Thai Education Minister Gives Thumbs Down To A Curfew And Caning

[webfact]

Minister gives thumbs down to a curfew and caning

By The Nation

Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat has come out against a 10pm curfew on youths under 18 and corporal punishment.

Responding to a Suan Dusit Poll that showed Thais favour use of the cane for unruly students, Chinnaworn said he personally disapproved of corporal punishment even though students in recent years had had problems with premature sex and teen pregnancy, skipping school, low economic merit, and drug problems.

"I believe there are other options that teachers could resort to when disciplining students. Schools can get parents to closely take care of their children," he said.

The minister also had reservations over the proposed curfew on youths under 18, saying police should tackle problems on a casebycase basis. "If any student starts a brawl, use drugs, police can summon them and their parents to come to some agreement,'' he said.

Democrat Party spokesman Dr Buranat Samutrak said the party believed police should deal with the root cause of problems by cracking down on game shops, snooker shops, and any venues that encourage vice. Police should not stress punishing those violate a curfew.

"Since they are still underage, they have to be sent back home,'' he said.

More than half of people who took part in the Suan Dusit Poll supported a police proposal to impose 10pm curfew on youths under 18 to reduce crime, according to results released on Saturday.

Of 1,549 respondents surveyed, 66 per cent agreed with the curfew idea, as they believed it could help cut crime and parents would have more chance to spend time with their children. Some 34 per cent disapproved of the proposal, reasoning that such a move would not stop the root cause of problems. Some 63 per cent believed a curfew would help prevent crime as most crime involving youths occurs at night. Just over a third of people (37 per cent) believed a curfew would not solve problems if parents did not take care of their children. About two thirds (68 per cent) said parents should get their children to abide by a curfew as it would help to protect them, while a quarter (26 per cent) said the move would violate children's rights.

-- The Nation 2011-01-17

[animatic]

"low economic merit"

And this is what?

No the root cause of the problem will not be addressed by making all kids stay at homer after 10pm.

The trouble makers will just escape and hide out with other trouble makers.

The good kids will just watch Thai sops and absorb the wonderful societal messages they contain.

And the cycle continues.

[Kilgore Trout]

"I believe there are other options that teachers could resort to when disciplining students. Schools can get parents to closely take care of their children," he said.

And just how would teachers do that? Perhaps they have a magic wand somewhere......

[starguard69]

April Fools Day in on 18 January.....

[bangon04]

"The minister also had reservations over the proposed curfew on youths under 18, saying police should tackle problems on a casebycase basis. "If any student starts a brawl, use drugs, police can summon them and their parents to come to some agreement,'' he said."

"coming to some agreement" is something the police in Thailand are especially good at. This should be an easy task for them.

But the families who cannot afford regular "agreements" may just have to take more care of their children.

[PaulHamon]

Decrease the number of unwanted pregances and in 16-20 years from now the youth crime will drop considerable, childern are born to mothers (and fathers) when they are not ready for them, lead to parents not equiped or prepaired to raising a well adjusted child.

I have read reports that when abortion was legalised in Canada, Australia and USA after the 16-20 year mark, youth crime/problems dropped considerably... and since it was legalised at different times in each country, sounds to like a logical conclusion to me.

[Mr lamai]

"I believe there are other options that teachers could resort to when disciplining students. Schools can get parents to closely take care of their children," he said.

And just how would teachers do that? Perhaps they have a magic wand somewhere......

I think most of the "western world" teachers would adore to do work here.... In the west pupils can do what the <deleted> they want! Teachers are just to lame and afraid of beeing sacked from a sissy headmaster or beeing called from law officer when they deal with unruly youngsters. Kids of today just cant take a NO,STOP or QUIET word.

In Sweden there has been hefty debating why school toilets are so dirty. Why are they dirty? The school cut on cleaning or some kids have a habit of not using toiletpaper and smear on the walls??? Whats the problem?? It might be a combination.. but both are bad enough-enough said.

School should not be a right but a privilige.

I dont see a problem from ban a teenager from school.If west can educate older persons, then Thailand can do the same if they grow mature and wants an education.

Mr Lamai

[hhiser]

He wants to get Parents involved, but it has been my experience that Parents do not wish to be involved. I require all my students that fail my tests to get a parents signature before they are allowed to retest. Then if they fail the retest they must obtain their parents signature on the retest to obtain a passing mark. To date only 2 parents have ever inquired on how they could get their children to do better. Plus the same students keep failing the tests.

[bobbin]

The Minister of Education actually sounds like he is intelligent enough not to offer a knee-jerk reaction to these backward-looking desires to to beat students and/or keep them confined to home after 10 p.m.

Unlike some of the antediluvian posters here!

[Arkady]

The curfew proposal may result from good intentions but giving the Thai police an excuse to intimidate, rob and rape children is a very bad idea. The government should undertake the overdue task of reforming the disgraceful criminal gang, commonly referred to as a police force first.

The caning proposal results from evil intentions of people who want to allow half baked, irresponsible teachers to legally cane boys and girls. It is bad enough that nothing is done to stop them illegally caning children.

Edited January 18, 2011 by Arkady

[jsflynn603]

I used to be the president of my (very small) rural town Historical Society. The vice-president of our society happened to be a professor in Woman's Studies at Brown University in Rhode Island, USA, a prestigious University.

This women whose name I cannot remember did a study using our and other towns historical records which included statistics and a surprising number of diaries (in my state of New Hampshire historical preservation is taken seriously and often passionately by many), and the quantity and quality of records dating back to the mid 1700's is rather surprising.

When her study was finished she gave a talk at our town and at others towns, and I presume at Brown University. Her conclusion was that the rate of out-of-wedlock pregnancies during the years of 1870-1890 was just about the same as it was currently (then 1980). Most likely the situation here in Thailand regarding the rate of teen pregnancy is the same today as it was a hundred years ago.

Caning is unlikely to change unwanted pregnancies. Increased education combined with true enforcement of the male's next twenty years' financial obligation for any unplanned child, would, in time, probably reduce unwanted pregnancies (at least those involving males that are older) significantly. Accepting that teens have sex, and will have sex commonly as young as age 14 by parents, with good parental involvement will also reduce unwanted pregnancies. Parents can significantly reduce unwanted pregnancies by having an open relationship with their daughters and explaining one, often never voiced point of view, and that is, female teens need to be told that they are "gatekeepers." It is they who have the right and ability to say: "no."

It comes as a great surprise to many that young women oftentimes never really realize that they have the option (and parents would say obligation) to decide, who, when, where, and under what circumstances they choose to engage in coitus for the first and subsequent times. Oftentimes it is the male that is aggressive and the female simply is unaware that in most cases she can say: "no", or "wait," or "wait till you get a condom." From a point of view of Thailand's cultural history, one can appreciate how difficult this might be for both parents and the child turning adult--but to succeed in conveying the concept of the female being the "gatekeeper" will stop quite a lot of unwanted pregnancies.