No one can deny the significance of patriotism. Every country needs it. Patriotism gives the ties that bind people from all walks of life together. It creates a sense of oneness and strengthens national unity to achieve a common goal. It gives people a sense of belonging, a crucial sense of identity, a psychological security from knowing “Who I am”.
It is when one’s love for the country has been turned into ultra-nationalism that we must be wary. It is why the Education Ministry’s policy to inject ultra-nationalism into schools in the name of patriotism must be questioned.
In an eagerness to please the military junta, the Education Ministry announced last week that it would ask for a list of patriotic songs from the National Council for Peace and Order to play at all state schools across the country two times a day, before morning class and during lunch recess.
Permanent secretary for education Suthasri Wongsamarn reportedly said she was so moved by those songs during the coup last month that she wanted to promote them in schools to strengthen students’ patriotism. She also announced plans to increase classes in history and civic duties in the national curriculum.
The underlying message from such plans is clear: The country is having problems because people are not patriotic enough. They also lack knowledge in history and do not know their duties. In short, people are the problem. This analysis is plain wrong. People are not the problem. The Education Ministry is.
A deep political divide is not the only crisis Thailand is facing. The southern violence, where two sets of ethno-centric nationalism clash, has been raging for 10 years. One set is that of the dominant ethnic Thais. The other is of minority ethnic Malay Muslims.
The economy is in the doldrums not only because of political instability, but also because of the education system’s focus on rote learning which kills creativity and innovation. Democracy is not going anywhere due to systematic indoctrination of total submission to authority in the education system at all levels.
This ethno-centric nationalism has also seen the country take flak internationally for its indifference to violations of human rights of ethnic minorities and migrant workers.
We need patriotism that is not rooted in race, ethnicity, or religion, but which embraces and respects cultural pluralism. We need history lessons that do not focus on antagonism against neighbouring countries or foster xenophobia. We need an open school atmosphere that encourages questioning minds and creativity. We need to allow the localities to have a say in how they want to educate their youngsters so they serve their community needs better.
We also need an education system that instills respect for human dignity and equality if we truly want to end the disparity which is the root cause of the political divide as well as to be able to build a culture that respects democracy and human rights. We need a system that bridges education opportunities between the rich and poor. We need an education that opens hearts, not impoverishes the mind.
The Education Ministry’s knee-jerk plans to please the junta go against what the country needs. It also betrays the spirit of reform that the country is crying out for.
Its top-down order contradicts the calls for administrative decentralisation that will allow communities to manage their schools and curriculum. More teaching on ethno-centric nationalism will also intensify conflicts both within and outside the country.
The country badly need education reform. But this cannot happen if the Education Ministry still enjoys central control while operating in an old-world, autocratic mindset. This is where reform must start urgently.