'Power of Thai' put to work

Business > Economics

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Published: 16/11/2011 at 02:21 AM
Newspaper section: Business

The flood crisis has created an opportunity to turn business rivalry into a partnership for the common good, say business leaders.

Executives of the 12 companies backing the ‘Power of Thai’ campaign aim to raise at least 100 million baht initially, with investment in education identified as their priority. KOSOL NAKACHOL

The heads of 12 of Thailand's biggest corporations yesterday announced a plan to pool their resources to help put the flood-ravaged kingdom back on its fleet.

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About the author

: Writer: Pitsinee Jitpleecheep; Position: Business Reporter

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bula
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Discussion 18 : 16/11/2011 at 03:34 PM18
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BP frontpage description
: .....to raise at least 100 million baht in eight months to help build a proper education system. Then in its content : "Their "Power of Thai" campaign aims to raise 100 million baht over eight months, with education as the priority."

Another online media reported:
The "Power of Thai" campaign aims to raise about Bt100 million for the rehabilitation of flood-hit schools.

Which is correct reporting
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soltair
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Discussion 17 : 16/11/2011 at 02:52 PM17
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Ausie John #7 The vast majority of Thais subservient to the wealthy class for decades. And then to know that this wealthy class are the offspring of the migrant workers from beginning last century. See how the Burmese and Cambodian migrant workers are treated now. Sssst don't talk about it..
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bula
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Discussion 16 : 16/11/2011 at 02:43 PM16
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If you want good education, stop bluffing each other is a good start.
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thailife69
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Discussion 15 : 16/11/2011 at 02:06 PM15
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Any effort to revive Thailand is a welcome sign.

Should we assume that Thailand's business community actually recognises the need and is willing to drive educational standards higher?

As we see from the plethora of doubting Thomas's posts, pessimism remains the driving force in Thailand. Replace it with optimism and let the advancement commence.
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Renaissance
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Discussion 14 : 16/11/2011 at 01:34 PM14
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I think that these people realize that unless education is improved, politicians will just continue to use the people whenever they want to. It has to stop. The current system only benefits the greedy and corrupt.
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fungus
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Discussion 13 : 16/11/2011 at 12:44 PM13
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These Thai business executives are showing the qualities of true leaders. This is most uplifting and encouraging news I have read in the Bangkok Post in months.

Focusing on improving the education system is the single most important topic to ensure Thailand is competitive in the future.

Compliments to these men for their foresight and initiative. One can only hope the political leaders will follow this model of cooperation for the good of the country.
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dao
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Discussion 12 : 16/11/2011 at 12:16 PM12
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Ask foreign experts to help you write new curriculum .Train new teachers and retrain old teachers to teach using modern methods .This is the job of the education ministry .What are they waiting for ? If they dont know how then find someone who does .Stop dragging your feet education ministry .It should have been done decades ago .
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cassie
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Discussion 11 : 16/11/2011 at 12:13 PM11
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As an ex-teacher in Thailand who has always been appalled at the terrible Thai education system, while I think what these companies are doing is an admirable idea, it will have little effect.

Thais are not taught critical thinking skills, which has always put them at a disadvantage when dealing with much of the rest of the world. They're also taught to blindly follow what teachers tell them, even though much of what they are taught is plain wrong. Add onto this the fact that most Thai schools simply pass ALL students, regardless that many don't have the grades they should have to pass and, no, I don't see Thailand's abymsal education system changing any time soon. Thailand will simply continue to fall further and further behind developed countries, as well as other Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia.

After 8 years teaching in Thailand, I finally gave up. Trying to change the Thai education system or help my students learn was like banging my head against a brick wall. Pointless.
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phileas
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Discussion 10 : 16/11/2011 at 11:26 AM10
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A worthy initiative but I agree with the comments regarding the appalling condition of education in Thailand: it has to be reformed from top to bottom (starting at the top).
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frankieb
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Discussion 9 : 16/11/2011 at 10:58 AM9
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- B100 million Baht? The country's schools waste that much in paper in one day...easily. It's not going to take money to improve the schools...the things that will are 100% FREE. Listening...a little discipline. And...the weening and training of teachers to become motivators and guides of instruction. Most of the knowledge is now stored via networked computers.
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