The best Children's Day gift is "updated" knowledge: Thai editorial

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EDITORIAL
The best Children's Day gift is "updated" knowledge
The Nation

As the world moves quickly on, Thai education remains a backwater buffeted by constant political upheaval

BANGKOK: -- There was a time when children were taught the world was flat; now they learn that the blinking dots in the night sky are stars just like our sun. Condense the whole of human history down to just one year and we only came to know "yesterday" that the world is round and the blinking dots form entire galaxies. Knowledge keeps changing. Just when we think a truth is unchangeable, new discoveries turn it on its head.

As we celebrate Children's Day once more, the most important question to be asked is whether our youngsters are being taught the most "up-to-date" truth. Technological advancement, the speed of new discoveries, and access to new knowledge all demand a highly effective education system. Are we giving our children solid foundations? The number of education ministers over the past two decades perhaps provides the damning answer.

While Thais are stuck fighting each other, the world keeps moving on. Local history alone is giving educators a major headache. Children will wrack their brains over where the division between right and wrong lies in Thailand's ideological battles. But that is just part of the problem. The political war has left our education system a backwater amid its regional peers. Neighbouring countries are placing more importance on their human resources than we are.

Thai educators have to realise the importance of their job. These are the last people we want simply sitting around predicting which way the political wind will blow. We need professional, efficient and open-minded educators who are alert to discoveries of new knowledge. We need them to put children first all the time, and not be preoccupied with being transferred because an imminent change of ministers.

We have introduced free elementary education. We have provided free computer tablets. Corporations have made children's education an integral part of their "social responsibility" activities. It sounds impressive, but the truth is that these are little more than "self-help facilities" for kids. It still falls far short of a good mainstream education system.

Scientists are testing the theory that ours is just one of "multiple" universes. How much should our children be taught about that? How should they perceive religions? Are "human rights" something that evolve with time and will change drastically when the world comes to be heavily overpopulated? Such questions hardly worried previous educators.

Like the Thai economy, our education is tied to the unpredictability and volatility in domestic politics. Regionally, we do poorly in mathematics and science and English is probably our biggest embarrassment. However "knowledge" is not confined to those subjects. And the speed with which adults dispense knowledge has much to do with their "obsession". If adults are too obsessed with themselves, as is happening in Thailand, then the younger generation is pretty much on its own.

Forget the talent shows that are ubiquitous every Children's Day. Forget allowing kids to board battleships or jet fighters or enter zoos for free. And ditch those slogans. Adults can do better. But first it must be admitted that "knowledge" changes all the time and we have to be in the best possible shape so we can "update" it.


-- The Nation 2014-01-11

[arthurboy]

The same meaningless, tired, hang wringing rhetoric.

If those in charge really, really wanted to improve the dire state of Thai education, they would. With a huge budget and an abundance of civil servants, education experts and administrators at both central and local level it should have happened long ago.

But it hasn't, and it's not going to.

Why?

Corruption, ineptitude and willful incompetence.

[chainarong]

At 4% GDP the education system should produce results, that is if structured right, however this is not the case , either there's skull- duggery going on or massive corruption or the GDP is only $10 . I rest my case.

[doremifasol]

"In the age of information, ignorance is a choice".

Edited January 11, 2014 by metisdead
Oversize font reset to normal.

[Costas2008]

"Children will wrack their brains over where the division between right and wrong lies in Thailand's ideological battles"

Children are more interested on playing computer games and being on Facebook all day.

They don't give a rats ass about Ideological battles

[Tatsujin]

There's more to teaching/education than just knowing "facts" . . . critical analysis and actually being able to think past tomoro (amongst others) are skills sorely lacking also.

[GentlemanJim]

Perhaps English skills would be better if the schools would actually recruit English Teachers rather than back packers on their way through Thailand who do it to pay for their booze and fags or middle aged has-beens out of a job in the UK who by virtue of their nationality, rather than any qualification, suddenly think they are English Teachers when in reality they haven't got a bloody clue and just see it as a means to get another 25000 baht a month for ....booze and fags. There is a guy near me used to run a market stall in UK, has absolutely no cash and absolutely no idea about teaching. Blagged his way in to a teaching position (I guess market traders can blagg), down loaded lessons from some very expensive resources free of charge on pirate bay and spends lesson times doing as little as possible with the kids just handing out work-sheets. He has no work permit etc etc etc and in fact doesnt give a sh*t and boasts about it.....makes my blood boil. Luckily for him nowhere near the school my kids are at or I would shop him.

[age4short]

My gf is taking all her students to the orphanage to give them haircuts :-)

[Halion]

Simply "Thia -ness" in a nutshell.

[simon43]

My gf is taking all her students to the orphanage to give them haircuts :-)

Her students can't afford a haircut?

Simon

[focus27]

So, Mr Editor, when exactly did humans believe in a flat Earth? It isn't round either. How did the ancient Greeks calculate a fairly decent value for the circumference of the globe if they believed it was flat? Thank you for a good example to illustrate that knowledge is not the problem - it is out there, just search for it - but a belief in BS, an inability to actually go and validate one's beliefs and a poor grasp of language all mean you have failed your "knowledge update" today. However, you may collect your certificate of distinction at the door, for a fee.

[age4short]

Haha, sorry I mean her students from the hair designer school are going there to give the children haircuts ( free of course)

[HUAHIN62]

What About Thai adults starting to act as adults to build a better future for the children instead of only serving their own interest.

[napawan28]

[DocN]

Nooooo...much better to learn goosesteps and sign the national anthem.

Who needs knowledge?

Knowledge is dangerous for the status quo!

[MaxLee]

"The best Children's Day gift is "updated" knowledge get rid off this brainwashing propaganda SCAM called "Chinese-Thai education system"

Save your children from too many useless subject and school hours plus useless homework scams, violent teachers, who will stop at nothing than beating your kids whenever they make the Pu Yai losing face,.... save your children from that vicious long propaganda facility hours that will make them only frustrate themselves and their parents that have unrealistic expectation and wrong vision hopes...

Show your children what's going in in the real world and how to tolerate people from other cultures who have different ideas and create appreciation towards one another...

[hgma]

The best advice for any parent is BEING THERE (for the kids) ALL TIMES.

[Thai at Heart]

An unabridged version of thai history would be a start.

Not sure the country would survive that collective ruckus.

[HeavyDrinker]

Perhaps English skills would be better if the schools would actually recruit English Teachers rather than back packers on their way through Thailand who do it to pay for their booze and fags or middle aged has-beens out of a job in the UK who by virtue of their nationality, rather than any qualification, suddenly think they are English Teachers when in reality they haven't got a bloody clue and just see it as a means to get another 25000 baht a month for ....booze and fags. There is a guy near me used to run a market stall in UK, has absolutely no cash and absolutely no idea about teaching. Blagged his way in to a teaching position (I guess market traders can blagg), down loaded lessons from some very expensive resources free of charge on pirate bay and spends lesson times doing as little as possible with the kids just handing out work-sheets. He has no work permit etc etc etc and in fact doesnt give a sh*t and boasts about it.....makes my blood boil. Luckily for him nowhere near the school my kids are at or I would shop him.

Excellent post.

I'd say most members here know a fair few deadbeat "English Teachers" some of the articles around here teach simply to fill their guts full of ale every day not to mention to keep themselves close to the crumpet.

[taony]

Deadbeat back packers aren't necessarily worse english teachers than the thais though, thinking they are teaching English by having kids memorize a set of unconnected sentences. Turn on ubc channels 190-200 to see the disaster unfold before your eyes.

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