International Schools Now Targeting The Thai Middle Class

[webfact]

International schools now targeting the middle class

By Chularat Saengpassa,

Wannapa Khaopa,

Darapan Kaewmukda

The Nation

More and more Thai families able to afford ‘global’ institutions

An international education used to be the preserve of upper class people but this is no longer the case. Today more more middle class Thais are trying to get their children into international schools in the hope they will enjoy a brighter future in the globalised world.

St John Mary International School (SJMIS) in Sara Buri province, Assumption University (ABAC), Chulalongkorn (CU) and Naresuan University International College (NUIC) in Phitsanulok told The Nation last week they were introducing their international and English programmes to the “medium” market in the central part of the country and others upcountry to offer an opportunity for families to get access to an international education.

SJMIS development and public relations manager Vasant Suksophon said the medium market or middle class people were the main target group for their school.

‘Interesting province’

“Lots of people in this group are able to push their children into international education, especially ones upcountry,” he said. “Maha Sarakham is an interesting province because there is a small number of international schools in the Northeast.

“Having an international school there, the school would not only have students from the province, but also others in neighbouring provinces.”

He pointed out that Angthong, Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Lop Buri, Sara Buri and Suphan Buri also had lots of customers. Others located near Thailand’s neighbouring countries were also interesting.

With the educational expenses of Bt150,000Bt260,000 per year, some middle class people have found SJMIS affordable.

ABAC, despite being located in the Central region, has up to 60 per cent of students coming from upcountry, with 25 per cent from the Central region and 15 per cent foreigners from 88 countries.

“Most of the upcountry students are from Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Rayong, Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon,” ABAC’s University registrar Kamol Kitsawad said.

“We want more students from different parts of country. So, ABAC has collaborated with Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai and Prince of Songkla Universities, which are located in different regions, to have them provide direct admission to students and select them for ABAC.

“The only province ABAC doesn’t have students from is Mae Hong Son,” he said.

The vice president at Chulalongkorn, Assist Prof MR Kalaya Tingsabadh, said it tried to control educationrelated fees so more students could gain access to its international and English programmes.

“Each faculty has to propose the fees to a central committee of CU. The committee will consider if they are too high before allowing the faculties to reveal the fees to students.

“We offer lower fees to Thai students, compared to foreign students,” she said.

Limited budget

However, Kalaya said most of CU’s students in international and English programmes were in the medium market in Bangkok.

With limited budget and personnel, CU could not run a campaign to promote the programmes among students and parents who live upcountry. Apart from CU’s direct collaboration with schools, each faculty with such programmes used technology as a channel for promotional purposes, she said. “They keep updating information of their programmes on their websites. Webboards on the websites are also used to answer students’ questions. Some of them have used Facebook or Twitter to promote the programmes.”

ABAC and CU have also joined road shows held annually by the Higher Education Commission in every region. That has been another way to reach upcountry students.

NUIC deputy director for academic affairs Saranporn Kirdkoh said that with the lower cost of living, NUIC offered cheaper fees than universities in Bangkok and thus opened more opportunities to students in the North. Their fees were about Bt60,000 per year.

joining the tiee

“NUIC mostly serves students in the North now. However, we plan to introduce our international programmes to provinces in other regions across the country,” she said.

To increase chances to meet local and foreign parents, help students and education agents introduce themselves to more people, and create networks with educational agents, these institutions joined the Thailand International Education Expo (TIEE) 2010.

This event brought together schools with English programmes and international courses, plus vocational institutions and universities; institutes with short courses in English; and educational agents, representatives and consultants.

They said TIEE was an effective channel to communicate with their target groups as they could meet facetoface and give information to them directly and create partnerships with other local and foreign education related agencies to help promote and improve the quality of programmes.

TIEE began on Friday and ended yesterday at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

-- The Nation 2010-11-22

[Northman061]

"With the educational expenses of Bt 150,000 Bt 260,000 per year, some middle class people have found SJMIS affordable"....<deleted>???!!!! AFFORDABLE!!!??????

I would suggest that no real rural "Middle Class" Family could afford such sums every year.

I believe that what we are seeing are strategic placement of new schools that reflect some of the richer rural politicians, businessmen and lnvestors building for the new "Anti Bangkok/Government" centralisation policy.

