ASSIGNMENT 2: ARTICLE ANALYSIS

[Becca Juytong-Gray]

Assignment 2: Article Analysis. Complete the assignment “Assignment 2” and upload it here. This assignment is mandatory. Find an article about Thailand. It can be on any topic, such as society, politics, education, or any topic you are interested in. Read the article and summarize it in at least two paragraphs. You should specifically address how the topics in that article relate to you as as someone traveling to, or living in, Thailand.

 

Make sure you post in two places – The Forum below (1) and, at the bottom of the page, upload the assignment (2).

 

This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade for the course.

 

You must provide a substantive comment on at least one other student’s posts in the forum to receive full credit for this assignment.

[Anonymous]

Related article: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2510389/first-time-voters-eager-for-their-say

The article “First-time voters eager for their say” explores the attitudes and opinions of young, first-time voters in Thailand as they prepare to cast their ballots in the upcoming municipal elections.

The article begins by highlighting the fact that more than 200,000 new voters have registered to vote in the upcoming elections, many of whom are young people who have never voted before. The author notes that this influx of new voters has the potential to shake up the political landscape, as young people tend to have different priorities and perspectives than older generations.

The article then goes on to interview several first-time voters about their thoughts and feelings regarding the elections. The author quotes one voter who says, “I want to see change in my community. I want to see more public services and better infrastructure.” Another voter expresses concern about the lack of transparency and accountability in local government, saying, “I want to know where my tax money is going and how it’s being used.”

The article also discusses the challenges that many first-time voters face, such as a lack of knowledge about the candidates and issues, as well as social pressure from family and friends to vote a certain way. The author notes that some young people are turning to social media and other online resources to educate themselves and make informed decisions.

Overall, the article provides an interesting glimpse into the perspectives and motivations of young, first-time voters in Thailand. It highlights the potential for these voters to bring about change and make their voices heard in the political process. However, it also underscores the need for greater education and transparency in the electoral system to ensure that all voters, regardless of age or experience, are able to make informed decisions.

[Kate Dudman]

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2584781/young-thais-need-better-learning-experiences

“Young Thais need better learning experiences”, an insight into a parents view of how the education system could be upgraded to match the advancing technologies, free softwares and critical thinking learners could benefit from.

Educational systems vary all over the world, England has for quite some time introduced a very interactive learning style with iPads for instance more commonly used in a class room then not. The article suggests that a huge budget would not necessarily be required if just some of the free alternatives were implemented.

Growing up I had access to resources in schools that allowed me to learn at my pace. However, not everyone benefits from that learning style. It has made me think about the learning styles I’ll use, especially given that there will be a language barrier.

The main point of the article is that “There is simply no need to delay upgrading our young people’s educational experiences and outcomes when we can start today.” This makes me think about the approach to having a positive and rewarding impact, using a variety of learning styles to keep the students engaged in my lessons when I am in Thailand.

Kate D

[Kholofelo Koko]

Hi Kate
I agree with the Article when it suggests that a huge budget would not necessarily be required if just some of the free alternatives were implemented. Access to free internet provides you with all the information you need, you can literally google anything there is out there and you will get answer. The Education System should be open minded and try to keep up with the latest technology this will ensure that students are prepared for the current times we are living in and not struggle adapting at higher learning institutions after completing their secondary education.

