New Mandala

6 responses so far ↓

• 1 Srithanonchai // Jun 18, 2007 at 1:57 pm

  Why not turn the ITSC into a sufficiency TSC?

• 2 jonfernquest // Jun 20, 2007 at 4:44 pm

  “…in recent weeks and months there has been a series of further clampdowns on visas for foreigners wishing to visit, work and live in Thailand…”

  What I noticed in Chiang Rai and Phayao was the outright theft of foreign teachers’ salaries recently. The contract signed is never given to the teacher because it would constitute proof of a whole slew of nefarious “non-sufficient economy” corruptions of education.

  For instance, hiring a Phillipino teacher for 15,000 and pocketing the rest of the 25,000 salary you’ve been alloted to pay for a western teacher or cutting pay retroactively from 25, 000 to 15,000 for instance, and pocketing the rest, or just informing the teacher long after they’ve been hired that they are now a “volunteer”.

  “Sufficiency economy” whatever they decide it should mean, should include HONESTY and TELLING THE TRUTH.

  I really pity these poor teachers who on the one hand are lectured about being members of an honourable “calling” with high standards and on the other hand are blatantly and shamelessly stolen from. The profession of teaching, as far as westerners is concerned, is reduced to missionaries, tourists, kids on their school break or pedophiles and other sorts of sexual deviants with a sexual interest in their students.

  When word of this sort of educational practice gets out, recruitment will be hard indeed. Of course, they would lecture me that I’m just another Farang who doesn’t understand Thailand, but the last time I read my Buddhist scriptures this sort of dishonesty was sinful. Pretending it doesn’t happen, likewise sinful whether they are stealing from a Farang or not.

• 3 skeptical // Jun 25, 2008 at 1:42 pm

  I definitely agree with you jonfernquest! I believe that dishonesty has ruled the chamber of government and private institutions here in Thailand. I want to elaborate further on this issue but I guess it’s futile to discuss.

  On the other hand, I believe that being dishonest is already mean, but being racist is another story. Why should these “people” try to hide the truth if in the long run, farang can see the point exactly why they have to do so much cost-cuttings. For instance, Filipino educators (especially Master of Arts in Education, English majors) have been criticized that they should only receive 15,000 baht because they’re not whites…. I believe that this is absolutely insane. It would be better if “they” would just simply say that the government can only pay this much…. rather than uttering discriminating words.

  I have heard so many racist remarks… but it would be better to end this discussion because these people won’t even care to read what’s going on in the local newspapers. What’s the point of elaborating…?

• 4 Sidh S. // Jun 25, 2008 at 7:06 pm

  Jonfernquest, this is shocking and I feel ashamed as a Thai that foriegn teachers, the majority of which have the best intents of their students’ education at heart, get exploited in this way…

  One critical measure of government for me (disclosure: being an educator myself) is the investment in education and sincerity in education reform at all levels. Populist policies of “free education” is not enough - but overall quality must be given priority (for instance, once a fourth grade education guaranteed literacy in both language and arithmetics - but not anymore, a worldwide phenomenon though). “Quality” is given lip service by hiring foriegn teachers in the provinces - but this culture of rabid corruption is clearly a major barrier…

  On the broadest scale, the 1997 Constitution seemed to have set society on the right track, establishing independent counter corruption agencies with teeth to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats (I don’t know if it includes those in the private sector that pays bribes). These bodies/institutions are, unfortunately, not given the chance to mature - against much more powerful forces… and especially if a sitting prime minister believes that he/his family is entitled to a cut himself - it will be a very, very long time before a culture of transparency trickles down to improve your experiences on the ground, jonfernquest. Unfortunately, many in NM with monarchist fetish - many sitting in the comfort/protection of well-paid Western universities (disclosure: myself included, but as a self-styled ‘critical monarchist’) - will never be able to emphathize with you or Frank G Anderson that lives the everyday Thai spaces…

  For that I am deeply thankful for speaking up and for sincerely wanting to make things better in Thailand…

• 5 Elli Woollard // Jun 25, 2008 at 9:14 pm

  When I started working in Thailand, I was struck by over-inflated status (and hence salaries) accorded to farangs in the (Thai) company in which I worked. I was on Bt28,000, whereas the Thai staff, who in many cases were working far harder and doing more complicated work than I was, were earning about half that. The company of course made the point that they would not have been able to attract farang workers on lower salaries, but surely I cannot have been the only farang with the sense that my colleagues were being treated grossly unfairly. While I do not doubt for a minute that foreigners may be discrimminated against, I can entirely see why the resentment might build up, and why some Thais might unfortunately see farangs as people to be exploited.

• 6 jonfernquest // Jun 26, 2008 at 1:23 am

  Sidh and Mr. Skeptical,

  What is even more shameful is the so-called culture course where all foreign teachers, even if they’ve lived here for decades, are required after paying 11,000 baht, that seems to fail in its objectives completely:

  http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/reallifethailand/2008/06/20/entry-1

  And I would be the first person to find some way to get foreigners to appreciate Thai and Tai culture and language. Most of my published papers are on this topic.

  When I was back home in the provinces where most teachers don’t have any work visa at all (and this new course makes it even more unlikely) someone told me the price of the course is 5,000 baht but 2,500 under the table, and you don’t have to take it, in other words the course is meaningless.

  There are many good teachers, thank goodness, but most skilled professionals, who work hard, who have any dignity at all, would simply go somewhere else, and that is in fact what happens.

  Of course, international schools are entirely different, with lines of qualified teachers from the west waiting for jobs, but can you afford 300,000 to 500,o00 a year to educate your child?

  The government can hand out as many subsidies as it likes, to as many special interest groups as it likes, but if Samak does not do something about the exorbitant school fees at the best public schools, like he said he would, the future of poor people is clear, more poverty. Handing large amounts of money out for free doesn’t make the country more productive.

  Much more admirable than the self-promoting mercenaries, are the small number of foreigners living in the country, who stick it out, and are humble enough to contribute to local schools over the long period that it takes. There is one Australian, Brad, at Tetsaban #6 in Chiang Rai who is really one of those unsung heroes.

Leave a Comment