Tap English retirees

Postbag

Published: 6/02/2012 at 02:20 AM
Newspaper section: News

Thursday's letter to PostBag from teacher Yongyut, ''Help the teachers first'', has a lot of merit, and should be taken seriously.

Yes, Thai teachers of English do need a lot of improvement, and the people to help them are right here under our noses, sitting idly by, waiting eagerly to help.

But it will never happen, will it? Both the government and the Immigration Department are so myopic that they do not see the simple solution. Retired teachers living in Thailand, as well as other retired non-Thai professionals, are a source of gold for tapping into knowledge.

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mr.meldrew
Post : 335
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Discussion 12 : 09/02/2012 at 10:40 PM12
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LERIC ASHE: Why? Because dozens of black drug dealers usually from Africa are selling their wares blatantly on Sukhumvit and other parts of the city.
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koolbreez
Post : 439
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Discussion 11 : 07/02/2012 at 01:13 AM11
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There is no need to educate the masses in English, only those that will be in power, and can afford to be educated outside the country are the ones that matter. How hard is that for anyone to understand.

If the masses are educated correctly then the things they'll want are an end to corruption, neptism, cronyism, social prejudice, racial injustice, a wage they can live on, and raise their family, a policeforce that will enforce the laws, free will, the list is endless at this point if the masses are truly educated, and trained to think independantly, with no room for repeated lies from superiors.

No that will never happen in anyones lifetime in Thailand. It would destroy what litte economy is left, just ask those in power.
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cadcolin
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Discussion 10 : 06/02/2012 at 03:32 PM10
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Retired Language Consultant:
sorry like a lot of seemingly simple solutions and good ideas it will fall on deaf ears
how is the patronage system going to work when the pesky foreigner doesnt want to play the game like most things in thailand its not whats best for the end user i.e students in this case but whats good for the middle and senior managers and what they can get out of the system
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mogy71
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Discussion 9 : 06/02/2012 at 03:24 PM9
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Sorry for you Leric Ashe. Sad carry on.
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bangmodken
Post : 666
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Discussion 8 : 06/02/2012 at 11:59 AM8
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Leric Ashe : If it's any comfort to you,caucasians are often treated in the same way as you have just experienced. Yes,the police force suffers from xenophobia but sadly so does everyone else in this country.
Lung Kip : Spot on as usual but colours are more important than truths and facts,obviously.
Reconciliation is still way beyond the horizon and many influencial and unusually rich people would like it to stay that way. So does their followers.
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dao
Post : 2,088
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Discussion 7 : 06/02/2012 at 10:33 AM7
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The truth has become extinct in Thailand these days .Half truths that fit the political agenda of the party in power are pumped out on a daily basis .The biggest problem is that the general public doesnt care how big the lie is just what color the shirt is .
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soltair
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Discussion 6 : 06/02/2012 at 10:08 AM6
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Lest we forget, the parking of multi millions on the maid, driver and gardener accounts made everyone suspicious. To get away with it created a plethora of mischief till the tax evasion case closed the door, temporarily it seems.
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whatajoke
Post : 673
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Discussion 5 : 06/02/2012 at 08:52 AM5
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Lung Kip, the 2001 ruling, along with some fundamental flaws in Thai judgment in general (e.g. 70%+ pooled after the coup agreed it was a good idea, 40% of voters in the last election opted for the country to be run on remote control by a fugitive criminal). No one is interested in addressing these, or discussing them, they're only interested in pointing fingers at their opponents insisting they're responsible. For some the coup is the be all and end all of Thailand's troubles, for others it's entirely Thaksin. Actually it's complex, it's a great deal more than that.
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OldThaiHand
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Discussion 4 : 06/02/2012 at 08:37 AM4
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Retired Language Consultant

A nice idea, that's been suggested many times. However, there are plenty of qualified, active, native-speaking teachers here who are grossly under-paid, under-appreciated, never listened to and generally treated with disdain by Thai educators.

Thais will never admit they need help from outsiders to improve education, whatever the subject area. It's part and parcel of their arrogance and misplaced superiority coupled with rampant xenophobia.
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Victor
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Discussion 3 : 06/02/2012 at 08:17 AM3
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Volunteering is always welcome, expat or not, I am sure. My expat retired brother-in-law spend most of his time doing all sorts of volunteer work here for the last 8 years without having to get permission from the immigration. The only permission required is from my big sister.
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Tap English retirees | Bangkok Post: opinion