[Gemma Hucker]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/4/time-for-a-new-way-thais-look-for-change-as-election-nears
” ‘Time for a new way’ Thais look for change as election nears”
The article addresses the political tensions in Thailand. Since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, the country has struggled between political democracy, fascism and dictatorships. Most recently in 2014, parliament was struck with a coup which overthrew through the government at the time replacing it with the quasi-military government led by Prayuth Chan-Ocha. On May 14th this year another election period was held to see if his new government would be reelected or if it would fall to the pro-democratic opposition the Pheu Thai Party (PTP) led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the Move Forward Party (MFP) led by Pita Limjaroenrat. The Thai people, especially the youth, are fed up with the coups, collusion and corruption in the state. After coming 3rd in the 2019 election, the Future Forward Party was banned from politics and broken up by the Thai authorities, demonstrating the lack of democracy and the prioritisation of the agenda of the ruling elites. Young people are pushing for change, wanting honest manifestos that aim to address and improve the problems in Thai society. This is reinforced by the formation of the MFP in response to the banning of the FFP with a similar agenda. But even with the growing progressive will of the people, it won’t be easy to ensure a pro-democratic party will gain enough seats to form a government. Due to the 250 military-appointed senators alongside the 500 people elected into the House Representatives, it means that these parties will need 75% of seats to stand a chance. Now, 2 weeks since the official release of the election results, it is interesting to see that the Move Forward Party did achieve the majority of seats (151) and 38% of the vote, followed closely by Pheu Thai (141) with 28.86%. In the following weeks as the election commission certify the results, we stand by to witness if the military influenced state allows the winning parties the right to govern, a first step in healing the rifts in the country and permitting reform, or if tensions and political gridlock will exacerbate these divides. It is important for anyone travelling to Thailand to understand the political climate and situation at the time of travelling. I am interested and aware of who will be elected into government (or not) whilst I am over there.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Gemma Hucker.

[Gemma Hucker]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/4/time-for-a-new-way-thais-look-for-change-as-election-nears
” ‘Time for a new way’ Thais look for change as election nears”
The article addresses the political tensions in Thailand. Since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, the country has struggled between political democracy, fascism and dictatorships. Most recently in 2014, parliament was struck with a coup which overthrew through the government at the time replacing it with the quasi-military government led by Prayuth Chan-Ocha. On May 14th this year another election period was held to see if his new government would be reelected or if it would fall to the pro-democratic opposition the Pheu Thai Party (PTP) led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the Move Forward Party (MFP) led by Pita Limjaroenrat. The Thai people, especially the youth, are fed up with the coups, collusion and corruption in the state. After coming 3rd in the 2019 election, the Future Forward Party was banned from politics and broken up by the Thai authorities, demonstrating the lack of democracy and the prioritisation of the agenda of the ruling elites. Young people are pushing for change, wanting honest manifestos that aim to address and improve the problems in Thai society. This is reinforced by the formation of the MFP in response to the banning of the FFP with a similar agenda. But even with the growing progressive will of the people, it won’t be easy to ensure a pro-democratic party will gain enough seats to form a government. Due to the 250 military-appointed senators alongside the 500 people elected into the House Representatives, it means that these parties will need 75% of seats to stand a chance. Now, 2 weeks since the official release of the election results, it is interesting to see that the Move Forward Party did achieve the majority of seats (151) and 38% of the vote, followed closely by Pheu Thai (141) with 28.86%. In the following weeks as the election commission certify the results, we stand by to witness if the military influenced state allows the winning parties the right to govern, a first step in healing the rifts in the country and permitting reform, or if tensions and political gridlock will exacerbate these divides. It is important for anyone travelling to Thailand to understand the political climate and situation at the time of travelling. I am interested and aware of who will be elected into government (or not) whilst I am over there.

[James Tovey]

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2589011/12-5m-more-skilled-staff-eyed-by-2027

“12.5m more skilled staff eyed by 2027”

The Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon held a meeting which discussed incentives to develop more skilled workers. Provincial governors will be responsible for drafting plans to boost skilled worker numbers in 11 targeted industries. Only 4 industries are named so far, next-generation automotive services, digital services, processed food, and medicine. As the plan is being developed at the provincial level, it is expected to improve local lives through skilled employment and reduce the need for migration to cities. Students and prisoners are among the target group for upskilling. As teachers coming to Thailand, we may see local initiatives aimed at providing pathways to our students for building their employment skills. Depending on the province and school, we may even be involved in the plan through attending expos or skills workshops with our students.

