ASSIGNMENT 2: ARTICLE ANALYSIS

[Caitlin Paul]

This is a really great article to learn from especially because it relates to what we will be doing in Thailand. Reading your review helped me gain a greater insight into the education system of Thailand

[Lauren Peters]

This article gives an overall summary of Thailand’s culture and customs. It begins with the history of Thailand’s ruling and how it started to shift to a democracy giving the readers a feel for how the foundation of Thailand was created. Among the famous beaches and cuisine in Thailand, there are also multiple historical and cultural monuments that are encouraged to be explored. Tapping into the cuisine, the article explains the typical food items you will find in every meal such as rice, noodles, vegetables and a sort of soy or curry sauce mixed in. Enjoying meals and meal sharing is encouraged in a restaurant setting! Thailand’s community policy is heavily present in Thai customs. Honoring the elderly is huge and is a primary aspect in the Thai family dynamics. Children are typically treated permissively where they will be constantly loved and have minimal stressful standards expected by the parents.
To dive deeper into Thai customs, a common way to show respect and greet one another is to “wai” in which you bow your head and force the palms together in a prayer position. A generalized avoidance of conflict and displayed in public along with PDA. Thailand is devoted to their King Rama IX. The people of Thailand have great love for their history and honor the efforts created by their royal rulers. The religion in Thailand is predominantly Buddhist which factors into their typical laid back and peaceful outlook on life. I cannot wait to experience all of these amazing facts about Thailand and meet the people of Thailand who know life there the best!
https://aspectfoundation.org/host/thailand.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw9cCyBhBzEiwAJTUWNRO4ir-PzGnS97H5b-sMbDJTXRrEHE1_xEPc4YCodNkMfK50t1bM0RoC4WoQAvD_BwE

[Kenneth Palmer]

https://www.odysseantravel.com/post/thai-food-what-the-locals-eat-in-thailand

This article serves as a guide of famous Thai dishes and what people actually eat in the country. The article begins with stating that the Thai food scene is buzzing and that many Thai restaurants are popping up in many neighborhoods close to our home areas. Thai food, according to the article, is a blend of many flavors: sour, sweet, savory, and salty, highlighting its flavor diversity. The first food mentioned is Miang Kham (Betel Leaf Wrap), a Thai appetizer that contains dried shrimps, lemongrass, shallots, ginger, roasted peanuts, dried coconuts, chili, and sweetened shrimp sauce wrapped in a betel leaf. Locals usually love to eat this as a snack. Khao Soi Noodles is also a delicacy, which is a creamy curry noodle dish that originated in the Northern part of the country. It is eaten with egg noodles, braised chicken, and topped with pickled mustard greens, shallots, fried egg noodles, and a squeeze of lime. Lastly, Massaman Curry is another Thai dish that flies under the radar amongst visitors. It was recognized by CNN as the world’s best dish in 2021. It is a Thai curry soup made with various spices and massaman curry paste, which is made with chilis and peanuts. Its usually made with chicked, potatoes, and carrots, served with a side of rice.
In terms of how this article relates to me as someone who will be working and living in Thailand, I believe that food helps to bring us closer to the local culture and can even be used to make connections with Thai people when they see visitors and people living in Thailand from other countries eating their more popular local foods.

[Kenneth Palmer]

Hello Lauren, I really enjoyed your entry. I think that it’s important for people visiting or living in Thailand to get a basic sense of Thai customs and culture in order to successfully navigate the country. I believe that your explanation of the ‘wai’ as well as the Thai peoples devotion to their king is especially important. Well done!

[Rawinia Mihaka]

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361434439_Recent_Developments_in_Basic_Education_in_Thailand_Issues_and_Challenges
Recent developments in Basic Education in Thailand: Issues and Challenges.

This article focuses on the challenges the Thai education systems are facing. Thailand is making progress to make basic education more accessible between different socio-economical groups. Large amounts of investments into education have increased school enrolments rates. However this has not caused students’ learning outcomes to improve. There are still major differences between students in urban areas results versus students results within rural areas. Many studies have shown that there is a great need for more qualified teachers within rural areas to dissipate the inequality within the country’s education systems.

This article relates to me as a teacher myself and as someone traveling to Thailand to teach english. In my opinion it is always positive when investments are made into education systems and this article shows it had positive effects on students attendance. One thing that needs to also be supported when you have more children enrolled in schools, is the teachers. This hits home for me as in my country we have just had a change in government from one who supported education and qualified early childhood teachers to now, a government who doesn’t recognise the need for any qualified early childhood teachers and supports the notion that teachers within this sector do not need to have qualifications. Even though research has shown that qualified teachers generate better learning outcomes for children. This statement directly relates to what Thailand is also experiencing. As someone traveling to Thailand who is very passionate about education, supporting teachers and learning outcomes for children my hope is when I am in Thailand I can personally do all of those things. Inequalities within education systems is an issue that has been prevalent for decades on a global scale and unfortunately money is a huge contributing factor to this. As someone traveling to Thailand I hope to travel to rural schools in the hope to take some of the pressure off these teachers and give the children an experience and education they are most deserving of.

