No Deal On Computer Tablets, Thai Education Ministry Prepares Textbooks

[metisdead]

An off topic bickering session on grammar, sentence structures and punctualization has been removed. Calm down and lets get back on topic.

[Markaew]

"... in defence of Markaew, representative democracy does work ... really ... elected representatives do generally reflect he values of the majority of the constituency that selects them.

... you have to exclude examples as slime ball Americans President Richard Nixon, or Senator John Edwards, since they deceived their constituency to win their votes ... but, Thai politicians? ... c'mon ... jeez, there is hardly any question as to their deep corruptness ... Thai voters know that ... they accept it (in overwhelming numbers [70%+/-], as documented by ABAC polls year after year) ... they elect them anyway.

... what is an observer of human nature to conclude about the average Thai of voting age? ... representative democracy works ... it really does ... while there are certainly exceptional individuals amongst the average, generally painting the majority of a constituency with the same color as the representative they elect is quite reasonable.

... incidentally, as Markeaw, I do not live here insulated in the glorious oblivity of a farang cocoon ... I get Thai cultural values very up-close and personal (and I go nowhere near the thousands of brothels that infect this deeply troubled nation) ... emersed in Thais ... for 12+ years now ... that is the only way a farang might 'get it', and then only after several years ... so, take your best shot Ferangled, or move along."

Yet again you have failed to actually pick up on the content of any of my posts, failed to actually reply to anything I've written... and just launched on a rant about representative democracy... take my best shot?! At what?! What are you blithering on about?! Did you even read my post? I was directly replying to this:

"The problem here is you don't get out enough among average Thais and your eyes are glazed over with denial. They are quick to scam and leach money/beer/possessions/food at every opportunity. By the way, I don't live in Bangkok and I live among the Thais."

I disagree with the sentiment expressed by Markaew that your average Thai is purely out to scam and leach money, beer, possessions and food at every opportunity. You it would appear support this grossly distorted generalization...

This is certainly not representative of the average Thai in my experience... your experience is clearly different, again I'd suggest that you question why it is that you promote this response from people, when clearly many others don't. Please support your statement rather than changing the topic entirely and making assumptions about my lifestyle.

It would appear to me that you have had some bad experiences and are making vast generalizations as a result. These views show more of your critically dysfunctional outlook on life and inability to connect with your Thai counterparts than they reflect on the outlook of your "average Thai"...

If you are indeed a parent that nurtures such a depressing view of the population of the country you reside in, I'd suggest you think long and hard about what's best for your children and not comment on what's best for others when you know nothing of their situation. To attempt to raise children in what you perceive as such a dangerous and flawed environment is sheer lunacy.

Please try to defend your views without making wild assumptions about others. As for picking up on your basic grammatical mistakes Markaew, seems pretty relevant to me given this is a thread about education and you are putting yourself forward as an authority on this and parenting. Perhaps you should return to school and learn basic spelling and grammar before expecting people to take your views on education seriously....

Why am I not surprised that you chose only to comment on that small part of my response, and, yet again, failed to answer any of the actual content? I guess it was such a "weak argument" that you struggled to compose a literate response...

So what you are saying is if anyone disagrees with you then their opinions are “grossly distorted generalizations” have “critically dysfunctional outlook on life”, and an “inability to connect with your Thai counterparts”. And your comments about “Please try to defend your views without making wild assumptions about others” is exactly what you are guilty of. You apparently do not have room for other people’s opinions and you dismiss them as dribble. Quite frankly, I am surprised that you have survived in Thailand at all because of your rigid attitude because Thais generally will not accept that approach. I am guessing by your uninformed display I would say you do not work with Thais, you do not have a Thai supervisor, you don’t have a job, you have not been in Thailand very long, or you are incredibly bitter about something else altogether.

I do not make generalizations about a single event or episode. I make my comments from years of experiencing Thais in Bangkok and in poorer provinces (where I live now). I have found Thais are very consistent with their behavior and if my perspective seems to reflect a negative view of that behavior then that is what I perceive. They are consistent in management, their approach toward foreigners, and how they live their lives, so it’s easy to make a comment about Thais that is inclusive of all Thais.

I make comments in this forum to help others not to look at Thailand through rose colored glasses because if they do, they will disappointed and broke in short order. Also, I look at other poster’s comments and try to learn from their experiences. You should try to do the same.

Edited April 27, 2012 by Markaew

[Markaew]

An off topic bickering session on grammar, sentence structures and punctualization has been removed. Calm down and lets get back on topic.

That was my last comment on that particular exchange.

[Ferangled]

"... in defence of Markaew, representative democracy does work ... really ... elected representatives do generally reflect he values of the majority of the constituency that selects them.

