically flawed. Now their brothers and sisters - if they even have any - can become nurses or computer techs rather than rice farmers. They will never catch up with the outside world, of course.

Try to have a conversation in Thai with your partner's parent. Impossible? Maybe they are far more uneducated than your partner.

[paulfr]

bangon04 has it down cold.

Education, real quality education would upset the ruling order so it remains the same.

My wife's freind has a son living upcountry who was number one in his school of 3000 students. Being poor, with limited English skills, he could barely find a Bangkok Uni to take him. In the US, Ivy League schools would be tripping over themselves to offer full scholarships.

The Royalist have no interest in socio-economic mobility.

Status Quo is the mantra of the times.

But it will change someday most likley as it has in many other countries.

Another observation; Average Thais are not readers as a general rule.

[myauq]

Teaching children to be compliant, uncomplaining, patriotic members of their nation is not a duty or measure of academics, but it works in Thailand, Myanmar, China, Cuba, etc.

I monitored the 8th grade math final exam, and found mistakes in the questions and answers. It did not matter. Nothing really seriously matters. In fact it is not Thai to be serious. But the ajarns dress very nicely on Fridays, smile and wai well, and drive nice cars.

If the Thai teachers of English can mangle the English tests so badly, it is a Thai cultural trait. No matter anyway. It makes you wonder how any uni graduate knows their major subject material, though.

sorry, i have to disagree with that.

if the government's of myanmar and cuba (and to a lesser extent china imo) were successful at producing obedient patriots they would not have half as many of political dissidents thrown in jail.

the fact that the entire myanmar nation 'complained' in a democratic uprising in 1988, in which thousands of people were killed, shows how unsuccessful the government education system (and media) in disciplining 'the masses'.

[GuestHouse]

While Thailand's education system fails Thailand in the pursuit of international commerce, trade, innovation, technology ... and just about any other measure that developed nations would weigh their own education systems against, it actually does a startling good job at achieving the aims and objectives for which it has been set up.

In the translation of self sufficiency that has been bequeathed to the nation, one chapter is conspicuous by its absence - That on providing an education system that enables individuals to become self sufficient.

The 'success' of the Thai education in achieving its aims has been no accident, neither have the 'failings' noted above.

[Beardog]

. I shudder to think of the qualifications to be a trained doctor of lets say oncologist or a bone specialist is. School till 14 three years of college & your a specialist. Ouch .

I really hope I am dead wrong on this one, but it seems like just about any certification or license in a trade is ("I think I can do so therefore I have a license to do) Want to see it ......the copy shop just did it for me yesterday!

Is it just my imagination or if you look at the doctors list at Bumrungrad (or similar) most of the doctors are ethnic Chinese educated abroad?

Most of the specialists claim they do study abroad. My question ( only made it 5 years towards a premed in veterinarian training)

is ,How can you tell if a woman has a cyst on her breast without using a Mammogram ,Ultrasound or a MRI. My girl told me she had a small lump on her breast for about a year.So we drove to Sri Racha (where they were supposed to have a mammogram machine & they didn't -sent us to Chonburi where they played with her breast & said it felt like a cyst - The gal told her she had the same same not to be concerned.(Scary huh)(apparently breast cancer is not a worry here & too expensive to use the aging equipment they possess), not to worry. What a crock. My question is how can you tell if it isn't a malignant tumor. Sure if it is gaining mass its possible- But she wasn't sure if it grew- So my question is how would they know. In a country that so many people die from poor diagnoses.

My wrist got snapped (hyper-extended)& I went to Queen Siricut hospital . One doctor said 6 hairline fractures. I come in for the cast the next day for the cast. Next Dr. (a different one says the X-rays are crap take 2 new shots) I come back & still can see in the 2 X-rays the same 2 hairline fractures in the first 3 X-rays. He says no breaks anywhere. This was in January. I go back to the U.S. sure enough it showed (weakly as by now the hairline fractures have mended some) And severe nerve damage that will require micro surgery & rehab after that.

Things that make you go HMMMM!

I am not saying they are all losers by no means- but it goes back to understanding. In the trades I never could do drafting well. I know my limitations & have someone draw up the plans so I can build the house. I think here the education & saving face run hand in hand. In the states most people if they cannot do they refer you to someone that can do.

