There was an interesting article in The Nation last Thursday which I just noticed. Titled

The author seems to think a "liberal arts background" is required to "inform the thinking" of judges.

 

He loses a lot of credibility with that statement.

When I first read the article, I took "liberal arts" to mean that the present system - judges and those training for most professions studying only their own chosen subjects and graduating with precious little knowledge of other aspects of society - simply cannot underpin Thai society with the broader knowledge base it needs to develop. This goes hand in hand with the "learning by rote" system throughout the entire education system. In that sense, I'd agree with the author, provided his solution is not to put too much stress on "liberal".

OK, if we liberally define "liberal arts" as including science, economics etc, then I have more respect for the original authors comments.

 

Also if Thailand has an education system that relies on learning by rote & not encouraging people to think & question things, then that's a much bigger problem. Large organisations need lots of thinkers and people who will question decisions.

 

If Thailand lacks an organisation with this skill, then perhaps they should hire one of the top global engineering consultancies to propose a flood prevention plan.

I often wondered how some Thai companies succeed in the international marketplace. Then, on TV the other day, I saw an interview with a young (and cute!) entrepreneur who is MD of a successful small-scale local doughnut company called, oddly, "Daddy Dough", I realised that a lot of top management personnel will have been to universities overseas - or even had most of their education overseas.

 

From the comments I have read in the media and from friends, the entire education system does require a major rethink. But how you achieve that when so many top officials and politicians have a stake in maintaining the status quo, I haven't the faintest idea!

 

If Thailand lacks an organisation with this skill, then perhaps they should hire one of the top global engineering consultancies to propose a flood prevention plan.

I hope they do. Mind you, they should have done this decades ago! But, again, the issue of consultants often seems to be reactive rather than proactive. In Thailand you bring in consultants after problems occur, rather than at the planning stage when possible problems should be being identified and solved. One of the most recent cases is Suvarnabhumi which has brought in a team from Seoul's Incheon Airport to come up with solutions to its problems.