The three evils plaguing Thai universities
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There are three main problems with Thai universities that need to be addressed immediately:
First, the hazing tradition, in which each year freshmen are forced to perform humiliating, painful tasks – sometimes even suffering torture at the hands of their seniors – without the university authorities doing anything to rectify the problem.
Second, a “glass ceiling” denies female officials, as well as men who do not conform to masculine stereotypes, the appointments and promotions that would be their due in a meritocratic environment.
Third, there are still lecturers who use their status as ajarn to exploit university facilities, including conference rooms and equipment, to flaunt their political ideas and thereby capture the attention of political parties, and to enter politics for their own personal gain.
Thai universities will continue to underperform as long as these three problems are not solved.
Vint Chavala
