Pawnshops crowded as Thai school semester opens on Monday

Thailand is supposed to spend more on any education than any other country in the world - more proof that corruption is everywhere in Thailand not just within the elected government.

The problem is that only a few measly baht from every hundred ever reaches the classrooms.

Look at the car parks at the "education" department and the reason for that is easy to see.

The problem with propaganda is that it sounds good even when it is false.

The true statement is that Thailand has the highest spending on education as a percentage of total government spending than any other country. That's true, but a big difference from the chant that it has the 'highest spending'.

Low taxes and hence low spending means that the actual spending per student is not so high - that's even before we enter into any mismanagement.

I worked in the Thai education system for a while. I left not long after being told by the head of the department at a well-known university, 'your problem is that you care too much'. To which my response was, ' you're not paying enough for me NOT to care!', and I promptly legged it to the Middle East where nobody is going to criticize you for trying to do your job properly, and they pay eight times the wages.

The Thai education system is a national disgrace. Language, science, mathematics, geography, - Thailand secures its place firmly at the bottom of any empirically measured international tables. The whole system, from top to bottom, is run by thieves and workplace politicians. The end users ( the kids) only role is as a lever to secure funds or build little empires. And the amount of money squandered or stolen would make your eyes water....