Educate kids for the future

EDITORIAL

Published: 12 Jan 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Anyone who thinks children should be seen and not heard might be happier staying at home today. That is because it is being given over to those often referred to as Generation Z, otherwise known as the internet generation or, more simply, smart young kids. While Thailand is not alone in celebrating Children's Day, the difference between us and the rest of the world is the preparation and enthusiasm that goes into it. In no other country do parents literally turn over the keys to the kingdom for a day, temporarily become second-class citizens and demonstrate as much love and trust in their children as they do here.

It is also a day devoted to soul-searching and pondering what kind of world today's youngsters will inherit and the job opportunities and social norms that will exist when they graduate. Will they be living in a corrupt, greed-obsessed, unhealthy society, struggling to cope with a polluted environment, filthy air and denuded forests? Will they have become a victim of inter-school gang violence or a tragic road accident statistic? These are valid concerns given the violence in our society, government policy objectives that seem to focus on short-term gains at the expense of long-term consequences and growing debt levels. Or maybe they will enjoy the fruits of a buoyant economy in a properly regulated society which values honesty, ability and performance over age-based seniority. We can but hope.

Most of those enjoying today's festivities are at an age when the education they receive will chart the course of their future lives. And, without urgent reform in the system, the tuition they receive is likely to be sub-standard. It is surely time to dispense with the whole outdated system of learning by rote or memorisation, the lack of encouragement for critical, innovative thinking and the absence of flexibility which pervades the whole chain of higher learning. These students will need to be trained for eventual entry into a highly specialised job market, but obtaining the necessary skill sets is not made easy by the regular degree courses available. These need to be upgraded to meet future needs.

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ricardofel
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Discussion 9 : 13 Jan 2013 at 06.399
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Since the majority of people in Thailand believe in corruption and greed now is the time to teach the youngsters how to be corrupt. There should be classes in every grade, in every school: corruption 101 and greed 101, as the kids get older they can progress to higher levels of greed and corruption and as a final graduation from the highest level they must show how corrupt they can be by going out into society and putting their years of studying into practice. Only then will they be give a passing grade.
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buster
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Discussion 8 : 13 Jan 2013 at 01.438
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Ever seen kidszone on cable, well we do, that is our children do, they love it, and more importent
WE love it.
Soap with all the hidden pitfals and miths in life exposed in family drama, with excellent underlining message for the children of family values first.
Educational, a pleasure to watch........a real good effort made by producers.
Unfortunatly the world on screen is a different one then on the streets,with all the loopholes, pitfalls children should learn gradualy , they hit a wall when leaving home.
Parents can and should intervene much more then do do (or not) socializing with their children encourage them to invite playmates,e
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khunatm
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Discussion 7 : 12 Jan 2013 at 21.037
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dis#3 Right on the money..gee whiz i wonder why so many thai women want falang husbands ?

Unfortunately Thailand is using the American model for social and educational development. America is 17th to 25th on the world wide educational scores. The other major influence here, the British, are even worse starting at 25th.Ironically some of the worlds best schools are in these two countries but are being filled by wealthy foreign kids because the locals cannot afford them.

Finally, insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
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ggh
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Discussion 6 : 12 Jan 2013 at 19.216
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Dis 2 – You bring us a very valid point. Not much work in the countryside so the bread winners move to the cities for employment. This is why the development of Thailand’s infrastructure is of utmost urgency with the AEC initiation just around the corner. The rural areas need to be developed to take full advantage of the AEC. Education is one part of the overall development plan. Possibly even more important are vocational skills development training which will produce much needed results in a shorter period of time. This Government has identified vocational training to be a key area of education reform.
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lungstib
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Discussion 5 : 12 Jan 2013 at 16.005
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I agree with giving kids all the love you can but think that here in Thailand thats sometimes confused with letting them do what they want.
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deville
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Discussion 4 : 12 Jan 2013 at 12.194
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For every problem there is a solution:

Google/Ogden's Basic English/search :-)>
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OldThaiHand
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Discussion 3 : 12 Jan 2013 at 09.413
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Yet another editorial on education reform - A valiant effort at exposing a well-known problem that will have zero impact.

The academic establishment are not interested in reform because they don't want to give up their iron grip on the system, which is all about brainwashing, not education.

As a result, the only students getting a proper education are those at international schools and enrolled in international programs at the major universities, with international curriculum taught in English.

This represents a handful of students, all of whom, not surprisingly come from families with money.
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oldairman
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Discussion 2 : 12 Jan 2013 at 08.452
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Children will be not so much forotten as ignored by next week.
Also the author should realise that the generation Z is rare outside of the big cities where there are far more children, many living with their grandparents who simply don't see their parents that often in a year. This is because there is little work locally for the parents so they move to the city to find work to send money bac to their parents who in a lot of cases are struggling to bring grandchildren up. The education system is bad enough in cities but in the countryside it is much worse with fewer facilities and more children in the class.
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Victor
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Discussion 1 : 12 Jan 2013 at 05.091
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How can we improve the quality of our children without looking into the (lack of) essential quality of the teacher first?
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Educate kids for the future | Bangkok Post: opinion