[Trissinas]

I agree Steve and thank you for putting it so eloquently
I'd like to add that it is not only the parents but also the relevant authorities who should be responsible. of course parents are more than happy to find an excuse for not sending their kids to school if they know they can get away with it! in most developed countries they would be prosecuted and the children would end up in care if neglect went on too long, and I agree with this approach.

Absolutely agreed. Even though, it is the law that a child must go to school, the authorities do nothing to clampdown on wayward parents who'd rather their kids wash dishes at some local rice soup shop than be sat in a classroom.

I've clarified this with Thai teachers too, very seldom do they ever report a primary school drop-out to the ministry of education and even when they do the ministry does nothing about it.

Sure, for Thailand to prosper, stringent education enforcement must be applied.

[Oswczrdz]

It is true that there are many self made billionaires who did not have the benefit of education.

Possibly drive, ambition and self confidence are the defining factors.

Also, different people learn differently, and traditional education does not always address those issues. I still believe, however, in education. It gives us choices we may not have otherwise.

[Oswczrdz]

I'll have to agree with you, Sved, that the education (along with the good will) "does more for their countries in the long run than foreign aid".

I went to a small Quaker college which sometimes gives full scholarship to gifted foreign students in hope that they will return to their home countries and use their education for the betterment of their country. Many times, however, if they are able to find employment, they prefer to stay here.

[RagonaCon]

speaking English is nice, but please don't try to say that it is too much to expect that the state provides 9 years of free and compulsory education for all. or let's just settle for 6, to be realistic. please don't tell me that's too much!

No its not. My understanding is that education is free in Thailand.Any Thai who wishes to learn should be able to find grants or help EASILY. Its just that some of these families are so poor, they needed the extra helping hands to help find money. But of cos, personally I feel its no excuse for these families to not send their kids to school and force them to work at young age.

[RayFairhurst]

Unfortunately, many rural folk dont realize the importance of education, and living for today like many do, they'd rather their daughter go work in a factory for pittance (send mosta money home though) or even better meet a rich generous foreign guy.

The latter route seems easier to attain since many rich farang guys do not mind marrying uneducated girls, which may be an interesting topic of study.

[NutChusty]

well Paul, I can certainly say that sometimes some of us would be a little happier if you hadn't gone to school and hadn't learnt to write at all

Betti I'm one of these people who did not learn how to read and write at school, well not more than the very basics, something that a 6 year old could read., the books at school were so boring and of no interest to me I could not learn to read something I was not interested in, I can tell you now school was a total waist of time for me. It was not till I left school that I started reading stuff I was interested in, that mad me medium efficient at reading and writing, but I can not attribute my reading and writing from school, it was entirely self tort after school finnished.

[themsrsdude]

Unfortunately, many rural folk dont realize the importance of education, and living for today like many do,
[/URL]

Well thats hardly surprising.

All research I seen, in my own country, says that university students mostly have parents which studied at university themselves.

My grandparents on both sides were living on very simple terms and none of them could understand my parents wish to study at university or even what it was good for.


Start of wave

In my country all education is free from kindergarten to university and I frankly I don't see why a parents lack of money should stop a child from having a better future.

We have so many foreigners from third world coming to our country to study university for free, Chinese, Indians, Africans and u name it and while many remain most actually return back and I would like to believe that this does more for their countries in the long run that foreign aid.

[Emunsesoxmete]

I agree Steve and thank you for putting it so eloquently
I'd like to add that it is not only the parents but also the relevant authorities who should be responsible. of course parents are more than happy to find an excuse for not sending their kids to school if they know they can get away with it! in most developed countries they would be prosecuted and the children would end up in care if neglect went on too long, and I agree with this approach.

[Trissinas]

On the two latest comments, i'll agree with both Betti and Bucky.

6 years of education really is the most realistic. In the rural areas there are primary schools everywhere in the form of 'temple schools', and so there ought to be no excuse whatsoever for rural folk not to send their kids to school.
One of the biggest problem for poor rural folk (and their excuse too) is managing to send their kids to secondary school, as unlike primary schools they can often be miles away from home. Often, unless the kid has someone to stay with nearer the school, they have a huge problem actually getting to the school. Yet though, even if the school is say 20km and a 90 minute journey away that is no different than for many kids in Bangkok.


Bucky mentions that education is free in Thailand and yes it really is if you are super-poor. For those whose parents have at least a bit of spending prowess they'll have to pay for extra special tuition within the school such as learning computer, English with a native teacher and going on camp. In my last school this run at a huge 2,000baht a term!

Ok, i was being a bit sarcastic there about the price. But going on from what Bucky wrote many poorer parents will grab at any excuse not to send their kid to school and instead to hawk flowers and chewing gum to the likes of foreign tourists. Often, their excuse is that they don't have the money to pay the likes of 2,000baht a term! Yet, however, dad always seems to have enough money to swig whiskey every night, mum always seems to have enough money to but endless lottery tickets, auntie always has enough to play cards and grannie always has enough to pay donations to the local temple so securing a better life after death.