[Christopher Lassota]

Nature is amazing, I love seeing all the different plants and animals in the regions I travel to and contrast them to the animals that live back home. Out of curiosity I began familiarizing myself with the fauna and flora of Thailand and discovered that Thailand, specifically Bangkok is home to 400 Water Monitor lizards in Lumpini Park. Reading that I assumed these lizards were gecko sized but incredibly bangkokians share their park with modern day dinosaurs!

https://www.thainationalparks.com/species/varanus-salvator
The Water Monitor, Varanus salvator, is a large lizard native to southeast asia. The Water Monitor has many aliases; two-banded monitor, rice lizard, ring lizard and more. Water monitors can grow up to 2 meters long, with the largest recorded being 3.21 m in length. Water monitors can weigh up to 20 kgs with the heaviest reported specimen reaching an astonishing 90 kg! They are the world’s second heaviest lizard, after the komodo dragon, and are packed with muscles and powerful laterally compressed tails. Water monitors are excellent swimmers and are equipped with sharp claws, strong jaws and a whip-like tail as weapons. They prey on fish, frogs, rodents, birds, crabs, snakes, turtles, crocodiles and are even known to cannibalize each other.

The name Varanus salvator is derived from Arabic and Latin, Varanus meaning monitor and salvator meaning savior. In Thailand, locals refer to these lizards “hia” which is an insulting term for bad and evil things, the word is also thought to bring bad luck so people prefer to call the animals “silver and gold” to avoid jinxing it. Interestingly, the offensive meaning is rooted in traditional rural Thai architecture. In rural areas Thai villagers built two story houses, the top floor for living and the bottom for domestic animals such as chickens. The monitors would enter the ground floor and maim or eat the animals so understandably they earned an offensive name.

[Salia Warren]

“Anand Urges Education Equality”

The Scenario of Thai Society Future held a seminar to mark the 50th anniversary of The Population and Community Development Association (PDA). The seminar took place at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. During the seminar, “Former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun calls for urgent action to address education inequality.” The former Prime Minister feels as though education equality can help restore hope among Thailand’s youth. A lot of youth leave the country in search of better opportunities elsewhere. The belief is they have lost hope, trust in the judicial system, experienced levels of social inequality and a lack of democracy.

The Prime Minister stated, “the nations young are an important force in building a better society and making Thailand prosperous.” In his opinion education inequality starts around the age of 3 or 4. Once a child enters kindergarten depending on which school they attend determines their outcome in life. This level of inequality follows a person up to the university level. Of course it comes down to money. Those with money get better education.

The Prime Minister outlined the problem as well as suggested a few solutions. As with most societies, equality within the society is needed and must be built. Apart of equality within a society is equal rights to education. It seems as if Thailand’s government has “good intentions to improve education but they must act on it not just speak about it.” Another solution given was learning from and working with the private sector which seem to have mastered some level of equal opportunity.

I found the article very interesting as I embark on teaching English in Thailand. Education inequality happens in most countries. I think that equality is definitely needed and supports the Prime Minister’s idea of needing to build equality within society first. The article also provided deeper insight into the educational system and hierarchy within Thailand.

Article from Bangkok Post. May 25, 2024. Writer: Poramet Tangsathaporn

[Christopher Lassota]

Your post beautifully highlights Thailand’s dedication to wildlife preservation through Thai National Elephant Day. It’s inspiring to see how much care and respect is given to these majestic creatures. Organizations like Thailand’s Western Forest Complex and Salak Para Wildlife Sanctuary are doing vital work, and supporting them is crucial. I love how you emphasize the importance of conservation and responsible tourism. It’s great that Thailand’s commitment to wildlife played a part in your decision to live there. I wish every country had a National Animal Day to celebrate their unique wildlife and emphasize conservation. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[Salia Warren]

Rawinia,

I found your article very interesting. It relates to the article I read and summarized on education inequality. Your passion for education and equal access is very evident. Like you this topic hits home for me. As someone who fought through educational inequality as well as socio-economic differences I know first hand access does lead to better opportunities. There are huge disparities that exist when it relates to urban versus rural areas. I definitely agree with you that more teachers are needed in rural areas which will help give equal opportunity to children. I am saddened to hear that your country no longer supports early childhood education. This seems to be an ongoing theme in most countries.