... you have to exclude examples as slime ball Americans President Richard Nixon, or Senator John Edwards, since they deceived their constituency to win their votes ... but, Thai politicians? ... c'mon ... jeez, there is hardly any question as to their deep corruptness ... Thai voters know that ... they accept it (in overwhelming numbers [70%+/-], as documented by ABAC polls year after year) ... they elect them anyway.

... what is an observer of human nature to conclude about the average Thai of voting age? ... representative democracy works ... it really does ... while there are certainly exceptional individuals amongst the average, generally painting the majority of a constituency with the same color as the representative they elect is quite reasonable.

... incidentally, as Markeaw, I do not live here insulated in the glorious oblivity of a farang cocoon ... I get Thai cultural values very up-close and personal (and I go nowhere near the thousands of brothels that infect this deeply troubled nation) ... emersed in Thais ... for 12+ years now ... that is the only way a farang might 'get it', and then only after several years ... so, take your best shot Ferangled, or move along."

Yet again you have failed to actually pick up on the content of any of my posts, failed to actually reply to anything I've written... and just launched on a rant about representative democracy... take my best shot?! At what?! What are you blithering on about?! Did you even read my post? I was directly replying to this:

"The problem here is you don't get out enough among average Thais and your eyes are glazed over with denial. They are quick to scam and leach money/beer/possessions/food at every opportunity. By the way, I don't live in Bangkok and I live among the Thais."

I disagree with the sentiment expressed by Markaew that your average Thai is purely out to scam and leach money, beer, possessions and food at every opportunity. You it would appear support this grossly distorted generalization...

This is certainly not representative of the average Thai in my experience... your experience is clearly different, again I'd suggest that you question why it is that you promote this response from people, when clearly many others don't. Please support your statement rather than changing the topic entirely and making assumptions about my lifestyle.

It would appear to me that you have had some bad experiences and are making vast generalizations as a result. These views show more of your critically dysfunctional outlook on life and inability to connect with your Thai counterparts than they reflect on the outlook of your "average Thai"...

If you are indeed a parent that nurtures such a depressing view of the population of the country you reside in, I'd suggest you think long and hard about what's best for your children and not comment on what's best for others when you know nothing of their situation. To attempt to raise children in what you perceive as such a dangerous and flawed environment is sheer lunacy.

Please try to defend your views without making wild assumptions about others. As for picking up on your basic grammatical mistakes Markaew, seems pretty relevant to me given this is a thread about education and you are putting yourself forward as an authority on this and parenting. Perhaps you should return to school and learn basic spelling and grammar before expecting people to take your views on education seriously....

Why am I not surprised that you chose only to comment on that small part of my response, and, yet again, failed to answer any of the actual content? I guess it was such a "weak argument" that you struggled to compose a literate response...

So what you are saying is if anyone disagrees with you then their opinions are “grossly distorted generalizations” have “critically dysfunctional outlook on life”, and an “inability to connect with your Thai counterparts”. And your comments about “Please try to defend your views without making wild assumptions about others” is exactly what you are guilty of. You apparently do not have room for other people’s opinions and you dismiss them as dribble. Quite frankly, I am surprised that you have survived in Thailand at all because of your rigid attitude because Thais generally will not accept that approach. I am guessing by your uninformed display I would say you do not work with Thais, you do not have a Thai supervisor, you don’t have a job, you have not been in Thailand very long, or you are incredibly bitter about something else altogether.

I do not make generalizations about a single event or episode. I make my comments from years of experiencing Thais in Bangkok and in poorer provinces (where I live now). I have found Thais are very consistent with their behavior and if my perspective seems to reflect a negative view of that behavior then that is what I perceive. They are consistent in management, their approach toward foreigners, and how they live their lives, so it’s easy to make a comment about Thais that is inclusive of all Thais.

I make comments in this forum to help others not to look at Thailand through rose colored glasses because if they do, they will disappointed and broke in short order. Also, I look at other poster’s comments and try to learn from their experiences. You should try to do the same.

You clearly have deep seated emotional issues and are unable to comprehend what a "gross generalization" you made. You say you don't make generalizations and then go on to do just that... it appears I don't have to contradict you because you do a good job of that yourself.

As I've pointed out a number of times, my experiences have led me to believe that making wild generalizations about people are ill advised and I don't agree with trying to attribute an average outlook to any group comprising of millions of different individuals.

There are bad elements in every society, it's a shame you can't see past that and feel the need to attribute that as a good indicator for the the entire population. I'm afraid that is your issue, not mine.