If you live outside bangkok, want an "International" Education, why should they come to Bangkok?

It allows rich rurals to maintain their influence in their strongholds, creates local jobs and services and shows their commitment to "their" people by not investing in Bangkok, the seat of opposition power and the home of the Military.

But its not the middle class.

[gemini81]

"With the educational expenses of Bt 150,000 Bt 260,000 per year, some middle class people have found SJMIS affordable"....<deleted>???!!!! AFFORDABLE!!!??????

I would suggest that no real rural "Middle Class" Family could afford such sums every year.

I believe that what we are seeing are strategic placement of new schools that reflect some of the richer rural politicians, businessmen and lnvestors building for the new "Anti Bangkok/Government" centralisation policy.

If you live outside bangkok, want an "International" Education, why should they come to Bangkok?

It allows rich rurals to maintain their influence in their strongholds, creates local jobs and services and shows their commitment to "their" people by not investing in Bangkok, the seat of opposition power and the home of the Military.

But its not the middle class.

indeed its not middle class! what a lie! Bad marketing strategy thinking an article like this will convince people to bite off more than they can chew.

Same spoiled rich kids same families.

A lot of bi lingual schools and even soem gov't schools are just as good, if not more competetive, and you don't have to look like a snob either.

[Nana]

“Most of the upcountry students are from Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Rayong, Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon,” ABAC’s University registrar Kamol Kitsawad said.

I know that Chiang Mai is upcountry. But, is really provinces like Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon considered upcountry..

Edited November 22, 2010 by Nana

[bkk_mike]

"With the educational expenses of Bt 150,000 Bt 260,000 per year, some middle class people have found SJMIS affordable"....<deleted>???!!!! AFFORDABLE!!!??????

I would suggest that no real rural "Middle Class" Family could afford such sums every year.

...

But its not the middle class.

The Upper class send their children abroad for schooling. Witness the prime minister having been to Eton.

And I know several, definitely not upper class, Thais who send their kids to International schools in Bangkok, at a lot more than 260,000 baht a year. If you buy a new car (ie. Fortuner over 3 years) you're paying more than 260,000 baht a year. If you're telling me the middle class in Thailand can't afford to buy a new Fortuner, then why are there so many of them on the roads...

The biggest issue with Thais sending their kids to International schools is that the next stage would be for them to go to University abroad, which costs a lot more than 260,000 p.a. And the fallback of a Thai University might not be there as the child's Thai suffers and is often not good enough to get into a Thai University.

150,000 is pretty close to what the UK government spends, per child, for a state school education. i.e. If it's a proper international school, with foreign teachers snd proper accreditation and curriculum, you're not going to find it for much less. (After all, what proper teacher from a western country is going to work in Thailand for LESS than they'd earn back home.)

Edited November 22, 2010 by bkk_mike

[onnut]

It will not make any difference to the kids, they have to change the way they teach them first.

[jdinasia]

"With the educational expenses of Bt 150,000 Bt 260,000 per year, some middle class people have found SJMIS affordable"....<deleted>???!!!! AFFORDABLE!!!??????

I would suggest that no real rural "Middle Class" Family could afford such sums every year.

...

But its not the middle class.

The Upper class send their children abroad for schooling. Witness the prime minister having been to Eton.

And I know several, definitely not upper class, Thais who send their kids to International schools in Bangkok, at a lot more than 260,000 baht a year. If you buy a new car (ie. Fortuner over 3 years) you're paying more than 260,000 baht a year. If you're telling me the middle class in Thailand can't afford to buy a new Fortuner, then why are there so many of them on the roads...

The biggest issue with Thais sending their kids to International schools is that the next stage would be for them to go to University abroad, which costs a lot more than 260,000 p.a. And the fallback of a Thai University might not be there as the child's Thai suffers and is often not good enough to get into a Thai University.

150,000 is pretty close to what the UK government spends, per child, for a state school education. i.e. If it's a proper international school, with foreign teachers snd proper accreditation and curriculum, you're not going to find it for much less. (After all, what proper teacher from a western country is going to work in Thailand for LESS than they'd earn back home.)

Certainly within a middle-class budget!

I don't buy the argument that the children will suffer a dramatic fall in their ability to use their native language, and there are many international programs available at Thai universities. The upswing in private colleges in many countries is making overseas education more attainable for middle-class Thai students as well.