Here they all can do no matter what they can or can't. If anyone owns a house- when the electrician installs the run of wires & twists the wires together then puts a healthy amount of black electrical tape on the mess- that is not proper at all. 1/2 the time there is not even a junction box to keep the wires safe from getting exposed. Then you ask about where they went to school & find out a friend or uncle taught them. (The cowboy I can do method!) And why would you build a double wall constructed house only to have the plumber & electrician cut the block to put in the conduit or the plumbing pipes in - instead of feeding them between the 2 walls with the inside cavity empty & designed for the items too be hidden without grinding the block & making it look like the apprentice did the job. All due to lack of proper training.

The govn. & the upper class purposelessly

keep the people in the dark so they can exploit them for making money due to lack of education.

Even within the Government here there is a lack of knowledge for the offices their in.

I still love it here in Thailand but they are still stuck in the cave dwelling ages.

Give it another 100 years & maybe things will change.

A prime example (if you live in the Pattata area is to go to the Kanyong hardware building center. The Thai clerks there do not even understand Thai when each other attempt to communicate with each other. All you hear is alyna every 5 seconds.

With the exception of one man who speaks English this business is a tragicomedy!

The only real education that can help their plight is if Mama & Papa have common sense & can teach them economics to sell a skill they have. My heart goes out to them as I am fortunate to be from a country that forces you to at least learn 8- 10th grade skills. I say 8-10th grade cause high school is a repeat of junior high & your first 2 years in college getting your AA is a rehash of high school.

I would agree fully with Paulfr about the reason why the Thai's are left in the dark. That to if you don't have any tax money in the coffers it is impossible to educate the masses. After all who is going to pick up the tab .......The rich :D The farang are probably the only major contributers to the taxes taken in , albeit the land taxes & the vat tax everyone pays.

Edited September 17, 2008 by Beardog

[PhilHarries]

But after saying all this, in many threads every year, we must acknowledge how far Thai education for peasants has progressed. The two Thai men I have known best had at least a 9th grade education, and then furthered themselves informally after leaving school. All four of their parents received four years of prathom, no more. Perhaps public education was so pathetically inadequate that its expansion was more of the same, too little. Systemically flawed. Now their brothers and sisters - if they even have any - can become nurses or computer techs rather than rice farmers. They will never catch up with the outside world, of course.

Try to have a conversation in Thai with your partner's parent. Impossible? Maybe they are far more uneducated than your partner.

This progression is also evident, to an extent, in the west. Neither of my parents had any formal qualification beyond school certificates (my dad had an intensive course in killing people 1939-45 though). I left school with almost worthless certificates but went on to do an apprenticeship and gain some HNC qualifications. Both of my sons have graduated from universities with top notch degrees. This progression is not entirely down to the education system but is also due to the aspirations of society to attain the best possible.

So the question is does society drive education or does education drive society? In Thailand it appears that society molds education to produce what is wanted.

While Thailand's education system fails Thailand in the pursuit of international commerce, trade, innovation, technology ... and just about any other measure that developed nations would weigh their own education systems against, it actually does a startling good job at achieving the aims and objectives for which it has been set up.

In the translation of self sufficiency that has been bequeathed to the nation, one chapter is conspicuous by its absence - That on providing an education system that enables individuals to become self sufficient.

The 'success' of the Thai education in achieving its aims has been no accident, neither have the 'failings' noted above.

Which is pretty well what I wrote in that the Thai education system is very good at producing rice farmers etc. But this self sufficiency has little to do with the education system. How many rice farmers would prefer a job as manager of Tesco-Lotus? It's as much the Thai relaxed system that allows uneducated people to eke out a living. You try opening up a restaurant back in Europe or even a roadside stall selling kites, the regulations will stifle any attempt. The bureaucracy we complain about in Thailand evaporates at ground level allowing, and almost apologising for the cr@p education, people to make a living unfettered. If it wasn't for this relaxed attitude Thailand would have mass unemployement and thus the roots for revolution. The ruling classes know this so they allow the masses to scratch out their living so long as they play the game come election time.

[myauq]

some very good posts so far, and interesting summaries.

i would like to read about some examples though - i.e. quotes from text books, experiences teaching, being the parent of a student at a thai school, stats on expenditure, etc. the ideas are good, but better if they are linked to something tangible.

[Samuian]

At my place of work, there are some (a handful) of Thai teachers who disagree with the "culturally indoctrinated" method of teaching. Their opinion has put them in a very difficult situation - they feel that they have to somehow change the education system without upsetting their peers. Quite often, the cost of alienation for these people is too great & they end up submitting. The winner - ego. The losers - Thai students.

