Long overdue history review

Long overdue history review

If the Education Ministry has its way, the subject of Thai history in the Basic Education Core Curriculum will be overhauled, with the revised version available for the 2022 academic year.

Education permanent secretary Supat Chumpathong said more political events are to be added to the original textbooks. Initially, the ministry said it would focus on the period from 1932 -- when the country changed its political system from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy -- until 1957.

He said academics would help with the content and the draft would be submitted to the minister by the middle of December, so it could be rolled out in the 2022 academic year. The efforts have drawn a mixed reaction. Some have given the rewrite a thumbs-up, while others have said that a curriculum with fixed subjects is far too outdated.

The history rewrite was welcomed by former education minister Somsak Prissananantakul, who yesterday said the revised version would provide students with a better understanding of political history and democratic developments as long as a process known as chamra prawattisat (clarifying history) is undertaken.

The former minister noted the updated curriculum must not be based on distorted information or augmented facts and should be thoroughly reviewed prior to being rolled out.

Mr Somsak was of the view that the clarification process, where academics with differing opinions come together to agree upon a standard interpretation, should also be applied to other key political events like the failed Bovorndej coup by royalists, and the unsuccessful Manhattan Rebellion, among others.

Mr Supat fell short of explaining why the rewrite is to cover only the 1932-1957 period and not afterwards. The period is known for its political turbulence with elite factions engaging in a fierce struggle for power, followed by a series of coups d'etat.

It's speculated the reason has something to do with increased interest in the 1932 revolution by the Khana Ratsadon (People's Party) that ended Thailand's absolute monarchy. This landmark event is a recurring theme in the current anti-government protests, with one group of protesters calling itself Khana Ratsadon 2563 (2020).

Whatever it is, the process is a good start in opening up debates about this part of history as much is still concealed and lopsided. And those in the education realm must be open-minded to set the stage for thorough debates to accept new knowledge or theories, supported by facts or academic research work, while distortions should not be tolerated.

In fact, there are parts of Thailand's history that do need revision, especially regarding the country's origin. Old-school historians hold on to a theory that Thais or Tais migrated here from the Altai mountains in China. This theory has been challenged by other historians.

More importantly, swathes of Thailand's political history, such as the Oct 6, 1976 massacre at Thammasat University and Sanam Luang remain hush-hush topics after more than 40 years. This should not be the case.

Historians should be able to research these particular incidents and present their work without fear of repercussions. There should be no harm in having open discussions about this subject in particular and more information should be made available in order that this part of Thailand's history is clarified.

At a time when the country is trapped in a political divide, study of this tragic event is even more important in the hope that, as the old adage goes, history does not repeat itself.

Editorial

Bangkok Post editorial column

These editorials represent Bangkok Post thoughts about current issues and situations.

Email : anchaleek@bangkokpost.co.th

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