And not that it's any of your business but I have lived here for a considerable amount of time, am very happy, have my own company here and a significant number of Thai employees, most very trustworthy, hardworking and honest. In over 10 years here no one has ever stolen from me, broken into my car or my house.

I have a number of good Thai friends, none of whom have tried"to scam and leach money/beer/possessions/food at every opportunity."

Like I've said before, these views show more of your critically dysfunctional outlook on life and inability to connect with your Thai counterparts than they reflect on the outlook of your "average Thai". There's good and bad in every society, but it appears you can't see the good for the bad. That's a crying shame. Perhaps you didn't get enough hugs from your parents, who knows!

I wish you and your family the best of luck in living life in your current paranoid, delusional state, enjoy. Just don't expect everyone to share your distorted outlook on life...

Edited April 27, 2012 by Ferangled

[kimamey]

*Unsurprised facial expression* But imho I think books are better anyway & they don't have the same built-in obsolescence as computers do with breakdown and repair and upgrade etc. The actual medium of tablets can distract from direct learning, as opposed to books which don't have any eye-candy just words.

Couple of PC's in the corner of the classroom is enough for googling & downloads and print-outs. And lots and lots of good books & paper & pens.

Used correctly computers can help but I'm not sure that will happen. As for obsolescence things improve so they can need upgrading or replacing but the content is fairly easy to change which isn't the case with books.

[volk666]

For anyone genuinely interested in the subject of tablet PCs in education, rather than simply using this thread as an excuse to further your ridicule of Thailand's political & educational systems or direct insults at other TV members, please try actually researching the subject:

http://dera.ioe.ac.u...tpcs_report.pdf

http://www.pcworld.c..._to_school.html

http://c9s.e2bn.net/..._literature.pdf

http://ctl.sri.com/p...p?Nick=tabletpc

So contrary to what many have posted here, it seems this whole concept isn't unique to Thailand and is actually seen as beneficial to education if implemented correctly. These studies range from UK to US to Singapore... and there's a common trend in the findings... if you care to take a break from spouting off and actually read them...

Personally I prefer to base my opinions on multiple studies performed by educational bodies than a few bitter old TV members who are clearly very backward in outlook and resistant to change.

If we were all so blinkered in our views we'd still be routinely burning witches...

Yeah, the common trend is that all these projects are seven-eight years old and since long have been abandoned, no matter how glowing the initial results were.

I think it's disingenuous to present these studies as a "proof of concept", hoping that no one would actually read them and wouldn't notice that in the long term all these projects look like failures.

Of course you can't see the reasons from the initial assessment presented here but it's not difficult to guess - need to upgrade the costly devices every couple of years, for example. Or that the interest in any gadget tapers off after a couple of months and without that initial extra motivation they are not as beneficial as in the beginning. Or that they don't comfortably integrate into the existing educational eco-system and require a lot of extra work from teachers without reducing their burden in any other areas.

In the end the negatives outweighed the positives and I see no reason why Thai project will turn out any better.

[volk666]

Here's initial assessment from Thai Office of Basic Education after the pilot project (with Lenovo tablets, I believe, not Scopads)

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Teachers-over-40-may-delay-tablet-use-30180956.html

It just doesn't look good.

There will be some positive things to report about when they release their full report on May 11, no doubt about that, but projects get canceled or forgotten because the obstacles are too big to overcome, not because they don't produce any good results at all.

In this case you can take a pick why it won't go anywhere - teachers will not like using the tablets that make them look stupid or lack of internet access or lack of electricity or lack of technicians or lack of proper software or financial burden of expanding this project to cover ten times more children than they are trying now, plus the fact that batteries on these things limit their use to under two years and so they would need to buy replacements for this batch even before they supply all other kids. Or maybe in two years time they will have far better hardware and Thai tablet based curriculum will be lagging too far behind or the first batch of tablets will looked upon as something too old and useless.

Here's another fundamental problem - they want to jump on the technology train but it's impossible for the Thai education system to keep pace with developments in technology in both software and hardware aspects. They might want to go at their own pace but since they don't produce anything themselves, who will build outdated, highly customized gadgets for them in the future?

Right now they hit the sweet spot, price and spec wise, but when they come back for more two years from now no one will be making or supporting these specs anymore, there will be entirely new operating systems, new apps, new format of e-books, and no 1GHz processors on the market.

The update cycle is simply impossible for Thai education system to maintain.

[Ferangled]

For anyone genuinely interested in the subject of tablet PCs in education, rather than simply using this thread as an excuse to further your ridicule of Thailand's political & educational systems or direct insults at other TV members, please try actually researching the subject:

http://dera.ioe.ac.u...tpcs_report.pdf

http://www.pcworld.c..._to_school.html

http://c9s.e2bn.net/..._literature.pdf

http://ctl.sri.com/p...p?Nick=tabletpc

So contrary to what many have posted here, it seems this whole concept isn't unique to Thailand and is actually seen as beneficial to education if implemented correctly. These studies range from UK to US to Singapore... and there's a common trend in the findings... if you care to take a break from spouting off and actually read them...