Unfortunately, many rural folk dont realize the importance of education, and living for today like many do, they'd rather their daughter go work in a factory for pittance (send mosta money home though) or even better meet a rich generous foreign guy.
http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php/...nderful?blog=8

[RagonaCon]

but even the ditch-diggers should be able to read and write Thai, and count, don't you think Paul? no matter what they do in the future, all kids should have at least 6 years of education. especially that the law stipulates 9 if I am not mistaken!

You'll be amazingly surprise at how most of these "ditch-diggers" speak better english than the average University graduates.

[Emunsesoxmete]

speaking English is nice, but please don't try to say that it is too much to expect that the state provides 9 years of free and compulsory education for all. or let's just settle for 6, to be realistic. please don't tell me that's too much!

[NutChusty]

Well there is a self made billionaire in Australia that left school at 15 years of age due to the fact his parents would have been fined if he did not attend school. Even so this billionaire never learnt how to read or to write, so in other words his education was of little use. Now how did this lowly educated person become a billionaire, well in fact he employed people who could read and write. Now I can tell you categorically, education is not the be all and end all of life, some people actually do better because they don't have an education, as they have not wasted 9 years of there life learning something that is of no use to there own niche in life. Personally if I had a child who said they did not want to go to school, I would say fine, don't go, I wish I had that choice when I was a child, because I would have been happy never to waist my time with school.

[Emunsesoxmete]

well Paul, I can certainly say that sometimes some of us would be a little happier if you hadn't gone to school and hadn't learnt to write at all

[craditc]

pardon me if i am wrong. I feel that even with a degree, thai graduates are not earning the amount that justifies their educational status.

I have read from some sources that the starting pay is not that high and the pay increase is slow. The cap salary for most of the industries is not ideal too in my opinion.

To have a considerably comfortable life, i feel that they need to really really save a great deal before starting to see the fruits and impact of their savings after many years. This is rather tough as i understand that if a family has only 1 bread winner, almost the whole income will be spent on monthly bills, rents etc.

I just feel that there is a disappearing middle, the rich are exceptionally well off while the poor are somehow struggling.

Some of my thai friends told me that you can never enjoy a good standard of living if you are just a mere employee with a degree working for someone else.

Please pardon me if i made any wrong judgement, i am just writing out my thoughts.

Seeing some of my thai friends not doing so well despite holding degrees makes me wonder about the use of studying so much... However i still believe in the benefits of education.

[khjhkfggt]

It's a vicious circle. Rural peasants don't believe in education, so their children grow up uneducated, and so on.

Educated people do believe in education, so their children get even better educated. This causes a widening gap between an educated elite and the uneducated masses.

Who knows, one day the educated elite might try to claim that the masses are too dumb to be allowed an equal vote in democratic elections.....

[NutChusty]

Who knows, one day the educated elite might try to claim that the masses are too dumb to be allowed an equal vote in democratic elections.....

The problem is people with degrees have an elitist opinion of them selves imagining there opinion is always more correct than so called uneducated people who are dismissed as incorrect, but I find people with degrees can't think for them selves because there all rope learnt, there basically functionally illiterate but they don't know it because there been so brain washed by educational institutions they have no sense of reality as there minds have been so narrowed to the ideas of former academics. Next point, these elitist academic people is what coursed the recent melt down in the American finance industry and it's the so called uneducated people who are paying for there mistakes.

[violetgorman]

I think it was mainly greed. Make as much as you can that got out of hand with this WORLD financial mess.

Second point, you cannot pigeonhole someone for getting a degree or not getting one.Up to the individual to do what they do with or without a formal education.

If one doesn't see any place to go but easy money that is where they will go. If hard work and low paying jobs,it is to try to give their children (if they have any) an âÍ¡ÒÉ

I heard a saying not related but kinda. byrds of a feather flock together. oh yes another one!
misery loves company. um two peas of a pod.

Just remember when you are eating that delicious meal. Who did the work to pick the veggies or to slaughter that prime cut. Without people working for someone we might not get what we get.
To put into a social class a group of people is oner thing ;but to hold them down for being in the so called class is another.

IMOjlee )

[Emunsesoxmete]

but even the ditch-diggers should be able to read and write Thai, and count, don't you think Paul? no matter what they do in the future, all kids should have at least 6 years of education. especially that the law stipulates 9 if I am not mistaken!

[prehighaltitudesjj]

My opnion is - we needs - -> Hard working for money + Saving money + Spend money in the smart ways.

[Emunsesoxmete]

that 87% is still painfully low if Thailand wants to give its children a better future. many are still away due to poverty or unresolved refugee status, what future do these millions have?