The Job Expo Thailand 2023 is an annual event which was held 8th to 10th of June this year. This large expo offered many job opportunities for new graduates, senior citizens and people with disabilities. It is likely we will see such similar events at a provincial level in the next few years where local job seekers can be connected with industry for local employment. As Thailand continues to develop the more rural areas, we may see more job opportunities and increased support for foreign teachers in these areas as well.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by James Tovey. Reason: paragraph spacing

[James Tovey]

Replying to Kate D’s post:
“Young Thais need better learning experiences”
You’ve concisely summarized the article and drawn a connection to your own learning experience in the English education system. It’s great that you’ve pointed at that throwing new technology at the problem isn’t necessarily the answer as not everyone’s learning styles will be the same. Student learning is enabled by teachers. A teacher that focusses on unengaging rote learning will have poorer student outcomes than an engaging and adaptive teacher. Similarly, teachers are enabled by school management. Time, resources, class sizes, etc. all factor into how well equipped a teacher is to foster a great learning environment for their class. To me, it sounds like the suggestions from this author are best implemented at a school management level. If schools take accountability for these forward-thinking changes, they can ensure their teachers are capable of and responsible for maximizing the student learning experience.

The other key point you mentioned from the article is “no need to delay… start today”. This is a fundamental tenet of every successful business. Don’t wait for it to be perfect, don’t wait for legislation, or extra funding. Go ahead and start now with what you have. Keep making changes and improving over time. This is a great attitude to have, and I hope other educators get to read this article and feel the same way.

[Jeshin Murugiah]

Related article:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2588314/tourism-authority-sets-out-plans-for-thai-tourism-growth
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) have created a plan for the fiscal year 2024 worth 5 billion baht – they are aiming to grow off-peak customers, increase spending from tourists by 7% per trip and also improve the distribution of tourist income to different destinations. The governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, has objectives of making the revenue distribution fairer across the economy and making Thailand a ‘Tourism for All’ destination, which makes the country accessible to all people, regardless of their disabilities or age. The budget on tourism has increased to 5 billion baht from 3.25 billion in the previous fiscal year but the TAT are expecting tourism revenue to recover to pre-COVID levels of 3 trillion baht.
The governor is hoping for a better distribution of tourists to secondary provinces and the TAT are considering issuing travel vouchers which would help to increase interest in visiting lesser-known cities, which can still offer tourists unique experiences. He is also pursuing the creation of ‘tourism security’ which would mean that Thai tourism would be able to survive through any crises, such as natural disasters or a global recession, and recover faster than it did during the pandemic. This would be done by strengthening supply chains, developing local communities, building more infrastructure, and adopting greater safety standards. As a tourist travelling to Thailand, the greater focus on making sure that tourists can go to more unseen areas is really exciting as I love unique experiences that you cannot get anywhere else. I think that the plan will lead to increased enjoyment for tourists in Thailand, which means that they’re more likely to stay for longer and spend more money while they are there, benefitting the country significantly as well.

[Jeshin Murugiah]

Replying to James’ post:

I think that this article is very interesting, especially since I am coming in as a teacher in Thailand. It’s good to hear that local lives are likely to be improved through the avenue of education, as I believe that education to help the young workforce become more skilled is very important to Thailand growing as both an economy and country. Developing the more rural areas of Thailand is extremely important as well so that income can be distributed more equally across the population and workers from rural areas can become skilled as well. The industries that have been highlighted in the article are all extremely useful to the country and so, having more skilled workers will always be a good thing!

[Jake Youngman]

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2589081/on-solid-foundations-or-shaky-ground-
‘On solid foundations or shaky ground?’

