Teach our kids how to think, not what to think

The government is reducing class hours and promoting English language learning – but important as these steps are, changing the basic mindset of education administrators and teachers is far more vital – and doesn’t cost much.
I suggest “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think” (Einstein). “Education should not be intended to make people comfortable, it is meant to make them think. Universities should be expected to provide the conditions within which hard thought, and therefore strong disagreement, independent judgement, and the questioning of stubborn assumptions, can flourish in an environment of the greatest freedom” (University of Chicago President HH Gray). 
Students can be taught HOW to think, not WHAT to think, at age-appropriate levels. Primary school children can study, say, the benefits of each food group in a science class, and help design their school’s lunches. Universities should take the lead in analysing and recommending how to reform our society, rather than have the junta order us what they think is best for us – for working things out ourselves will boost buy-in and sustainability, and more effectively meet our needs. First, change mindsets, then design curriculum.
Burin Kantabutra