[NCFC]

The best International Schools in Bangkok cost around one million baht per year, taking into account travel, insurances and ancilliary charges. I know, because I sent my daughter to such as school. About 40% of kids are foreigners, and 60% from the Thai upper classes.

So 260K baht per year would be about right if you're targeting the middle-classes as this article points out.

And, no, Thai kids do not lose their ability to speak Thai by entering an International school, and they will easily qualify for a Thai university place as the universities know which schools provide a real education and which schools churn out certificates for every one.

A good move by the Thai education authorities, in my opinion, which will bring a higher level of professionalism to the provinces. And believe me, the top international schools in Thailand are very professional.

[Scott]

First, let's not stray from the topic too far. Second, an international education WILL, as a general rule, make the speakers of the native language suffer. There have been a fair amount of studies done on the issue of language and in a bilingual education, the student maintains a level of proficiency in both languages, including the ability to learn. Students who learn in English only will suffer a loss of ability to read and learn in their native language. This will preclude them from studying at many local universities, with the exception of those with international programs.

I currently work with a Thai Teacher who went to an International school--she teaches as a Foreign Teacher, not a Thai Teacher. She speaks Thai fluently; she reads Thai very, very well, but she can't write her native language well and she has trouble translating written material from Thai into English.

There is a whole lexicon and vocabulary and method of using a language that is unique to each subject. Without studying in the language, understanding is compromised.

[saroq]

"With the educational expenses of Bt 150,000 Bt 260,000 per year, some middle class people have found SJMIS affordable"....<deleted>???!!!! AFFORDABLE!!!??????

I would suggest that no real rural "Middle Class" Family could afford such sums every year.

I believe that what we are seeing are strategic placement of new schools that reflect some of the richer rural politicians, businessmen and lnvestors building for the new "Anti Bangkok/Government" centralisation policy.

If you live outside bangkok, want an "International" Education, why should they come to Bangkok?

It allows rich rurals to maintain their influence in their strongholds, creates local jobs and services and shows their commitment to "their" people by not investing in Bangkok, the seat of opposition power and the home of the Military.

But its not the middle class.

indeed its not middle class! what a lie! Bad marketing strategy thinking an article like this will convince people to bite off more than they can chew.

Same spoiled rich kids same families.

A lot of bi lingual schools and even soem gov't schools are just as good, if not more competetive, and you don't have to look like a snob either.

Unlike many Farang who come to Thailand with the arse out of their pants and no more than two cents to rub together there are many Thai middle class who do consider 150,000 to 260,000 baht a small amount to get an international education. A bilingual or government school cannot deliver the education that students get at international schools. Not in the English language or in the curriculum that focuses on acquisition of skills over rote learning.

[richard10365]

This event was supposed to attract 10,000 students (customers). I think we were lucky to see 1000.

[Boss]

Why not just kick asses in the present school system ? Our nanny went to school upcountry for ten years , learning english the last 6 years, But cant speak one word english

[Kilgore Trout]

How "international" can these schools be if all of their students are Thai?

The diversity of the student body is what makes a school truly "international," not just the curriculum.

[t36ony]

Let's not forget that an International school means that all the teachers are from western backgrounds and have degrees/masters in education. This allows them to properly teach British or American Curriculum and the western belief to learning/studying. When you start getting a lower price for an international school you see many Asian (Philipino) teachers and a lot more Thai kids. This means that it become a more Asian mentality and their view on education is different and then we find out that the only International aspect of the education is that it is done in English language. Proper international schools have exactly the same education as western schools and they are not just a front that says international school but behind the facade it is Thai run the same as always. It easy to say my child is at an international school but it means more than that. It’s education that must come first not just the prestige of your child at an international school.

[SkyHigh]

150000 -250000 per year is only about 70000-120000 per semester.

I consider it affordable, quite cheap than those elite schools to be honest.

It actually depends on what these schools offer. Some are totally worth for. Some, not quite so.

# of teachers per class, facility, # native speakers, canteen, restroom, management, media etc.

With those things taken into account, by avg, top international school in BKK is way more expensive.

[housepainter]

I have some knowledge of the International Schools on offer in Thailand and at best they provide for the elite only.

