Education in ethics guides students to better paths in life: Thai Chalk Talk

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CHALK TALK
Education in ethics guides students to better paths in life
Chularat Saengpassa

BANGKOK: -- FOR CENTURIES or perhaps longer than that, philosophers have debated the issue of ethics. So, simple as it may sound, it is never easy to exactly define timeless unarguable values.

History, after all, has told us that ethics differ from place to place and from time to time. What is right in one place at a particular time may prove wrong elsewhere at some other time.

In modern Thai history, educational institutes have also pursued different targets in their assessment of the ethical level of their students and applicants.

Inspired by Japan's speedy recovery after World War II, universities only looked for students with good grades in order to produce the human resources that could push Thailand to a higher level of prosperity. Decades later, they also chased students with a demonstrable social conscience. Now, possibly driven by political correctness, they are looking for "ethical" students who they believe will make a valuable contribution to society.

But what set of values is used to frame this definition of ethics?

At Srinakharinwirot University's (SWU) Patumwan Demonstration School, applicants are required to demonstrate what they will do in various situations. These scenarios might include their demeanour as they walk past an older person or pass something to an elder. Children must prove their knowledge of good manners for an ethics test, which is held before they are allowed to submit an application to study at this prestigious school.

The school takes great pride in its ethics test, citing the need for a strong emphasis on morals lest children are led astray by bad examples.

Students are also encouraged to join activities that promote gratitude, volunteerism and love for the nation, religion and the monarchy.

Several schools have reserved places for known good examples. Children who have performed services on behalf of their community or undertaken volunteer work are welcome to submit applications for this special quota at many universities including Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Kasetsart, Suranaree and the Prince of Songkla University's Trang campus.

The Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (a public organisation) now even plans to include an ethical factor in assessing university standards between 2016 and 2020.

"This will consider students' levels of patience, self-reliance, responsibility, volunteerism and similar qualities," the office's director Prof Channarong Pornrungroj disclosed.

He insisted that the move was carefully planned and relevant agencies had already agreed that it was possible to determine ethical levels.

Obec, the Office of Basic Education Commission, after all, released criteria back in 2008 to assess student's moral soundness. This checklist includes touchstones such as compliance with religious concepts, self-reliance, ability to avoid vice, self-confidence, honesty, as well as responsibility, perseverance, discipline, kindness, frugality, sacrifice, willingness to volunteer and human-relations skills.

These criteria were introduced in response to the Surayud Chulanont-led administration's suggestion that ethics should take a leading role in all fields, including the education sector.

The idea of promoting ethics is good, given that the recent chaos in Thailand is surely not the best way to promote conflict resolution to the country's younger generation. Yet, the world is so complex that a simple value assessment may be insufficient.

A computer nerd may not be interested in joining summer camps in remote villages, but their innovations can help the world. Look at Bill Gates or the late Steve Jobs, for example. In some countries, euthanasia or mercy killing is considered morally sound and legal.

I support the National Council for Peace and Order's (NCPO) emphasis on History and Civic Duty in order to instil the right attitudes and ethics in students. Morals and ethics are something that must be embedded in education. Moreover, knowledge can't be an inferior goal of education. It is best to teach children to know about the duties and rights of a person. This will instinctively guide them when they go about their lives.

Needless to say, society is crying out for people who neither flout laws nor violate the rights of others. It will be a plus if they also intuitively embrace patriotism and love for the global community.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Education-in-ethics-guides-students-to-better-path-30237877.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-07

[Scott]

As a student most of my classmates had good ethics and relatively strong morals. It was expected. Those that didn't were the 'bad ones' and we all knew who they were. But things were probably different....

.....I never heard or saw anyone paying a bribe to a teacher/policeman/politician.

.....I never heard of anyone passing because everyone passed.

.....I never saw a lot of things that are a part of everyday life in Asia.

There is also a difference between being polite and being honest.

Good behavior is taught by parents and teachers by modeling the behavior. If your teacher helps you cheat, then the lesson that you learn is that cheating is OK.

