It is no secret that I love living in Thailand. I love the vibrant city, the peaceful countryside and the gorgeous beaches which are all in close proximity. I like the ancient traditions and architecture. A trip to Ayutthaya is a step back in time that has one romanticizing about days gone by, and for me, visiting the Muay Thai stadium is never dull. Food in Thailand is the most delicious I have ever tasted and every meal seems to get my taste buds dancing. But the thing I like about Thailand most of all is its people and their ways. In all my years in Thailand I have never experienced aggression directed towards myself. I love the friendly and easy going ways of the Thais. I guess I have the personality that fits well with the attitude that is in tune with Mai Pen Rai (In English a kind of way of saying Don’t Worry About It and It’s OK).

It’s true that most Thais would prefer a Mai Pen Rai kind of outcome over confrontation, which should not to be taken as a form of western weakness but understood as coming from deeper cultural and social aspects of Thailand. Thailand is a land rich in culture and traditions. It is a society that seems to function largely on respect. One can see respect being practiced in the daily lives of Thai people, through the act of the wai: putting together of the hands and raising them to the face as a sign of respect that is used for such things as when greeting someone older, or paying respect to a Buddha image. Most Thais hold great respect for traditions, the Buddhist religion, their parents, elders, and of course the monarchy. All of these Thai ways have made Thailand the successful, amazing country that it is today.

But moving deeper into the 21st Century, what role will Thai traditions and culture play in making Thailand a success nation. No one can deny that the world is dramatically changing. Internationalization and globalization have crept in to all aspects of our human existence. It is more important than ever for countries to be competitive on the world market. Technology has brought with it massive changes in the way we do business and live our lives. No one can predict what the future will look like but one thing is certain, to be successful in the future one will need to be technologically savvy, innovative and have strong Leadership skills. And as if that wasn’t enough change for the youth in Thailand to have to adapt to, by 2015 ASEAN will have thrown open the doors of its ten member state. Put all of the change together and you get a clear vision of what the up and coming generation of Thailand need: English, Innovative and Leadership Skills.

ASEAN + 21st Century requires English + Leadership + Innovation

To become proficient in a second language requires confidence. For whatever reason, many Thais lack the confidence to speak English around foreigners. This has to change. To help Thais develop their confidence in speaking English, schools need to drop lessons where English is taught by explicitly teaching grammar and replace these lessons with a more communicative approach to teaching. Teachers need to find ways to foster in their young students the desire to learn English. Real life task based learning can help create a need for a student to learn English.

Many English language schools focus so hard on teaching the language that they miss the opportunity to provide a greater learning experience. In any lesson, the whole of the child should be considered. Sure, teaching the basics is certainly very important, but the idea that you can’t teach them and at the same time help develop a child’s thinking and leadership skills is wrong. You would be surprised to find out for example, how many teachers at big mainstream schools fail to teach their students how to think because they are so concerned about teaching them to pass exams.

The children of Thailand need an education that helps them to develop into innovative adults with strong leadership skills. The old customs, traditions and ways of the Thailand should be preserved, they teach us much about leadership and compassion but young people should now be shown how they can also provide support for creativity and innovation. Innovation and creativity amongst its people is what Thailand needs right now in order to guarantee its success in the future.

I have recently read an essay written 3 months ago by The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) called ‘Oceans of Innovation’. A lot of what I have written above is supported in this document. The essay discusses the future of education in Asia and how schools in countries like Singapore and South Korea will need to change their approach to education in order to remain strong economic hubs in the future. The essay puts forward the following formula:

Well educated = E(K+T+L)

Where K is knowledge, T is thinking, L is leadership and E is Ethics.

I very much believe in this description of what a good education should provide. The essay itself is a very insightful read and you can get the full publication at
http://www.ippr.org/publication/55/9543/oceans-of-innovation-the-atlantic-the-pacific-global-leadership-and-the-future-of-education

The IPPR recently rated 40 countries in order of most highly educated to least educated. Thailand placed disappointingly towards the bottom of the list.