Personally I prefer to base my opinions on multiple studies performed by educational bodies than a few bitter old TV members who are clearly very backward in outlook and resistant to change.

If we were all so blinkered in our views we'd still be routinely burning witches...

Yeah, the common trend is that all these projects are seven-eight years old and since long have been abandoned, no matter how glowing the initial results were.

I think it's disingenuous to present these studies as a "proof of concept", hoping that no one would actually read them and wouldn't notice that in the long term all these projects look like failures.

Of course you can't see the reasons from the initial assessment presented here but it's not difficult to guess - need to upgrade the costly devices every couple of years, for example. Or that the interest in any gadget tapers off after a couple of months and without that initial extra motivation they are not as beneficial as in the beginning. Or that they don't comfortably integrate into the existing educational eco-system and require a lot of extra work from teachers without reducing their burden in any other areas.

In the end the negatives outweighed the positives and I see no reason why Thai project will turn out any better.

It's highly misleading to suggest that these projects have been "abandoned"; these were case studies conducted 7-8 years ago. My point being that this is hardly a new idea unique to Thailand; the concept has already been studied and case studies performed, years ago. The findings of which, contrary to your post, were generally favorable.

When you consider the advances that have been made with these devices over those 7-8 years, you'd be wrong to think these aren't already changing the ways students research information and the impact they have already had on the education system; whether the actual tablets are personal items or rolled out by the educational bodies.

1.5 million ipads are already being used in education in the states, according to Phil Schiller http://www.ipadinschools.com/ this number is only set to increase.

Intel have release the studybook, a tab aimed purely at the educational sector.... http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/04/10/intel.reveals.specs.of.tablet.for.schoolchildren/

http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/the-verizon-foundation-powers-maryland-schools-with-android-tablets-2012021/

http://mashable.com/2011/05/16/tablets-education/

Things have moved on a great deal in terms of the devices available... 7-8 years ago did you know anyone with a tablet? Only the introduction of the iPad made these devices mainstream.... that was in 2010, years after the studies I posted.

If you took the time to actually research this properly you would see that since the original case studies performed all those years ago, the numbers of schools and universities using such technologies and the number of schemes proposed are on the increase in a major way.

I suggest that once windows 8 is released with the ability to use legacy software on tablets with mouse and keyboard, this is set to dramatically change education methods globally....

That said I fully agree the scheme that we see in Thailand is fraught with issues and looks set for disaster. That's not to say the concept isn't sound, it just needs to be implemented in the correct way, with the correct devices.

[sparebox2]

Such machine is not ready for Thai student.

Thailand next move should be up-grading organic chalk and wooden black board to chemical magic pen and plastic white board.

[thaicbr]

Such machine is not ready for Thai student.

Thailand next move should be up-grading organic chalk and wooden black board to chemical magic pen and plastic white board.

Exactly. Most schools still have chalk boards. Talk about horse before the cart. I still maintain that the idea of implementing new teaching technology should be to assist teachers and make the lessons more informative. By using projectors and computers you achieve that it is more interactive than tablets and more fun in general.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[sparebox2]

Such machine is not ready for Thai student.

Thailand next move should be up-grading organic chalk and wooden black board to chemical magic pen and plastic white board.

Exactly. Most schools still have chalk boards. Talk about horse before the cart. I still maintain that the idea of implementing new teaching technology should be to assist teachers and make the lessons more informative. By using projectors and computers you achieve that it is more interactive than tablets and more fun in general.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

Organic chalk, and worst, some school still use charcoal, are natural resources that Thailand cannot afford to deplete.

Beside, the thinner in the magic pen smell rather good (and brain stimulating), especially in a closed classrooms; and plastic board will survive long after human extinct.

Edited April 30, 2012 by sparebox2

[volk666]

For anyone genuinely interested in the subject of tablet PCs in education, rather than simply using this thread as an excuse to further your ridicule of Thailand's political & educational systems or direct insults at other TV members, please try actually researching the subject:

http://dera.ioe.ac.u...tpcs_report.pdf

http://www.pcworld.c..._to_school.html

http://c9s.e2bn.net/..._literature.pdf

http://ctl.sri.com/p...p?Nick=tabletpc

So contrary to what many have posted here, it seems this whole concept isn't unique to Thailand and is actually seen as beneficial to education if implemented correctly. These studies range from UK to US to Singapore... and there's a common trend in the findings... if you care to take a break from spouting off and actually read them...