This is continuing of course all the way into the corporate world as well!

Gigantic egos carrying mind boggling titles, most of them are hiding their own failures behind the backs, on the shoulders of their subordinates or some invented situation...it always "them", hardly anybody is able, or willing to admit a mistake, there is always something else responsible!

...it's like a live version of Alice in Wonderland, repeated day by day.

Edited September 17, 2008 by Samuian

[Steve2UK]

Well that's my take on it, right or wrong, based on my observations. The Thai education system does turn out many bright young people in spite of it's best efforts to do otherwise. Will it ever change? Not all the time Thailand has this, almost feudal, system of patronage that passes for government.

The talented young people in Thailand who are bright enough will often go overseas and excel where they are appreciated and rewarded for their intellect and skills. The vast majority of my Thai friends either studied abroad and/or work for multinationals. There is another layer to this problem and that is brain drain.

Singapore recognized this early on and gave full ride scholarships to intelligent but poor students in various SE asian nations to encourage them to immigrate and contribute to Singapore. This was a brilliant move and some of those students became leaders in their respective fields or went back home and became leaders who opened up various doors to Singaporean investment later on.

Judging by the Singapore PM's recent presentation of upcoming policy developments, a big part of the reason for their scholarship scheme (as well as obviously wanting to enlarge their skillset pool in short order) is that the currently declining SG birth rate is leading to a declining working population. My guess is that Thailand doesn't have the birth rate problem.

As others have mentioned, the hi-so elite will readily send their darling offspring overseas for what they regard as a 'head start" education (plus face etc), but I have yet to hear of any scholarships offered to less well-off Thai youth - whether for overseas study or at the top tier of Thai universities. Are there any? Would a less well-off but bright Thai student get a look-in anyway - with the excuse that their bog-standard early education just didn't equip them to qualify for it?

I agree with those that say that the present situation suits the elite just fine: the goodies for them and theirs - and a self-perpetuating system for the remainder of the population that produces plenty of worker ants.

Sad........

[Dakhar]

My son's school came to us and stated that his English is awesome, and that they have really seen an improvemet....

Excuse me, but his English is better than any of the teachers at his school to befin with. But yet they want to claim it was throught their hard work, yada yada yada\

Show me something worth talking about, like mathe skills etc. Don't come and tell me that my son has great English when that is all he ever hears at home!

[Andrew Hicks]

Well that's my take on it, right or wrong, based on my observations. The Thai education system does turn out many bright young people in spite of it's best efforts to do otherwise. Will it ever change? Not all the time Thailand has this, almost feudal, system of patronage that passes for government.

The talented young people in Thailand who are bright enough will often go overseas and excel where they are appreciated and rewarded for their intellect and skills. The vast majority of my Thai friends either studied abroad and/or work for multinationals. There is another layer to this problem and that is brain drain.

Singapore recognized this early on and gave full ride scholarships to intelligent but poor students in various SE asian nations to encourage them to immigrate and contribute to Singapore. This was a brilliant move and some of those students became leaders in their respective fields or went back home and became leaders who opened up various doors to Singaporean investment later on.

Judging by the Singapore PM's recent presentation of upcoming policy developments, a big part of the reason for their scholarship scheme (as well as obviously wanting to enlarge their skillset pool in short order) is that the currently declining SG birth rate is leading to a declining working population. My guess is that Thailand doesn't have the birth rate problem.

As others have mentioned, the hi-so elite will readily send their darling offspring overseas for what they regard as a 'head start" education (plus face etc), but I have yet to hear of any scholarships offered to less well-off Thai youth - whether for overseas study or at the top tier of Thai universities. Are there any? Would a less well-off but bright Thai student get a look-in anyway - with the excuse that their bog-standard early education just didn't equip them to qualify for it?

I agree with those that say that the present situation suits the elite just fine: the goodies for them and theirs - and a self-perpetuating system for the remainder of the population that produces plenty of worker ants.

Sad........

Singapore is by its nature a society of immigrants and is very good at bringing in outsiders to top up on technology and the work force generally. Indeed they employed me in their very nice university for five years!

Education has a very high priority, a spin off from Chinese culture, but ther are sharp enough to know that they have to move on from the Asian tradition of rote learning and develop critical thinkng and creativity. In Singapore there are real opportunities for the poor but clever kid.

In Thailand there is none. there are no opportunities. Birth determines everything. Money, contacts, corruption determines who can move comfortably up the ladder.

