Basic Reason Thailand is killing itself!

To be happy with one's fate

Mai pen rai ... crooked smile... nervous laugh ...

I think it has been stated before in other threads that, the elite don't send their kids to Thai school. But, send them overseas to USA, Aussie, and England.

I do think that it is not just the Education system but a hotch potch or other reasons as well, we have to my knowledge a Cultural problem,Thais seem to have a comlete lack of foresight even though a simple westerner could see the pitfalls of some of their actions.
We have the family system as well, girls are girls and boys are boys, but attitudes to them are different. Wer have the seemingly acceptance that if a senior person says something it is right even if it is wrong status is everything.
In fact Thailand has not really evolved from a Thai feudal system at all, no one challenges anyone and acceptance of all things is the norm, UNTIL and I mean this UNTIL Thais change their attitude and question things then Nowt is going to be done.
For example the Govt is laying a pipeline for water ( water board really) along Govt land, now I know that they can do whatever they like, but when I ask can we talk to the people to move the pipelines sup[posed route to a an easier one , also missing a couple of underground pipes lkaid some 16 years ago, I get told Govt land they can do what they want, insistence of talking to the man goes out the window. Why, It is govt land and they can do what they want. Authority you see, if you got it flaunt it, Police, Teachers, Govt officals , even down to the headman, everyone else, agrees or else.

Farang1 wrote:I think it has been stated before in other threads that, the elite don't send their kids to Thai school. But, send them overseas to USA, Aussie, and England.

And most of the Chinese business owners(not the elite powerbrokers) that send their siblings to Thai schools,are not concerned with the system because they are only interested in them learning ,managing and continuing the family business as it has always been done!

nkstan wrote:

Farang1 wrote:I think it has been stated before in other threads that, the elite don't send their kids to Thai school. But, send them overseas to USA, Aussie, and England.

And most of the Chinese business owners(not the elite powerbrokers) that send their siblings to Thai schools,are not concerned with the system because they are only interested in them learning ,managing and continuing the family business as it has always been done!

Yeah...Back to the status quo. Don't rock the boat.

I think the important point made was the anger and frustration seated within the masses of Thailand today and in the future as a direct result of going through a education system that doesn't prepare them to ''better'' their economic future while living in a society where they see bangkok business owners and the powerful elite ruling class become obscenely rich while the masses can't get out of the ''mud''of poverty,lack of motivation and the perception or reality of being disenfranchised!

Fixing the education system to prepare,motivate and creative analytical thinking is where it has to begin,then those masses would be competent to demand more equality in economic opportunity and gov't representation for their recognized needs.

As it is,they are just ignorant resentful sheep,waiting to rage when something angers them,either from conflict or being directed by their local Phu Yais and the cycle goes on and on,until the country implodes or explodes!

Fixing the education system to prepare,motivate and creative analytical thinking is where it has to begin,then those masses would be competent to demand more equality in economic opportunity and gov't representation for their recognized needs.

To do that one would have to fix the teachers, that is another whole ball game, if you had to do that just in udon Thani you would need the entire output of teachers from all the Universities in Thailand to fill Udon Thani province with good, educated and qualified and modern teachers in order to Motivate the children, that is a bridge too far. And Thailand has 76 Provinces, think about it.

Texpat wrote:

To be happy with one's fate

Mai pen rai ... crooked smile... nervous laugh ...

I suppose that will be the fault of the brits coming from you

thewatchman wrote:

Texpat wrote:

To be happy with one's fate

Mai pen rai ... crooked smile... nervous laugh ...

I suppose that will be the fault of the brits coming from you

Well, it was an English lady (Anna Leonowens) who, in the 1860s, went to Thailand to teach King Mongkut's kids English.

What passes for education here and in the US is abysmal.

Here I think it is a purposeful lack of education. Educated people are more difficult to control and manipulate, and the Thai political system can't survive in the face of an educated populace.

In the US it's a deterioration of educational standards and trying to include too much.

Here's an example of an 8th grade final examination.

8th Grade Final Exam:
Salina , KS - 1895

Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph.
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of 'lie,' 'play,' and 'run'.
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. Deep, 10 feet Long, and 3 ft. Wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs, what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs for tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. Coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7percent per annum.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus .
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States .
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas .
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour)
[Do we even know what this is??]
1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified ?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)
1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America .
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco .
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete.

Gives the saying 'he only had an 8th grade education' a whole new meaning, doesn't it?!
Also shows you how poor our education system has become and, NO, I don't have the answers!

Are the Thais doing ok? I'd say so and offer some opinions.

Thais seem to be better able achieve happiness than us westerners. They love Thailand to the extent that few care to immigrate elsewhere. Don't we agree that the most important goal in life is to achieve happiness?

The ability of any third world country to raise their economy and level of living is almost totally dependent upon the flow and investment of foreign capital into their country. For example, during the early years of the U.S. when it was comprised of 13 states it was geatly assisted by the large flow of investments from Britain. Thailand and most of Asia received a great infusion of capital during the late 20th century. The economic difference between the Thailand of today and that of forty years ago is immense. They were "exploited" and greatly benefited by that exploitation.

IMO Thais would be far better off if they can resist this global transformation to the New World Order and socialist democracy. Not that westerners much agree upon the definition of and plan for social democracy. Let Thais keep their freedoms, if possible. If western elitists could take over and control Thai education, the prime mission would be to inculcate a love for the socialist state and elitist ideologies. Screw that!

UdonExpat wrote:What passes for education here and in the US is abysmal.

Here I think it is a purposeful lack of education. Educated people are more difficult to control and manipulate, and the Thai political system can't survive in the face of an educated populace.

In the US it's a deterioration of educational standards and trying to include too much.

Here's an example of an 8th grade final examination.

8th Grade Final Exam:
Salina , KS - 1895

Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph.
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of 'lie,' 'play,' and 'run'.
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. Deep, 10 feet Long, and 3 ft. Wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs, what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs for tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. Coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7percent per annum.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus .
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States .
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas .
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour)
[Do we even know what this is??]
1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified ?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)
1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America .
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco .
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete.

Gives the saying 'he only had an 8th grade education' a whole new meaning, doesn't it?!
Also shows you how poor our education system has become and, NO, I don't have the answers!

You lost me after "What passes for Education here"