We can benefit from English speaking retirees

Excellent and useful comments from both writers. May I offer my input?

Sutipunt Bongsununt’s questions are important and relevant to our economy. However, as a matter of fact, despite all the ills we have, statistically we are already at the threshold of high-income group. Correctly, Khun Sutipunt’s observations tell us that it could have been better. Added to his points, Thai tourism could have been improved without much investment but mere attitudes in looking after visitors well. That hint was given by Michael Porter, a guru on competitive advantages, in 2003. Thereafter of his visit, the OTop products came into being. 

Michael Weldon’s added suggestion to your September 16 editorial, “English teaching needs a bottom-up approach”, on the wealth of potential good English teachers is a gem and should be pursued. As reported by you recently that Deputy Education Minister Dr Teerakiat Jareonsettasin has appointed the first foreigner as an adviser to his ministry. It was an exception to the normal official xenophobia and hope that it would become a fashion. However, those expatriate retirees should be properly vetted to avoid the unwelcome characters like pedophiles. With appropriate mechanisms, the unsavoury characters could be precluded since there is a real wealth of retirees; together with can mutually benefit from this scheme. 

Songdej Praditsmanont