This is a tragedy for the able but poor individual. It's also a disaster for the country as the absence of a true meritocracy is utterly wasteful of talent.

In consequence the top people are drawn from a narrow gene pool. At the very top one wonders why there is so much mediocrity.

I think this explains it.

[Pakboong]

Well that's my take on it, right or wrong, based on my observations. The Thai education system does turn out many bright young people in spite of it's best efforts to do otherwise. Will it ever change? Not all the time Thailand has this, almost feudal, system of patronage that passes for government.

The talented young people in Thailand who are bright enough will often go overseas and excel where they are appreciated and rewarded for their intellect and skills. The vast majority of my Thai friends either studied abroad and/or work for multinationals. There is another layer to this problem and that is brain drain.

Singapore recognized this early on and gave full ride scholarships to intelligent but poor students in various SE asian nations to encourage them to immigrate and contribute to Singapore. This was a brilliant move and some of those students became leaders in their respective fields or went back home and became leaders who opened up various doors to Singaporean investment later on.

Judging by the Singapore PM's recent presentation of upcoming policy developments, a big part of the reason for their scholarship scheme (as well as obviously wanting to enlarge their skillset pool in short order) is that the currently declining SG birth rate is leading to a declining working population. My guess is that Thailand doesn't have the birth rate problem.

As others have mentioned, the hi-so elite will readily send their darling offspring overseas for what they regard as a 'head start" education (plus face etc), but I have yet to hear of any scholarships offered to less well-off Thai youth - whether for overseas study or at the top tier of Thai universities. Are there any? Would a less well-off but bright Thai student get a look-in anyway - with the excuse that their bog-standard early education just didn't equip them to qualify for it?

I agree with those that say that the present situation suits the elite just fine: the goodies for them and theirs - and a self-perpetuating system for the remainder of the population that produces plenty of worker ants.

Sad........

I assume Thais take an entrance exam comparable to the SAT. Does anyone have any specific info on such as this? How do they stack up against the rest of the world? I expect that if a Thai could max the SATs he/she would get scholarship offers. A few female athletes from Thailand are getting scholarship attention. The sports however, are the ones dominated by Thai Chinese.

[long]

compare with malaysia, thailand was much more better then malaysia.

[PeaceBlondie]

I have heard of a few geniuses in the best BKK high schools doing very well on SAT and getting accepted at Ivy League or Oxbridge. However, their families are elite, farang or Korean. In my novel, I assume a Hill Tribe genius never goes to uni.

There sometimes is an exceptional, poor, Thai genius who succeeds by his own efforts, but Thai teachers kind of assume his own abilities will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, with little aid from teachers. I wish I knew how Jitsuda is doing. I just hope she did not fall off a motosai and die, like her fellow genius did. But you know what his hi-so Thai ajarn said about that poor boy genius? That even if he lived, he would probably be a poor drunk, like his dead father. So much for Thai mentors.

Steve2UK, the Thai reproduction rate is already below the replacement rate, but they will let Thailand go to He11 before they start recruiting geniuses from Burma or Cambodia.

[philstone]

Wow...sooo many questions

To sum: It wasn't all that crap to me - speaking from own experience

I agree Thailand Education is probably number one in Asia. The reason most of us think it is bad because we hang around with Jerks. In England and America you will not hang around with these types. All my circle of Thais are higher educated. Just get better friends or better wife.

[philstone]

Could someone please explain me something.

If education is not a priority, why academics are so well regarded in Thailand? I can't figure out why, every time there is a problem, they found some obscure lecturer to give his opinion, how to fix the economy, the government ,.... And, as far as I'm concerned, none of them are Nobel prize material but that's just my opinion.

But the main question is, if they care so little about education, why academics are held in so high esteem ?

The Noble Prize is fixed and that's a small group dominate the prize winners. But none known anything except how to control the world.

[Tyke]

Could someone please explain me something.

If education is not a priority, why academics are so well regarded in Thailand? I can't figure out why, every time there is a problem, they found some obscure lecturer to give his opinion, how to fix the economy, the government ,.... And, as far as I'm concerned, none of them are Nobel prize material but that's just my opinion.

But the main question is, if they care so little about education, why academics are held in so high esteem ?

Referring to academics does not necessarily show them respect - they are just people who are willing to give an opinion (I know how opinionated academics can be - I was one) that may be contrary to those of politicians etc - so good for the media. If academics were well respected in Thailand then they would be paid more instead of having to moonlight as consultants to make ends meet.