I remember an average class being made up of a disproportionate number fo diplomats children; both Thai and of other nationalities.

However, while such persons could meet the fees required, the Thai middle classes would come nowhere near it. Furthermore, perhaps what si the Thai middle class should be defined. Quite simply I would assert one rule of thumb measure would be those that shop in the 'Big Shed' supermarkets.

The salaries / incomes required may well equate with middle class standing. However, from personal observation of such persons, I think that other than by defintion of income, they little resemble any thing middle class. Clearly, their own education fails and debars them. The holding of superstitious beleifs, more talcum powder lottery numbers, debars them. Knowledge of other cultures, countries, current affairs, politics or being 'well read' debars them.

We are left with the conumdrum of how to define let alone identify the TMC.

I would like to make afurther point that may have been alluded to. That is, how do you assemble an International teaching staff to the up country back waters of Thailand. How do you possibly staff it with Thais who can manage a semblance of ordered, audible, understandable English?

As the language of international communication the Thais are clearly inept at speaking English. For example, one need look no further than the starangled efforts made on Chanell TAN [78] by some of their worthies who to my native speaker ear remain unintelligible.

It is easier to mock Thailand than to have serious debate of a way forward. Until their politicians are educated in numbers of significance then what hope is there for a Nation's children , other than none. Thai education systems fail the students by failing to deliver on standards, allowing no one to fail and handing out pass grades that have no substance or meaning.

An international education system without being a meritocracy would simply fail the students by way of honestly and accurately assessing their standard of achievement. Pitpiful as that is and remains so.

Einstein wasn't a Thai. Shall I continue through the historical list of International achievers, nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Chemists, atom splitters, genticists, ground breaking surgeons, physicists, scientists, research fellows, graduates of academies, authors, play wrights, directors, musiicians, world superstars, freedom fighters, political prisoners, philosophers, leaders .............. that's not a comprehensive list but ........

but ................. if you fill in the names and the nationalites you'll have the same number of Thais in there as the Faroe Islands produced and Thailand's had 4 thousand years of .............. er, what exactly ..... has it been doing since the dawn o civilisation when most of us started to stand up right and leave the bananas alone.

[SkyHigh]

Einstein wasn't a Thai. Shall I continue through the historical list of International achievers, nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Chemists, atom splitters, genticists, ground breaking surgeons, physicists, scientists, research fellows, graduates of academies, authors, play wrights, directors, musiicians, world superstars, freedom fighters, political prisoners, philosophers, leaders .............. that's not a comprehensive list but ........

but ................. if you fill in the names and the nationalites you'll have the same number of Thais in there as the Faroe Islands produced and Thailand's had 4 thousand years of .............. er, what exactly ..... has it been doing since the dawn o civilisation when most of us started to stand up right and leave the bananas alone.

Here we go. The almighty civilized farang.

[swerver]

How "international" can these schools be if all of their students are Thai?

The diversity of the student body is what makes a school truly "international," not just the curriculum.

Student body or curriculum

Lets go back to Thailand were all this internationalism started in schools not long after the end of WW II the mid twentieth century when I started coming to Thailand.

Then the only international school was the American International school located in BKK on Sukhumvit Soi 15. This International school system belongs to the US Gov. Foreign Affairs Office was primarily for the children of parents working at the US Embassy and US Embassy related organizations, like US military.

The Thai Gov. (Military) at that time made a law that the American International school student body had to be 70% foreign 30% Thai. What happen to that rule? I guess like so many things Thai when they don’t like it, know it; understand it, its farang. Over and out.

Now 2010 there are American International schools in several parts of Thailand most of which have fiddled with the name and none of them adhering to the 70-30 rule, as a matter of fact the rule is now in reverse 30-70.

In the developed world curriculums are geared to what the nation need to staff its business environment/industry. So far I have not seen or heard of any specific need Thailand has to staff its present screwdriver assembly environment. Manual labor is so inexpensive and easy to send home or call back in Thailand that Auto Alliance, to name but one, assembly plant is equipped with minimal number of Robots. Robots are expensive to buy, you cannot send them home when not needed, robotic maintenance technician are not exactly cheap salary workers, send them home they may not come back because their background knowledge allows them to go into some other maintenance technician endeavor. So what is all the excitement in Thailand about foreign education and English language? The whole affair looks more like Fleet Street and Fifth Ave. advertizing spin-doctors are on the job 24/7 in Thailand making the gullible rote learning educated parents fall for their ploy by using children. Morals, these advertizing people have no morals. If they had morals they would be in a profession helping people with their problems, like a medical doctor.