Personally I prefer to base my opinions on multiple studies performed by educational bodies than a few bitter old TV members who are clearly very backward in outlook and resistant to change.

If we were all so blinkered in our views we'd still be routinely burning witches...

Yeah, the common trend is that all these projects are seven-eight years old and since long have been abandoned, no matter how glowing the initial results were.

I think it's disingenuous to present these studies as a "proof of concept", hoping that no one would actually read them and wouldn't notice that in the long term all these projects look like failures.

Of course you can't see the reasons from the initial assessment presented here but it's not difficult to guess - need to upgrade the costly devices every couple of years, for example. Or that the interest in any gadget tapers off after a couple of months and without that initial extra motivation they are not as beneficial as in the beginning. Or that they don't comfortably integrate into the existing educational eco-system and require a lot of extra work from teachers without reducing their burden in any other areas.

In the end the negatives outweighed the positives and I see no reason why Thai project will turn out any better.

It's highly misleading to suggest that these projects have been "abandoned"; these were case studies conducted 7-8 years ago. My point being that this is hardly a new idea unique to Thailand; the concept has already been studied and case studies performed, years ago. The findings of which, contrary to your post, were generally favorable.

When you consider the advances that have been made with these devices over those 7-8 years, you'd be wrong to think these aren't already changing the ways students research information and the impact they have already had on the education system; whether the actual tablets are personal items or rolled out by the educational bodies.

1.5 million ipads are already being used in education in the states, according to Phil Schiller http://www.ipadinschools.com/ this number is only set to increase.

Intel have release the studybook, a tab aimed purely at the educational sector.... http://www.electroni...schoolchildren/

http://www.geek.com/...ablets-2012021/

http://mashable.com/...lets-education/

Things have moved on a great deal in terms of the devices available... 7-8 years ago did you know anyone with a tablet? Only the introduction of the iPad made these devices mainstream.... that was in 2010, years after the studies I posted.

If you took the time to actually research this properly you would see that since the original case studies performed all those years ago, the numbers of schools and universities using such technologies and the number of schemes proposed are on the increase in a major way.

I suggest that once windows 8 is released with the ability to use legacy software on tablets with mouse and keyboard, this is set to dramatically change education methods globally....

That said I fully agree the scheme that we see in Thailand is fraught with issues and looks set for disaster. That's not to say the concept isn't sound, it just needs to be implemented in the correct way, with the correct devices.

Everybody's jumping in on the bandwagon, tablets are all the rage and it has been this way for seven-eight years with nothing to show for it. Maybe one school somewhere managed to use iPads for a couple of years, that is not the same as hooking an entire country on el cheapo Chinese devices.

That simply hasn't been done successfully, outside a couple of trial runs here and there and their existence is not the proof of concept. Tablets haven't become the norm anywhere despite trying for seven years.

Yes, iPad changed the game, yes, Androids are not the same as clunky WinXp tablets of 2005, but there's no proof that these new device adoption will be any more lasting.

One LAPTOP per Child project, however, has several countries in Africa and South America using them for several years. Lots have been achieved but what those laptops didn't achieve is improvement in math skills, literacy and such, and that's a solid, international project with tons or support at every level, not a brain fart of some half-educated Thai minister coming up with 360 "learning objects", whatever they are.

[Ferangled]

Yes, iPad changed the game, yes, Androids are not the same as clunky WinXp tablets of 2005, but there's no proof that these new device adoption will be any more lasting.

Sales figures and trends would dispute that, with tablet sales set to top 760 million devices by 2016... sales figures for this year alone look set to reach 120 million.

There was a similar reluctance to implementing computers in schools originally, just watch this space... also the distinction between laptops and tablets are going to become pretty irrelevant with the arrival of Windows 8 tablets with integrated keyboard docks IMO.

Please check my posts, I haven't suggested once that the "el cheapo Chinese devices" and the way in which the Thai government are implementing this scheme is correct, in fact the opposite.

"Maybe one school somewhere managed to use iPads for a couple of years" If that's what you think it demonstrates only that you are very out of touch! There are currently over 1.5 million iPads being used in education in the US alone... and that's ignoring Android and the vast numbers of privately owned tablets used for educational purposes.

Throughout history we have seen a knee jerk reluctance by some to embrace new technologies and trends, be interesting to see how this thread reads in 10 years time!

[volk666]

Actually, "knee jerk reaction to new technologies" is thoughtless embrace in vain hope that finally you have found panacea.

