The terrible irony is that it's the innocence of the people that is the charm of the country. When they all wise up to the grand deception - my impression is that very few Thais still have any idea of how they have been socially engineered for so long by the 'deep state' system - this could turn into one of the most bitter and cynical countries in the world. What a dilemma for those who love the Thai people as they are.

They have already wised up.Nobody is now fooled even in the most rural outposts.I dont believe most Thais will become bitter or cynical; that's part of the fabled charm you refer to.

That's not to say we wont see some very terrible and ugly rendering of accounts.I hope not as once bloodlust is up in this country the outcomes can be appalling.

Another example of keeping the masses dumb so they dont have the intelligence to understand what the military continue to take from them.

I wouldn't put it like that though I have sympathy with your point of view.It's not really a question of intelligence because the Thai people have that in abundance, and it can never be extinguished.Furthermore in the last twenty years the con trick that the elites played on the people has been rumbled.To use that rather overused expression the genie cannot be put back on the bottle.The "know your place" mentality - where ordinary people are urged to be self sufficient while the elites wallow in conspicuous expenditure - is dying on its feet because the Thai people refuse to take it seriously now.Thus any strategy depending on the masses being kept dumb just won't work.Education is a different matter altogether.In any case I believe that most reasonable Thais (and I include the conservative urban middle class) understand why educational standrds must be improved across the board.

"Thai people have intelligence in abundance". And I'm the mayor of London.

Plenty of intelligent people, unfortunately the common sense part stops developing after 5yoa.

What I've heard is what Thai people know.

And what more and more of them know is that their rulers "not care about us".

That really applies to ALL politicians in Thailand.

I have a massage therapy shop and hairdressing salon. When I asked one of the ladies there why she is always smiling and happy, her reply was "because I don't think".

Reminds me of my Mrs; well educated, Nurse of 25 years but doesn't want to know anything that's going on outside of her own little sphere, as it requires too much 'thinking'.

Now you know why Thai people always say ''Farang tink too mutt''. This is the result of their useless education system where asking questions and critical thinking ability is a no no.

"It also defines the fundamental purpose of the education system as being to instill virtue, discipline and pride in the nation."

Isn't that something best done by a Democratic Govt leading by example?

Another example of keeping the masses dumb so they dont have the intelligence to understand what the military continue to take from them.

The thing is that in Thailand many of the worst educated people see through the façade of the elites, and many of the better educated buy it completely.

But isn't it strange that the alleged party of the elite is the one to speak out? And the party that offered uniform and text subsidies, subsequently replaced by Yingluk's tablet scam. That worked SO well.

Actually what the worst educated see is the carrot dangled in front of their nose, and fail to notice where the road is leading.

no it's not strange. Everyone should speak out against this.

We have the ELS to thank for bringing it to the public's attention.

My wife is well educated but she still can't see through them

Thai can and will learn in 9 years what it take a Farang 16 years

All is BS

Nope, you lost me there

Keep 'em dumb and barefoot on the farms...

“If you can’t afford seafood today, just eat something else first. If it’s too expensive for you, then just don’t eat it.

Let rich people eat it. I can’t make everyone equal. I just can’t do that, you know? If you really want some, then work hard and make money.

The government will do our part. We have provided markets for low income people. We have done all that we are capable of.

However, we cannot make everyone equal.”

Gen. Prayuth, through the Return of Happiness TV program

(source: Royal Thai Government House, 3 July, 2015

Another example of keeping the masses dumb so they dont have the intelligence to understand what the military continue to take from them.

You think it's only the military? Every Thai government to date has failed the average Thai in the education stakes. After all, it's in their interests NOT to have a too educated populace.

What I've heard is what Thai people know.

And what more and more of them know is that their rulers "not care about us".

And why on earth would any person rely on "their rulers" for anything?

It was like this in Europe also almost 100 years ago.

The mayor keeps them stupid while the pastor keeps them poor.

My wife is well educated but she still can't see through them

Thai can and will learn in 9 years what it take a Farang 16 years

All is BS

Yes... and there is a square pink teapot circling around the sun.

Seems pretty clear to me nothing these desperate parasites do now will make a blind bit of difference once reason and decency are restored and all the current nonsense goes into the trash, just like the last lot.

Fools are trying to play for keeps this time but in reality this is all just a last throw of the die for a dying breed. Roll on their destiny, I say.

Interested to see the analysis used to justify this. Like the request for submarines that did not go through as the feasibility study shone the idea in a bad light so Prayut scrapped it I am sure if this is presented to Prayut and cost benefit analysis shows not to be feasible he will scrap it to.

I would love to see the figures showing % of students continuing on to grade 12 compared to the ones that didn't. Another interesting figure would be the % that actually passed grade 10, 11 and 12. If those figures showed 5% went on and only 1% passed then would it be ideal to spent billions of baht on a system that gave limited results.

Of course emotionally speaking it is a bad idea, but realistically and financially it might be a good idea.

Using these figures one could surmise that the millions they pay on the last 3 grades is simply not worth it. Of course the millions saved on this could be used to ensure the first 9 years of education are improved and then bring the remaining 3 years of free education back as a better quality student are brought through the system.

The most frightening paragraph in the OP is the last one...............

"It also defines the fundamental purpose of the education system as being to instill virtue, discipline and pride in the nation."

communism

Sounds more like national socialism to me.