[Phil Scammed]

If you have a child and you only rent property, but you have no Blue Book.

Your child will not be accepted into his or her local school.

Doesn't sound like they are interested in Education for ALL.

[rethaier]

Just because someone can be taught ethics and can pass an ethics test does not make them ethical. To determine ethics would require a very detailed and thourough psychological test that asks the same question in multiple forms and I doubt they are using one like that.

[razer]

Polite behavior and ethics begin in the home. To change cultural deficiencies the powers that be need to go into the home. Proven effective in countries all over the world is TV advertisements to change people’s thinking.

Courtesy - Make a TV commercial about a young person offering their seat to an older person on public transport.

Safety + Courtesy - Make a TV commercial about allowing people to walk across an intersection at a Zebra crossing. (I think motorbike riders think the zebra crossing is for them. Often I have to walk into the intersection to cross the street. Also I find it dangerous when cars drive through a zebra crossing at high speed)

Corruption - Make a TV commercial about refusing to pay a policeman or government employee black money.

National Pride - Make a TV commercial of Thais intervening when a tourist is being scammed.

Thais know better than anyone the things that need to be changed. Make a TV commercial. Change the negatives in the culture.

[cardinalblue]

My friend keeps telling me Thailand is an immoral and unethical society and I don't want to believe him...

I need to stop reading the local english newspapers...

Personal unethical stories on their way...

CB

P.S. Driving thru a crosswalk when occupied would be an interesting debate on whether its ethics, cultural norm, poor driving habits, or a lack of common sense? Whay does the Thai DMV book say about occupanys in an intersection? It's so common here that's it's a given practice which from my persective is so wrong (on many fronts) but obviously they view it differently...

[SiggiCM]

Polite behavior and ethics begin in the home. To change cultural deficiencies the powers that be need to go into the home. Proven effective in countries all over the world is TV advertisements to change people’s thinking.

Courtesy - Make a TV commercial about a young person offering their seat to an older person on public transport.

Safety + Courtesy - Make a TV commercial about allowing people to walk across an intersection at a Zebra crossing. (I think motorbike riders think the zebra crossing is for them. Often I have to walk into the intersection to cross the street. Also I find it dangerous when cars drive through a zebra crossing at high speed)

Corruption - Make a TV commercial about refusing to pay a policeman or government employee black money.

National Pride - Make a TV commercial of Thais intervening when a tourist is being scammed.

Thais know better than anyone the things that need to be changed. Make a TV commercial. Change the negatives in the culture.

yes a tv spot will for sure change all the corruption in thailand, how old you are? 2 years?

[lostinisaan]

It is best to teach children to know about the duties and rights of a person. This will instinctively guide them when they go about their lives.

Spit my coffee on my keyboard, when I read this.

[SlyAnimal]

When there are prominent people in our lives, they influence us and become our role models, as we see them as the people who we want to be like when we get older.

Our first role models are invariably our parents, as they guide us through the first stages of our lives, as they teach us the basics of life and provide us with boundaries. As time goes on, and we gain new role models, our view on our parents adapts, and so they may or may not necessarily continue to be our role models.

Our second role models are our teachers at schools, as they teach us about life and about what we should and shouldn't do. As time goes on, and we gain new role models, our view on our teachers adapts, and so they may or may not necessarily continue to be our role models.

Our next role models are our friends at school, the kids who are achieving what we want to achieve, whether it's in school subjects, sports or just being cool. The role models which we choose here, are influenced by what our parents and teachers showed us when they were our role models.

Our next role models are from pop culture, our musicians, sports people and celebrities. All of the role models we've had prior influence who we choose as our pop culture role models.

Our final role models that we choose, also depend on our previous role models and how that has shaped our ethics and values. For people who respect law and order, they might look to symbols of authority like police, politicians, judges/lawyers and the monarchy. For others, it might be someone who stood up for their rights against oppression, or someone who was simply really good at their profession.

