After a few years of dealing with Thai employees I have come to the conclusion that Thailand's ruling elite have created one of the finest education systems in the World for the many Multinationals that have set up factories here.

A workforce that is educated to a level that most can read and write at a basic level. A teaching system that discourages thinking outside the box or any free thought, discourages questioning what you are told by anyone in a higher position than you, teaches you that Thailand is the best place in the World , so why think about going anywhere else. A learning by rote system that makes it easy to learn repetitive processes in a factory environment. plus the bonus of a low wage structure.

It's ideal what else could any self interested multinational corporation want! Thank you to the ruling elite for the hard work you have put in to make all this possible.

Those who believe that "the ruling elite" is responsible for everything negative in Thailand, shall make some efforts in improving their own intelligence, education and common sense.

Most MNCs that I have known would prefer to develop their local talent and hire locally rather than have to bring in "expats" with all the associated costs and other issues.

That seems rather at odds with your argument above..........

The op is correct in general terms.

The Thai education system is terrible even more so outside of Bangkok.

Yes, the ruling elite prefer the status as is..not unique to Thailand though.

Topt doesn't get my point it's called sarcasm. I was being critical of the education system. The multinational reference was strictly tongue in cheek.

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Topt doesn't get my point it's called sarcasm. I was being critical of the education system. The multinational reference was strictly tongue in cheek.

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You may have been tongue in cheek, but a lot of what you say is true. The Thai Education system produces people who can be taught to do things a certain way with little argument and are very happy to make a study wage that is a little above the minimum. They make great factory workers, but they are not much good for management or as inovators. However multnationals probably aren't looking for inovators, they have those in their home countries. As for managers they can probably find fhem from the Universities. The only problem is all these people have to be trained and where many years ago companies would train, they don't seem to like to do that anymore even in their home countries.

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What I have found with my own staff, basically engineering and trades, is that they typically know how to do something quite well but they don't know why they do it that way. They have simply been told that this is the way you do it. No theory to back up the practical. This is similar to another post that I read where the person said that the student was told what the meaning of a poem was by the teacher rather than let the student draw their own interpretation. If the student could repeat the teachers explanation in a test they passed. Still no understanding but acceptable for Thailand.

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nice satire - you should write a piece for 'Not The Nation' - just invent a conglomerate to award the Thai education system an internationally-recognized award....

A number of years back (mid 90s, I think), there was a major education conference.in Bangkok of about 2,000 of the world's top educators. At one point, the then permanent secretary of education got up and told the world's finest educators that Thailand's education system didn't need reforming as it was already the best in the world. I kid you not. I remember it very clearly. When I landed on these shores 25 years ago, someone in the Chatchai govt said education reform was "critical". Quarter of a century later, guess what?

A number of years back (mid 90s, I think), there was a major education conference.in Bangkok of about 2,000 of the world's top educators. At one point, the then permanent secretary of education got up and told the world's finest educators that Thailand's education system didn't need reforming as it was already the best in the world. I kid you not. I remember it very clearly. When I landed on these shores 25 years ago, someone in the Chatchai govt said education reform was "critical". Quarter of a century later, guess what?

Reform is still ' critical ' ?

I work for an MNC in Thailand, I don't recognise anything the OP has said in our Thai staff.

Most MNCs that I have known would prefer to develop their local talent and hire locally rather than have to bring in "expats" with all the associated costs and other issues.

That seems rather at odds with your argument above..........

Actually MNCs look for talent and innovators all the time, and wherever they can find it... they just don't look in Thailand, because of the reputation and sometimes experience they had here.

So some MNCs use Thailand as for manufacturing, or maybe distribution, but not for R&D or innovation.

But I agree that the Thais are mainly concerned with fitting in and obeying their superiors, so that innovation, new ideas or challenging the status quo are hard to find.

What I have found with my own staff, basically engineering and trades, is that they typically know how to do something quite well but they don't know why they do it that way. They have simply been told that this is the way you do it. No theory to back up the practical. This is similar to another post that I read where the person said that the student was told what the meaning of a poem was by the teacher rather than let the student draw their own interpretation. If the student could repeat the teachers explanation in a test they passed. Still no understanding but acceptable for Thailand.

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Without wanting to sound negative towards Thais, but 'trained monkeys' springs to mind, and that is not the fault of the workers, that is the fault of social attitude.

Those were my thoughts but IMHO using that word is not polite.

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For Guest house, are you talking about the management level that surrounds you in your office or the Thais on the factory floor? I own and manage a SME near Rayong without middle management and my tradesman in the factory are all hard workers but innovation is not one of their assets. Not like my previous factory in Australia with Aussie tradesman.

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"Thailand has the best education system"