I come from a nation (America) whose political system is dominated by selfish lobby groups that pervert the course of true democracy. America’s educational system, too, has many deep problems. I say this because I am about o make some heavy, criticisms about Thai politics and education, but I also need to be humble, given my own country’s possibly fatal flaws.
I have been a teacher in Thai schools for six years. Recently, I have chosen to quit teaching because I see no future for the Thai educational system. I believe my loss of faith has some parallels with why Thais are not ready for democracy.
Let me be blunt: As a rule, Thais have no love of knowledge, and therefore dislike learning. Education is neither valued nor understood. Thus all the talk about educational reform and inculcating “critical thinking” is complete nonsense. It is a non-starter.
What is a typical Thai student like? Let’s take an average M 5 student in a government school. He/she is overly protected by their parents, immature (by Western standards) uninterested, uninteresting, unimaginative, un-analytical, shallow, disinclined to read for pleasure, mindlessly nationalistic, dependent minded, unconfident, conformist, addicted to soap operas and comic books (and their phones for chatting and games), prone to cheating, and despite ten years of English classes, has made little or no progress. Is this a person ready for life in a democracy? Of course not! Is it her fault? Of course not! How do I know? I know because when a typical Thai student like them goes to school in the West for even one year, almost everything changes for the better.
Thai schools do not need reform; they need a wrecking ball. Entirely new schools should be built with good facilities, smaller classes, twice the financing, much higher standards, better-trained teachers (with an entirely new attitude), and no directors – as they are as greedy and corrupt as they are imperious and incompetent. Good riddance to all of them. Thais do not know it, but their schools are in a state of emergency. They are the No. 1 reason why Thailand is not ready for democracy. “Ronald Wilson former Thailand English teacher” (He left after teaching here six years)