Audio lingual rooms twenty years ago were supposed to fix education forever, then there were TVs and videos, then computers, then e-mail and video chats with people in other countries, then laptops, there was also "brain based learning", and now tablets, and that's just in Thailand.

Solved any problems yet?

I dare to admit that I'm old enough to be very skeptical about some wide eyed enthusiasts accusing the world that no one understands them and their ideas. Their energy is contagious and thanks for the input but don't forget the old adage - the more things change the more they stay the same.

No one would deny that gadgets can be very helpful in learning provided there's a solid system in place. In Thailand's case, however, they are employing gadgets to avoid dealing with systematic failures in all other areas. That won't work.

Perhaps tablets will be attractive enough to encourage big, systematic changes but don't they have an old formula in education - i+1 - you can successfully learn something only one step above what you already know. In tablets case it's more like i+7 - way above their heads.

[Thaddeus]

No one would deny that gadgets can be very helpful in learning provided there's a solid system in place.

And the basics need to be learned without gadgets.

Ask anyone of a similar age to me what six times seven is, and they will probably say 42, ask them what 42 divided by seven is and they will say six (may take a little longer) ..... without reaching for a calculator.

Labour saving devices are just that, labour saving.... you still need to be able to perform the basics without them.

Teach the three R's first without using gadgets, and then the gadgets become a useful addition and not a crutch.

[Buchholz]

.

One of the budget casualties to pay for the tablets was scrapping the free school uniforms program...

a shame it's one of the reasons the poor are having to turn over their few meager possessions in order to pay for them...

Pawnshops Thriving Ahead of New School Term

Parents' need for cash for the new school semester coupled with the economic hardship have forced more people to use pawnshop services.

The atmosphere at pawnshops in the Chiang Rai municiplaity was very active with locals bringing in their valuable items for quick cash the entire day.

The need for cash for the approaching new school semester coupled with rising good prices and the economic hardship have driven more people to use the services .

A pawnshop manager said for the new school term this year, he has allocated as much as 170 million baht to help relieve people’s financial trouble.

Most customers complained that goods and oil are more expensive, thus causing them liquidity problem.

In Trang Province, parents brought their children to buy school uniforms and other basic education materials. Most of them purchased large-size uniforms to use for many years.

-- Tan Network 2012-05-03

Edited May 3, 2012 by Buchholz

[maidu]

I come in on the side of no tablets. It's a crutch, like calculators for doing any sort of math equation. Tablets may be ok for some, for a short while, but which will prove no good for longer term. There are a variety of reasons why the 'one tablet per child' idea will be looked at askance in five to ten years:

>>>> the tablets will become archaic soon after issuance, as happens with nearly all electronic gizmos.

>>>> They'll break (I bought a new one. The audio quit on its 3rd day. For that and other reasons I gave it away in a week's time. I see it as a dumb waste of Bt.2,500).

>>>> They'll need assistance to use properly. Often qualified assistance will not be nearby

>>>> They'll be used for games, and probably for dating and porn by older users.

>>>> The ones which don't break will be pawned or sold for a small fraction of their cost.

>>>> The middle men will be laughing all the way to their vacations in Costa Del Sol.

[jamesbrock]

.

One of the budget casualties to pay for the tablets was scrapping the free school uniforms program...

a shame it's one of the reasons the poor are having to turn over their few meager possessions in order to pay for them...

Pawnshops Thriving Ahead of New School Term

Parents' need for cash for the new school semester coupled with the economic hardship have forced more people to use pawnshop services.

The atmosphere at pawnshops in the Chiang Rai municiplaity was very active with locals bringing in their valuable items for quick cash the entire day.

The need for cash for the approaching new school semester coupled with rising good prices and the economic hardship have driven more people to use the services .

A pawnshop manager said for the new school term this year, he has allocated as much as 170 million baht to help relieve people’s financial trouble.

Most customers complained that goods and oil are more expensive, thus causing them liquidity problem.

In Trang Province, parents brought their children to buy school uniforms and other basic education materials. Most of them purchased large-size uniforms to use for many years.

-- Tan Network 2012-05-03

The entire government should hang their heads in shame, especially those with their snouts in the tablet-trough.

[maidu]

It is sorely tough for many families, particularly single moms, to afford the requisite school uniforms. I thought a semblance of sanity soaked up to legislators' brains, and uniforms and books were paid for by the State. Apparently not. I hire a hill tribe young man (part-time) who has a wife and 2 kids. He gets Bt.300/day but it's not enough, yet it's nearly twice what he would get with a Thai or Chinese-Thai employer. If he, and the tens of thousands like him have to buy uniforms and books (and shoes, and packpacks, etc etc) for his little girls, he will probably opt to keep his kids out of school. It's simply too expensive for him and tens of thousands of others like him to try and play the 'must-buy-retail' game to keep their kids in school. Or maybe he'll start stealing, or join a group of extortionists like the beach punks who rip off tourists every day for tens of thousands of baht.

