Showing 1 - 10 of 20
Teach our children how to think
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 07/09/2015
» Politics and religion may be taboo conversation subjects, but the subject of education in Thailand is always a great way to get the ball rolling. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has an opinion to give. Not much of it is positive. The recent announcement by the Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) that schools are going to reduce class hours from eight hours a day to six in order to give children time for more extra-curricular activities has caused a lot more concern than praise. I don't think the quantity is going to make any difference, if the quality of teaching is not up to standard and you're not going to get quality teaching in the classroom if you can't pay teachers a reasonable salary. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Just to put things into perspective, according to figures from the 2015 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Switzerland is the country with the most well-paid teachers.
Bluto vs Barbarella
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 31/08/2015
» Last week we had one of our rare family gatherings, this time to make merit for my late father who passed away 30 years ago. I write quite a bit about my mother, who is still doing well at the age of 97. So today I thought I'd do a bit of reminiscing about my father. Having your own column allows you that bit of self-indulgence.
Driven to insanity
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 12/01/2015
» I was intrigued to read an extensive article in this newspaper recently on the whys and wherefores of getting a driver's licence in Thailand. It was a topic that I recently had to experience a second time in my life, and I thought I should add my own two satangs to the topic.
Midterm vs midlife crisis
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 20/10/2014
» My daughter is going through her "midterm crisis" at the moment, cramming for exams and being generally cranky. She was particularly upset when prior commitments meant she couldn't join friends for a weekend study session.
Real lives and dream girls
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 13/10/2014
» Last week's Bangkok Post Forum, titled "Economic Reform: How Will It Be Achieved", provided me with a rare opportunity to get together with some old friends over dinner. And although the gathering was made up mostly of business people who are interested in what direction Thailand is heading in the next year or so, and how our tax reforms and drought solutions and public transport expansions are going to be implemented, my attention was directed at a certain member of academia who for me encompasses all that is admirable about womanhood.
The fiction of history
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 22/09/2014
» I want my name down in the history books. I want to be known for my huge contribution to Thailand and mankind. I have no idea what that contribution could be, but does that matter?
Homework to go (and arithmetic through the ages)
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 08/09/2014
» I was born in the wrong century.
The Bard in Bangkok
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 28/04/2014
» Besides Songkran, this April also saw the celebration of the Bard’s birthday, William Shakespeare, who would have been 450 years old this year. It is for this reason that theatres, schools, charities and organisations around the UK and the world are commemorating and honouring his influence to the arts and society in a variety of ways.
What's wrong with using textbooks?
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 10/02/2014
» The end of the school year is fast approaching, and not long after that the next cycle will begin again.
I'll keep dancing on my own
Life, Usnisa Sukhsvasti, Published on 21/10/2013
» All right, they've just thrown another spanner in the works, and created another brouhaha that has more people grinding their teeth and bombarding the social media than when the single person law was proposed a week or so ago.