[Erin Roberts]

Article read – https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2799514/sea-people-still-wait-for-justice

This article is titled ‘Sea People Still Wait for Justice’ and explores the problems the indigenous people: Urak Lawoi/ Chao Lay (sea people) are facing due to the government not recognising their right to live and earn a living in their traditional homes and the legal battles following. The focus is on the aboriginal people at Rawai Beach in Phuket, who although have lived there for generations due not have formal ownership of the land have consequently been subject to evictions from developers, many of whom gained access to the land illegally.
Two court cases are discussed within this article. Land title owners sued four Chao Lay in the first court case, threatening to evict them from the Rawai beachfront and demanding 10,000 baht in damages each month. The rights of the indigenous sea people to make a living on their ancestral territory was at issue in the second legal dispute. The landowners wanted the five Chao Lay people to remove their seafood stalls from the property, and when they refused, sued them. A monthly damage payment of 6,000–12,000 baht was also required by the owners. In both cases the Supreme Court upheld the ruling to dismiss the case based on the original land document being invalid.
The disputed land’s aerial photographs from 1950, which depict the Rawai Chao Lay town situated on the seashore beneath coconut groves, served as the basis for the ruling. In the region, archaeologists also discovered Rawai Chao Lay’s remains with the Institute of Forensics’ analysis of the remains’ DNA reveals that they were the Rawai Chao Lay’s relatives. Furthermore, Sawang Arom School, the closest school to Rawai Chao Lay village, has student registration records that go back to 1955, indicating the presence of Chao Lay kids. Significantly, images of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great visiting Rawai village on March 10, 1959, depict him being welcomed by the sea people of Rawai and their town being encircled by enormous coconut plantations. All of which highlight the Rawai Chao’s rights to the disputed land.
The court outcome was commendable; however, the focus was on the legitimacy of land titles and not the right Chao Lay people to live and work on their traditional land, meaning the Chap Lay people still struggle to make a living as the beaches are recognised as public property by law. The court ruling also does not apply to other Chao Lay villages in Phuket that are still threatened with eviction by developers.
Extended legal disputes have a severe financial impact and jeopardise the safety of these poor Indigenous people. Intervention by policy is required. The Land Department ought to cancel these illegitimate land titles and award rightful ownership to the traditional Rawai community, whose habitation predates contemporary legal frameworks, in response to the court’s decisions on illegal land titles over the ancestral territory of the sea people.
Finally, the article highlights both the moral and legal necessity of recognising the identity and rights of the Urak Lawoi sea people and other indigenous peoples in the country to avoid further issues like this in future.

[Erin Roberts]

Hi Lauren,
I found your entry to be really interesting. Understanding the cultural norms is important when moving to a new country in order to settle in as quickly as possible. I liked how the article you included focused on many different areas to Thai customs e.g., food, religion, family dynamics and ruling which I think will be very helpful to know when travelling to Thailand. Very excited to see all that Thailand has to offer in person.

[Jalah Townsend]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am quite passionate about providing equitable access and opportunity in education. Thus, the article I have chosen discusses the socioeconomic barriers that exist within the Thai education system. The article indicates that 32% of the Thai population believes that education inequality is the most pressing diversity, equity, and inclusion concern within the country. Furthermore, when considering the access and standards of education, studies indicate that socioeconomic status plays a significant role in the equality. The article then continues to group folks into three different categories (of which I find fairly problematic): the privileged, the mainstream, and the strugglers. What is interesting about this article is that after it categorizes Thai people into these three groups, it then provides three solutions. These solutions revolve around financial burden, building equitable environments, and individuality and empowerment.

I decided to study this article because I find it important to understand the political and social environment of the areas in which I will be teaching. It is helpful to understand and thus become more mindful of the social and financial structures that exist in Thailand and any consequences (whether positive or negative) that come as a result. As a teacher, I hope to enter into each classroom with an understanding of where some students may be coming from and to show that anyone can be successful because of and regardless of their background.

Article: https://www.beaconvc.fund/research/how-socioeconomic-status-affects-thai-education-inequity-and-how-stakeholders-in-the-community-can-address-it

[Jalah Townsend]

Hi Salia,

Thank you for your post on education equality. What I find quite interesting is the fact that youth will go elsewhere to be employed upon graduation. I have also heard about this from other countries as well. I agree that education can be the key to hope, but I often ask myself how effective laws and policies are. Of course, if a policy or law is changed, there is some impact. However, oftentimes, cultures/environments change not because of a law or a policy, but because of the vocality/needs of the people. As such, I wonder what it would take to change the educational culture. Is a policy or law enough? If not, what would be?

[Michaela Mahoney]

The article “Education Ministry assigned to improve Thais English proficiency” discusses how the Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin would like to have a higher focus on English proficiency among Thai people. According to Education First (EF) Thailand places 101st among 113 countries for English proficiency. They are ranked below many of their neighbors such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
The Prime Minister has tasked the Education Ministry to come up with solutions to this problem. One measure that has been proposed are redesigns of English curriculum with an emphasis on communication rather than grammar. Another proposal has been to redistribute funding to school in the provinces to have more English language education around the country.
As a teacher coming to Thailand to teach English, this increased focus on the English language is exciting. It may be also wishful thinking, but it would be nice if when I get to the school the students will also have the same desire as the Prime Minister. Should that not be the case I will do my best as an educator to inspire the students to want to practice their English proficiency and language skills.

[Michaela Mahoney]

Education Ministry assigned to improve Thais’ English proficiency

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