[bangkokgas]

This event was supposed to attract 10,000 students (customers). I think we were lucky to see 1000.

Not suprised - 250,000 baht for a child is a sum no 'middle-class' Thai I know could afford!

[bangon04]

How "international" can these schools be if all of their students are Thai?

The diversity of the student body is what makes a school truly "international," not just the curriculum.

"ABAC, despite being located in the Central region, has up to 60 per cent of students coming from upcountry, with 25 per cent from the Central region and 15 per cent foreigners from 88 countries.

“Most of the upcountry students are from Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Rayong, Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon,” ABAC’s University registrar Kamol Kitsawad said"

So there is the working definition of an international school - 85 per cent Thai, 15 per cent foreigners. What would it be without the Koreans?

[bangon04]

This event was supposed to attract 10,000 students (customers). I think we were lucky to see 1000.

Not suprised - 250,000 baht for a child is a sum no 'middle-class' Thai I know could afford!

"We offer lower fees to Thai students, compared to foreign students,” she said."

Actually 250000 baht is well within the reach of some working class ladies who get their "salaries" paid by several wellwishers from overseas simultaneously each month. Of course this assumes that they save it up instead of blowing it all immediately on gold and karaoke....

Perhaps the private schools ought to be marketing to the "working" class instead.

[MaiChai]

My step daughter swallowed the sales pitch from ABAC on how an ABAC degree would set her up nicely for life. Now she has now qualified, and has been setup nicely with a huge student loan to pay off, and she now enjoys jobs such as working in bookshops and selling soft drinks on soft drink stands in markets. It would seem it gives her little benefit over completing secondary school?

While I am here, a foreign friend decided to study a degree in a Thai university; he gave up because it was not rated sufficiently in his home country that he would still need to complete several bridging courses in his home country to bring him up to standard. Thus he decided to return to his home country to study a degree there instead.

Thai education is expensive and low quality. I just think its run too much like big business rather than on the basis of academic excellence and achievement. Just my opinion and experience.

Also, what is this change in the law that you can only pass a qualification if you get 80% or above for all subjects? If I understand this right, this with either lead to two things; people will stop studying because its expensive as they know they won't pass OR teachers will give artificially high results so that most students pass. Either way it defeats the idea of studying; studying is about bettering yourself though learning and effort. Whether you achieved 90% or 30%, you would have gained something from the process. If people stop studying because they know they can't pass (or teachers give them artificial high marks meaning they don't need to try) then Thailand will either end up with no educated people or poorly educated people with qualifications! Either way the education level is lowered. Can't be good for the economy?

Edited November 22, 2010 by MaiChai

[t36ony]

. If it's a proper international school, with foreign teachers snd proper accreditation and curriculum, you're not going to find it for much less. (After all, what proper teacher from a western country is going to work in Thailand for LESS than they'd earn back home.)

Great point made.....if it is going to be an international school, it should have proper western teachers. You have only got to look at some of the job advertisements. They want teachers who have worked with the British curriculum for many years. And yes if the pay is low they will not work there. So what you end up with is Asian teachers trying to copy Western standards. You always come back to what you know and if you studied in Asia when you were young and got your degree in Asia too there is no way you can really work at an international school and call yourself an international school teacher. The problem is Thais will just see the words 'International School' and believe that is must be great. And the sad thing is.. Do Thai people really know about western education standards? All the sweet educational words and fancy facade can hide the reality of low education standards that these cheaper schools offer. Just a word of warning before they go and waste their money.

[richard10365]

From my understanding, the make up of the student body has nothing to do with the school being considered international or not. The make of of the student body can be 100% Thai and still, the following would apply:

International School

Has an international (foreign) curriculum taught in a language other than Thai.

Bilingual School

Has a Thai curriculum taught completely in English.

Engish Program in a Thai School

Thai curriculum taught in Thai with some extra English classes.

