Free tablets, but exam scams will cost our children their futures

It is alleged that high-level bureaucrats at the ministry were involved in the “relocation” of the examination papers and that fraud was systematically carried out. Now that the case has been revealed to the public, the investigation must be carried out independently and without bias. The culprits must be brought to light and the malpractice must be exposed, because the education of our most precious resource, our children, is at stake. A highly admired and respected independent researcher should be appointed to oversee the inquiry and recommend follow-up action. There is Dr Chaub Leechaw, for example, who demonstrated the critical abusive nature of cheating malpractice with impressive charts and easily understood statistical analyses, as shown when interviewed by Sorayuth Suthassanachinda on Channel 3. 

The government has concentrated its attention on populist schemes to ensure continued support from its electoral base, including providing free computer tablets to schoolchildren. The powers-that-be seem to forget that teachers are the most important factor in improving the learning experience and challenging the innovative minds of our future citizen leaders. Progressive educational reform will not happen if the lockstep Bangkok-centric authorities fail to decentralise authority, responsibility and accountability and fail to make a determined and sincere effort to tackle the fundamental issues related to the quality of teachers and a substandard curriculum that discourages independent study options and critical, analytical and creative thinking.

No Holds Bard Dr Charles Frederickson

Bangkok