The tablet thing is simply stupid and a gross waste of money which could be spent on more important things.

[Buchholz]

It is sorely tough for many families, particularly single moms, to afford the requisite school uniforms. I thought a semblance of sanity soaked up to legislators' brains, and uniforms and books were paid for by the State. Apparently not. I hire a hill tribe young man (part-time) who has a wife and 2 kids. He gets Bt.300/day but it's not enough, yet it's nearly twice what he would get with a Thai or Chinese-Thai employer. If he, and the tens of thousands like him have to buy uniforms and books (and shoes, and packpacks, etc etc) for his little girls, he will probably opt to keep his kids out of school. It's simply too expensive for him and tens of thousands of others like him to try and play the 'must-buy-retail' game to keep their kids in school. Or maybe he'll start stealing, or join a group of extortionists like the beach punks who rip off tourists every day for tens of thousands of baht.

The tablet thing is simply stupid and a gross waste of money which could be spent on more important things.

Last year, school uniforms were free as well as many of the textbooks.

All was cancelled this year in favor of the tablets.

Now comes word that the Education Minister is due to be replaced when the Thai Rak Thais get un-banned... making it the third Education Minister in less than a year in the revolving door of Cabinet reshuffles.

A reflection of the lack of importance that the current government puts on education.

.

[rubl]

Not sure if Prof. Dr. Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech, the Minister of Education will be replaced. The esteemed gentleman just started in January. Also the January 25th, 2012 document describing the policies of the Ministry start with

"Philosophy

Police Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra has said about

education that "Education will lead to the building of people's vigour.

Vigorous and knowledgeable people are powerful capital to fight

with poverty." "Emphases must be on distribution of benefits with equity,

and on regards of people with difficulties, in order to provide quality

education for everyone." "Education is an important key, a starting

element that is necessary in making poverty become past."

The Pheu Thai Party Government shall take care of Thai people as

family members and not hurt them nor misapply their money. On education,

student-centred approach is committed. People's children will be taken

care as ours, and teachers as our relatives.""http://www.sea12.go.th/sea12/images/stories/pdf/Jan55/edpolicy2_drsuchart250155.pdf

[volk666]

Police Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra has said about

education that

Oh the virtues of living in the police state. Apparently it could also be called a "democracy", one only need to preface everything with "Police Lieutenant Colonel said".

People need no education, there are red universities all across the land to teach them all they need to know. Schools are just a waste of time and getting killed at red shirts protests is the most profitable business ever.

[maidu]

It is sorely tough for many families, particularly single moms, to afford the requisite school uniforms. I thought a semblance of sanity soaked up to legislators' brains, and uniforms and books were paid for by the State. Apparently not. I hire a hill tribe young man (part-time) who has a wife and 2 kids. He gets Bt.300/day but it's not enough, yet it's nearly twice what he would get with a Thai or Chinese-Thai employer. If he, and the tens of thousands like him have to buy uniforms and books (and shoes, and packpacks, etc etc) for his little girls, he will probably opt to keep his kids out of school. It's simply too expensive for him and tens of thousands of others like him to try and play the 'must-buy-retail' game to keep their kids in school. Or maybe he'll start stealing, or join a group of extortionists like the beach punks who rip off tourists every day for tens of thousands of baht.

The tablet thing is simply stupid and a gross waste of money which could be spent on more important things.

Last year, school uniforms were free as well as many of the textbooks.

All was cancelled this year in favor of the tablets.

Now comes word that the Education Minister is due to be replaced when the Thai Rak Thais get un-banned... making it the third Education Minister in less than a year in the revolving door of Cabinet reshuffles.

A reflection of the lack of importance that the current government puts on education.

If true, I'm saddened to hear that (about school uniforms and books not being provided by Edu funds). It's like the big ship of education in Thailand (let's call it the Thaitanic) chose to not provide lifeboats and life-preserving vests, and instead spent the money on hand-held electronic game gizmos. And a new Education Minister? Anyone appointed by Thaksin and the PT party can't help but be a failure at the post. The Shinawatres are to education what tar is to batik.

No uniforms, no books, translates to many kids from poor families not going to school. Way to go Yingluck (and btw, go easy on the whitening cream and lotion for your face, madam. You look like a white ghost - scares the chickens.)

[Buchholz]

Last year, school uniforms were free as well as many of the textbooks.

All was cancelled this year in favor of the tablets.

