If children are the country's future, what lies ahead could indeed be grim when one child in every three comes from vulnerable and high-risk groups. We are talking about five million children under 15 years of age across the country. If this is not a cause for concern when the country observes Children's Day tomorrow, what is?
According to Child Watch Project, these high-risk children are school dropouts, abandoned and street children, child offenders, unwed mothers, young drug addicts, stateless children with no legal rights, children with learning problems, handicapped children and those under severe poverty.
Of the country's 15 million-strong youth, five million of them fall through the cracks in the competitive, centralised education system which shuns underprivileged children and does not respond to children's different needs.
On an average, there are between 50,000 and 70,000 vulnerable children in each province. Without timely intervention, their angry alienation can push them into dangerous or anti-social behaviour.
The trend is worrisome. The number of child offenders rose from 34,211 in 2005 to 46,981 in 2009. The number of unwed teen mothers also rose, from 42,434 to 67,958 in 2009.
The crux of the problem is the Bangkok-centred education system which makes children look down on local roots, but fails to equip them to compete with city kids. Living with crushed dreams amid affluence beyond their reach, many turns to drugs. Others turn to violence and crime, not only for quick money but also for acceptance they cannot otherwise find in the system.
The urban/rural education disparity goes back to the disparity in education budgets. According to Child Watch, the most developed areas get nearly three times more than the least developed. The school curriculum, apart from being irrelevant to rural life, focuses on screening students for universities. The number of dropouts is consequently high, particularly in the rural setting. At the primary level, 89% of students make it to Prathom 6. By Mathayom 3, only 79% remain. And by Mathayom 6, that number drops to 55%. In every sub-district there are at least 300 school dropouts who are prone to all sorts of high-risk behaviour. Already alienated from the farm sector by a pro-city education system, a large number of them leave to work in low-paying jobs in big towns. Those who stay back become restless trouble-makers. The "good" students also leave home to pursue higher studies, further robbing the villages of the next generation of community leaders. The resulting social and economic costs are enormous.
To reverse this trend, education reform to strengthen local knowledge, pride and life skills is vital. Decentralisation of the curriculum and education administration is also necessary. Sadly, the biggest opponent of this move is the Ministry of Education, where clinging to power is the name of the game, and where it does not matter if children are the ones who lose out.
There is still a chance to turn things around. Stronger state commitment to quality vocational education can give new options to students who cannot compete on the academic track. Better use of information technology can link outside support with the children's individual needs. Trust is also key to save troubled teenagers. So is timely intervention. The government cannot do this. Families and local communities can, if they are open to children's needs and concerns.
This is our duty to our children. If we fail, the children's future, and that of our country, remains bleak.