Page 29 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL4

‘We have too many restrictions. We have to cut hair, wear identical uniforms and we have to stand and sing the national anthem before the raised flag in the morning. To be honest, it reminds me of the military, except that we are students, not soldiers’discourages students from criticizing and speaking up. She hopes these can be revised to encourage students to be analytical, critical and argumentative – skills essential to prevail in a more globalized and competitive world.For Ms Mueanmas, Thai history classes are typical; textbooks are boring and unrelated to the present, preventing students from thinking analytically. Loaded with nationalistic records about ancient capitals and heroic rulers, they lack any attempt to explain why things take place, why people did what they did.Thai teachers are known to be authoritative in their teaching methods. “I think pro-harmony Thai culture is counteractive to critical thinking,“ said Ms Mueanmas. Students need space and time to debate and discuss,she said, with teachers promoting a culture of civilized argument.“My hope is humble,” she added. “It’s about time the authorities or even General Prayuth Chan-o-cha asked questions about what kind of students they want. If they want obedient ones, I guess we have a lot – or do you want citizens who can develop and thrive in a globalized world?”Nattawan Warintarawet was of the view that reform of Thai education means doing away with the traditional top-down methods.The ELS recently drafted “Policies for Education Reform”, an outline of 11 proposals to submit to the govern- ment. It calls for empowering students to take part in education reform and curriculum development, teacher evaluations, promotion of vocationalschools, and more classes on the cultures of neighbouring countries, human rights and equality, among other measures.Ms Nattawan believes Thai education needs to be liberated from its authoritative style that imbues a sense of hierarchy – a big impediment to students becoming critical and thinking outside the box.“We have too many restrictions. We have to cut hair, wear identical uniforms and we have to stand and sing the national anthem before the raised flag in the morning. To be honest, it reminds me of the military, except that we are students, not soldiers.”Elite+ 27