Now comes word that the Education Minister is due to be replaced when the Thai Rak Thais get un-banned... making it the third Education Minister in less than a year in the revolving door of Cabinet reshuffles.

A reflection of the lack of importance that the current government puts on education.

If true, I'm saddened to hear that (about school uniforms and books not being provided by Edu funds). It's like the big ship of education in Thailand (let's call it the Thaitanic) chose to not provide lifeboats and life-preserving vests, and instead spent the money on hand-held electronic game gizmos. And a new Education Minister? Anyone appointed by Thaksin and the PT party can't help but be a failure at the post. The Shinawatres are to education what tar is to batik.

No uniforms, no books, translates to many kids from poor families not going to school. Way to go Yingluck (and btw, go easy on the whitening cream and lotion for your face, madam. You look like a white ghost - scares the chickens.)

It was in the early times when Education MInister who announced the scheme... and describing that a huge chunk of the budget was going for these tablet computers.

I am less enthusiastic about the tablet scheme now that I know they will spend 10% of the national education budget on it.

Yes, that was the news today. 6 BILLION BAHT per year.

The new Education Minister went on to say that it would come out of the budget that was previously devoted to providing free school uniforms for students as well as free textbooks

The clueless guy Education Minister Worawut, who obviously has never come close to caring for school-aged children, said, "This will not affect students and the overall education program because... uniforms do not need to be changed to new ones every year."

What a moron.

Another gem from the Chief of Educating the Youth of Thailand, "The tablets will not completely replace textbooks. They will act like calculators to help the student to calculate faster."

Education Minister Worawat Ua-apinyakul previously was the genius as Culture Minister, when he came up with idea of producing black magic amulets, including phallus and buffalo-shaped ones, as souvenirs for tourists.

Phallus Symbols And Buffaloes To Attrract More Tourists

http://www.thaivisa....-more-tourists/

[gand]

"Low-Cost Indian Tablet Project Falls To Corruption" linux.slashdot

"The first Aakash tablet proposed for India schools has failed. Datawind managed to deliver the $45 Android tablet as reported here previously, but suffering a breach in faith by both their contract manufacturer and the accepting agency in India had to put the project on hold. Facing a loss in revenue it's turning into a disaster for the small Canadian company as they are now proving unable to deliver both the Aakash tablet and the parallel retail product. Senior executives have begun to flee. The company has presold a great many tablets, and delivery failure reports are beginning to mount. Is this the Phantom console of this decade?"

[maidu]

"Low-Cost Indian Tablet Project Falls To Corruption" linux.slashdot

"The first Aakash tablet proposed for India schools has failed. Datawind managed to deliver the $45 Android tablet as reported here previously, but suffering a breach in faith by both their contract manufacturer and the accepting agency in India had to put the project on hold. Facing a loss in revenue it's turning into a disaster for the small Canadian company as they are now proving unable to deliver both the Aakash tablet and the parallel retail product. Senior executives have begun to flee. The company has presold a great many tablets, and delivery failure reports are beginning to mount. Is this the Phantom console of this decade?"

Expect similar dishevelment in the Thai fiasco. The biggest losers will be the youngsters. The tablet thing started out as a brain fart from PT main-brain Thaksin, who (at the time) was doing all the thinking for all the PT candidates. They quickly had a bazillion red and white posters printed, 2 weeks before the election (too soon to elicit debate, as if Thai politics ever hinges on real debate). As with all their other false, harmful and ill-planned promises, it worked great - for garnering added PT votes. What's next? The mind shudders to think what T and PT will scam with next.

[rubl]

In a few European countries and parts of the USA tablets have been introduced into the regular schooling system succesfully. Mind you it's mostly part of an evolving schooling system with infrastructure, schools, teachers, curriculum, mindset of all involved, etc., etc., in place.

So now to Thailand. Not an evolution, but a revolution. A complete change FORCED upon all and the system. Poor kids

[rubl]

Regarding the Indian Aakash Project, more interesting reading here:

http://india.blogs.n...-bitter-finish/

Could never happen in Thailand of course

[maidu]

I wonder if any Thai authorities looked at the above mentioned report of the similar program which is further along in India. It fits with my perspective that the project is fraught with potential problems. It's got glitches written all over it. So many things can go wrong with such an 'electronic gizomos for kids' project. Has anyone reading this ever experienced a 'morning after' Christmas, when about 85% of electronic gizmo gifts are either non-functional or performing much less than the glossy photos on the shiny packaging. Get ready for 'day after Christmas' doldrums - when the electronic gizmos hit the schools in quantity.

[gand]

Walmart online, $79.00 Ematic eGlide EGLIDE2BL 7" 1GHz 4GB Android 2.2 OS Black