Thai School

Thai curriculum taught completely in Thai. Normally students study English for the grade they are in.

All of these schools have to be approved by the Ministry of Education in Thailand.

[Kilgore Trout]

From my understanding, the make up of the student body has nothing to do with the school being considered international or not. The make of of the student body can be 100% Thai and still, the following would apply:

International School

Has an international (foreign) curriculum taught in a language other than Thai.

Bilingual School

Has a Thai curriculum taught completely in English.

Engish Program in a Thai School

Thai curriculum taught in Thai with some extra English classes.

Thai School

Thai curriculum taught completely in Thai. Normally students study English for the grade they are in.

All of these schools have to be approved by the Ministry of Education in Thailand.

International Schools have a quota, they must be 70% foreign and only 30% Thai, this rule is set by the ministry of education. Being Thailand however, there are schools that don't strictly follow this rule, but the best ones like NIST etc. do. That's why it is really difficult for Thai nationals to get their kids into those schools even if they have the money; the students are tested and held to a very high standard. Of course they are very expensive, not affordable to most middle class peoples.

[rgs2001uk]

I would be interested to know how exactly "middle class" is defined in Thailand.

Is there a minimum salary requirement for the main breadwinner, are we talking joint income for husband and wife or total family income?

What are the parameters for "middle class", how much must one earn before one is classed as high class as oppossed to Hi-So?

[jdinasia]

I would be interested to know how exactly "middle class" is defined in Thailand.

Is there a minimum salary requirement for the main breadwinner, are we talking joint income for husband and wife or total family income?

What are the parameters for "middle class", how much must one earn before one is classed as high class as oppossed to Hi-So?

Ummm I think that Hi-So does not necessarily refer to income and only refers to social status.

I would place "Middle Class" at 100k a month or over 1 mil a year for family income.

(Remember --- working class stiffs in the West often think of themselves as "middle class" but they really aren't.)

Edited November 23, 2010 by jdinasia

[Thai at Heart]

I would take this to mean that a lot of expats have been repatriated due to the global economic issues, so we will try to convince wealthier regional Thai people to send their kids to international school to make up the loss.

This may work to some extent, but regional wealth needs regional contacts. I know many wealthy families up country who continue to send their kids to the local government school and save up to send their kids to university overseas.

My current experience of international schools with my kids is that many go through the process of delivering education without any emphasis of accountability or responsibility being placed on the kids themselves. A lot are show for dough.

If the currency continues to strengthen, it won't be impossible for Thais to send their kids to middle level boarding school in the UK for the same price as some of the higher end International schools in Bangkok.

[prometheus]

Lets be honest here, the traditional Thai educational system is really not the best one to take upon, especially for children of those "middle class" (I'm tempted to say hi-class since there's not that many people above them) family. There is a lot less choice of what one can take at post-secondary level, in which studying in the UK or US will give them much better experience and opportunity to pursue their hopes and dreams in the future. Which is exactly the reason why there are international schools in thailand, the whole purpose is to ensure that the students have an equal opportunity in continuing their education at the best place that they can possibly go.

Obviously, if it is in the minds of the parents to send their children abroad, lets say to United States which cost 50,000$ a year for at least 4 years of college , a fee of less than 10,000$ a year is not really a concern for those parents. If it is a concern, chances are, they will not be able to afford the post-secondary education abroad in which case the parents should send their children to the best Thai school that is available.

For people who do not think that there are "middle class" (again, I will call this hi-income earner) in Thailand who have the money, you should wake up, this is not even the first international school which targets this particular social group, the hi-income class has been expanding in vast amount in the past decade and most of them, at least the decent ones, have tuition fee in the range of 200K-500K. These are not the average people you see on an average street selling noodles, they are business owners, doctors and people in other high-flying professions who have atleast seven digits annual salary.

[siampolee]

Just to stir the pot a little more, I have taught in international schools over the years and in many cases a lot of the Thai parents sent their children to international schools for the bragging rights it gives them, the parents.

My son / daughter attends the Hi -So turn up my nose at the Thai school system.

We have money, we can buy class, we can buy our children intelligence.

Sadly breeding counts, and the greater majority of these parents have no breeding but they do possess extreme vulgarity and delight in flaunting their new wealth, it is indeed pitiful and it further hi-lights their insecurity.