Support young mums
Three chai-yos for the Ministry of Education's (MOE) ban on expulsion of pregnant students.
The ministry has ordered schools to support their efforts to continue their education and providing sex education to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Thailand's rate of teenage pregnancies is the second highest in Southeast Asia, affecting the futures of young parents and our society's development. With menstruation starting at ages as young as nine, sex education -- which must include age-appropriate relationship management, LGBT issues, contraception, sexting, masturbation, etc -- should start as early as Prathom 4 (Grade 4). Our Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has a programme to reduce teenage pregnancies by half, which I understand is based on the highly successful Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange at the University of Bedfordshire, and our MOE should coordinate closely with the MOPH.
I highly praise the MOE and schools for making it possible for pregnant students to continue their education, with flexible programmes and assistance in transferring elsewhere if desired, so that their transition to parenthood may be eased and they may be able to develop to their fullest potential.
Burin Kantabutra
The coupist straitjacket
Re: "20-year national strategy comes into effect", (BP, Oct 13).
On reading the wondrous promises of "The First National Strategy", which is intended to lock Thailand up until 2037, one is not only reminded of the equally wondrous promises that Stalin and Mao's national development plans made for the Soviet Union and China; one wonders also how collecting luxury watches from dead best friends is an example of sustainable sufficiency economics. While ever more are needed, the supply of dying best mates to collect them from is not obviously renewable; unless, of course, a new crop of such willing contributors comes with each new coup or extension thereof, thereby ensuring the desired sustainability providing a sufficient number of luxury pieces for flapping wrists.
Meanwhile, the rude reality of historical evidence, with such exemplary failures as China under Mao and the Soviet Union under Stalin and his successors, shows a strong correlation between democratic liberties and healthy national development, which is not surprising since, unless people are free to experiment with new ways and critically question old habits, customs and dogmas, mistakes cannot be corrected, wrongs cannot be righted, corruption cannot be eradicated, nor new circumstances adapted to.
The coupists' straitjacket is a recipe for stultification and retarded growth. But they have certainly paid themselves sufficiently well to make it up.
Felix Qui
Deregulation the key
The "generalised" Thai government should learn from President Trump in respect to its 20-year plan.
Massive, across the board, deregulation including scrapping of the Foreign Business Act, accompanied by tax and investment incentives will accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than any idealistic nonsense enshrined by politicians and military types. Just do this, keep an eye on the environment, and establish the rule of law. Then sit back and the rest will follow.
Mr M
No comfort in Thai jails
Re: "Is jailing efficient?", (PostBag, Oct 15).
I wish to respond to some of the arguments Martin R made in support of the death penalty.
He asks how would family members of murder victims feel if the murderer of their loved ones is allowed to live. Aside from the fact that not all such family members support the death penalty, how would Martin feel if he had a son who was executed for a crime he didn't commit, perhaps because he couldn't afford a good lawyer?
Martin also complains it's costly to keep people alive in prison for the rest of their lives. But according to Amnesty International, in America it costs the state more money to execute people.
Finally, I doubt anyone who ever spent time in a Thai prison would describe the prospect of spending the rest of their lives there as living in "relative comfort"!
Eric BahrtChiang Mai
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