This article examines the strength of the MFP (Move Forward Party) and the hurdles they are yet to clear in order to form a coalition government. The Electoral Commission is yet to endorse the election results, in part because 20 potential MPs are facing the possibility of receiving red or orange cards which would trigger a by-election. Thus there is the potential for MFP to lose their plurality to Pheu Thai, the second largest party. Pheu Thai would then hold the mandate to form a coalition government themselves, but would likely require them to partner with the PPRP and UTN parties which it has promised it would not do as they are lead by the two former 2014 coup leaders. This is without mentioning that the MFP’s leader Pita Limjaroenrat is being investigated and is likely to be found guilty of holding shares of a multi-media corporation, which would disqualify him as an election candidate as it is forbidden in the constitution.

These hurdles are likely to restrict the MFP’s ability to form a government and likely relegate them to merely part of the opposition which the article suggests would lead to street protests. As someone moving to Thailand during this period it increases the risk of danger present as the protests could become violent. Protests may also cause delays and cancellations for transport within the country. It is important as a person visiting Thailand to understand the political atmosphere and keep in mind when visiting due to the potential of protests erupting.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Jake Youngman.

[Jake Youngman]

Reply to Jeshin’s post:
This is a great summery of the article and provides a level of reassurance to the enjoyment as a tourist one could have. As they are providing more funds to encourage tourists to visit areas which are not thoroughly visited yet shows that Thailand provides a more authentic tourist experience rather than just cater to typical tourist demands like other countries. It will be interesting to see how the incentives are implemented and how successful they will be. Their attempts to make Thailand more accessible to all will also be a welcome change so that those that would have struggled to visit before get to in the future. I look forward to utilising any of the incentives to visit regions which receive low levels of tourism (providing any have been implemented by the time of my visit) so as to see as authentic a view of Thailand as I could get.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Jake Youngman.

[Mwezi Pinne]

In Thailand, whilst free speech is theoretically a right enjoyed by the entire population, in reality many activists face severe consequences for exercising this right. Large corporations in Thailand are often culpable of criminal malpractices such as exploiting workers by forcing them to work hours that exceed the maximums mandated by labour laws. When activists try to hold them to account by exposing theses facts, they are struck down with law suits decrying defamation and libel. The courts tend to rule in favour of these formidable companies which have far more resources and qualified lawyers than is accessible for individual whistleblowers.

As someone living in Thailand, it is important to exercise caution when getting involved in any activist pursuits as, effectively, none of your rights that you may be used to in your home country are guaranteed.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Mwezi Pinne.

[Mwezi Pinne]

This seems like a great initiative. I’m especially pleased by the inclusion of older citizens and the disabled in the training programmes as these groups of people are often left behind and then struggle to find the means to live comfortably. I’d be interested to see how much the project manages to achieve in reality – as with all government propositions worldwide, things can be talked about a lot but not actually effectuated properly. However, this is a great first step and I hope it comes into full fruition.

[Kholofelo Koko]

Article https://www.bic.moe.go.th/images/stories/book/ed-eng-series/intro-ed08.pdf titled Towards A Learning Society In Thailand.
The Article provides a breakdown of the Thai Education System which is made up of Early Learning Education, Basic Education, Vocational and Technical Education, Higher Education, and Lifelong Education. The Education System is similar to the Education System in South Africa as it is inclusive of most if not everyone. The article then proceeds to discuss the Administrative and Organisational Structures in place which ensure an organised and functional Education System, this is a good idea as there are over 37,000 Educational Institutions and nearly 20 million students in the Thai education system. Lastly the article mentions the Education Policy which consists of seven main areas of focus. This goes to show that the government is serious about providing a learning society as it is aware of which areas need to be focussed on.
The topics discussed in the Article relate to me as someone traveling to Thailand because they explain the Education System and how it is run, this is important information because I will be a part of it as an English teacher, it also provides me with a better understanding of why the system is set up the way that it is. I will use the information from this Article as a guide to help me as a new teacher.
Overall the Article is worth reading as it provides you with a basic introduction and understanding of the Thai Education System.

[Author]

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