A country’s development is fuelled by its education system

(For evidence of that crisis, see annual international PISA assessments of Thai 15-year-olds since 2000.) The very least I hoped to see from parties were pledges to gradually phase out rote learning, and make a start in public schools with the “4 Cs” of school transformation – Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Critical Reflection. Alas, neither of these two foundations of a modern education system was mentioned.  
Thai politicians’ general disdain for the topic of education was then summed up when, as a new Education Minister was being sought, candidates suddenly had urgent business elsewhere. The Nation editorial of May 25 (“Welcome to a grim political future”) explained that “no one is particularly keen to be given the Education Ministry and take on the daunting, thankless yet wholly essential task of revamping the school system”. The huge budget commanded by the Education Minister is obviously outweighed by the scale of the challenge, as well as a history littered with failed reform. The challenge is indeed awesome for any future minister: The education system is key to delivering Thailand 4.0 – the revolution in tech and innovation needed to ensure development and prosperity for future generations.
Meanwhile the brunt of the education crisis is being experienced in rural Thailand, where half of the population lives. Here many if not most children are showing developmental/educational stunting in the absence of parents who have left to find work in cities. It is this young generation, however, who will make the leap to Thailand 4.0 – but only if they are given the educational springboard to do so. With politicians now squabbling over the most lucrative and easily “milked” Cabinet portfolios, it seems education is once again being overlooked. Yet without serious education reform founded on the 4Cs, there will be no Thailand 4.0.     
Dirk Sumter