The statement by Khun Burin that "a high quality education is very costly" is a common fallacy that is harming education and perpetuates elitism.
This position has no factual basis and is perpetuated by conditioning in consumerism. Knowledge does not care if the recipient or discoverer is rich or poor. Learning itself as a process is not dependent on the amount of wealth that a person has! It is directly dependent though on the desire of the learner and the ability of the teacher to connect and establish a relationship that supports the learner.
Many of the people considered to be a genius in their field of study came from impoverished backgrounds since knowledge is not limited to the financial wealth of the student.
One of the best learner-centered approaches to education for children is Montessori. It was developed in the slums of Italy after WWI by Marie Montessori to prove that learning and intelligence is not dependent on money and wealth. The learning materials can be purchased like a beautiful string-bead set for counting lessons or it can be acquired by recycling from refuse and made from dry beans and hand sewn with thread. The concept of counting though does not rely on the cost of the materials.
As to higher education and quality, the delusion that it requires more money for better outcomes is to perpetuate the "business" of schooling -- not the natural process of learning. Proof of this comes from following the money trail associated with schooling. It is not the teachers that are rich from teaching!
It is the businesses of textbooks, school loans and banks, and associated technology that are responsible for perpetuating this problem. Then add the mission distortion over collegiate athletics and it becomes easier to realise that the associated costs of tuition are not about the information and learning but extrinsic factors not related to intelligence. The best solution to guaranteeing "high quality education" comes from eliminating competitive grading as with Montessori and just allowing a student to work through a concept until they understand it.
Darius Hober
Practice what you preach
Perhaps some investigative reporting into abuses of young male novices in Thailand's temples is long overdue. They parallel far too closely for comfort the traditional set ups and undeserved respect too long accorded Catholic institutions in the West.
And like those Christian orders, Thai Buddhist institutions show as much interest in cleaning up their act as they do in living by the actual teachings of their claimed founder.
Felix Qui
Greener gardens
The BMA's (un)"beautification" and (de)"greening" process strikes again with the decimation of the trees in the dividing strip along Rama III Road between Klong Toey and Nanglinchi Road.
Over the past few days, these beautiful trees with abundant leaves and flowers have been stripped bare of all branches and reduced to little more than stumps.
Well, at least let's hope that there is a purpose to this severe pruning...and let's hope that these trees are fast growing and return to their former glory post-haste. I'll be watching with interest.
Richard Mackellar
Declined assistance
The Indian state Kerala is ravaged with merciless floods. The state desperately needs assistance of all types like food, clothes, housing material, money, etc. The UAE government has offered Kerala about US$100 million. However, the authorities in India are dithering in accepting this donation.
When there is a crisis in a country and human lives and livelihoods are involved, no money is too much. India should accept the UAE's gift gracefully and use the money for faster rescue work and greater assistance to the afflicted citizens. There is no embarrassment or shame in accepting relief funds, being offered voluntarily by any country or organisation.
Frankly, India is doing well but is not really a rich country. About 25% of India's population still lives below the poverty line. So there is no loss of face in accepting some donations. After all, even when Thailand had the cave children crisis, they gratefully accepted help from countries across the world. There is no point in standing on any false pride in an emergency.
Rajendra Aneja
Risky business
I am all in favour of increased fines for people driving without a valid driver licence. I have been crashed into twice by people with no licence and no insurance. Of course there is no recourse against these people and my insurance ends up paying for the damage.
The other thing is that I have never understood why the police at their traffic roadblocks while checking for helmets and driver licences never check the vehicle for safety. I hate driving at night because of so many cars and mostly motorbikes driving with one or all of the lights out. Even worse is when they are coming at you in your lane with no lights. A 500-baht fine might motivate people to replace a 30 baht tail lamp or a 250 baht headlight lamp.
William Smith
Younger riders, less tickets
Re: Harsh lessons for unlicensed drivers a must, this must be another joke, yes? No? I watch hundreds of kids every day below the legal driving age on motorcycles, 2–3 to a bike sometimes, no helmets, no mirrors, riding past police who stop adults for not wearing helmets. I guess the kids only carry lunch and snack money, unlike adults who might have fatter wallets.
Marigold
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