Often we don't even realise that these people are our role models, and we don't realise the impact that they are having on us, but they do, as how they act within society shapes how we in turn act. This is because we respect these people, or at least respect particular values which they have, and their values invariably become our values.

So, in order for the people of Thailand to have good morals, ethics and values, the people who are role models within society need to act in a way befitting a role model. It's obviously something which can't happen overnight, but might take a generation, or generations even, to change, but people need to start changing for the good of the nation.

These changes could simply start from a few prominent people, people who are the role models for others, giving education to others about what they believe is right, and wrong, within society. By using the role models of the parents and teachers, and hopefully making them better role models, it'd filter down to their children and to the next generation. TV advertisements are a good idea, or flyers, or even simply these people living their lives in a morally responsible way.

Having P'Toon from Bodyslam, appearing on TV riding his motorcycle with a helmet, and looking cool in the process could be a start. Or Sek Loso watching someone dropping rubbish and commenting about how it's not cool to trash our country (before putting the rubbish in the bin). Having politicians act in a way befitting their station would also go a long way, but that's probably about the time I'd wake up and realise that none of this will likely happen in my generation, I can only hope that I have been a good role model for the students I teach, and that they'll be inspired to be good members of society as a result.

[lostinisaan]

When there are prominent people in our lives, they influence us and become our role models, as we see them as the people who we want to be like when we get older.

Our first role models are invariably our parents, as they guide us through the first stages of our lives, as they teach us the basics of life and provide us with boundaries. As time goes on, and we gain new role models, our view on our parents adapts, and so they may or may not necessarily continue to be our role models.

Our second role models are our teachers at schools, as they teach us about life and about what we should and shouldn't do. As time goes on, and we gain new role models, our view on our teachers adapts, and so they may or may not necessarily continue to be our role models.

Our next role models are our friends at school, the kids who are achieving what we want to achieve, whether it's in school subjects, sports or just being cool. The role models which we choose here, are influenced by what our parents and teachers showed us when they were our role models.

Our next role models are from pop culture, our musicians, sports people and celebrities. All of the role models we've had prior influence who we choose as our pop culture role models.

Our final role models that we choose, also depend on our previous role models and how that has shaped our ethics and values. For people who respect law and order, they might look to symbols of authority like police, politicians, judges/lawyers and the monarchy. For others, it might be someone who stood up for their rights against oppression, or someone who was simply really good at their profession.

Often we don't even realise that these people are our role models, and we don't realise the impact that they are having on us, but they do, as how they act within society shapes how we in turn act. This is because we respect these people, or at least respect particular values which they have, and their values invariably become our values.

So, in order for the people of Thailand to have good morals, ethics and values, the people who are role models within society need to act in a way befitting a role model. It's obviously something which can't happen overnight, but might take a generation, or generations even, to change, but people need to start changing for the good of the nation.

These changes could simply start from a few prominent people, people who are the role models for others, giving education to others about what they believe is right, and wrong, within society. By using the role models of the parents and teachers, and hopefully making them better role models, it'd filter down to their children and to the next generation. TV advertisements are a good idea, or flyers, or even simply these people living their lives in a morally responsible way.

Having P'Toon from Bodyslam, appearing on TV riding his motorcycle with a helmet, and looking cool in the process could be a start. Or Sek Loso watching someone dropping rubbish and commenting about how it's not cool to trash our country (before putting the rubbish in the bin). Having politicians act in a way befitting their station would also go a long way, but that's probably about the time I'd wake up and realise that none of this will likely happen in my generation, I can only hope that I have been a good role model for the students I teach, and that they'll be inspired to be good members of society as a result.

A great post, indeed.

Or Sek Loso watching someone dropping rubbish and commenting about how it's not cool to trash our country (before putting the rubbish in the bin)

Here's where he puts the trash into his body.Please be aware that it's not about "recreational drugs" now.

Edited July 8, 2014 by lostinisaan