After reading NigelBragg's journal, I was reminded of something that happened at my university here in Thailand just yesterday.  My university is very strict about the 'dress code'. We can't enter campus unless our shirts are tucked into our skirts/trousers, we must wear shoes with ankle straps, our skirts must be pencil or tulip styles (no A-lines or box pleats allowed) and under no circumstances can we take food into the classrooms. Cheating in an exam is not a serious offence. Showing up for an exam without the proper uniform (shirt,skirt,belt,buttons,brooch,black pumps) will almost assuredly result in you being kicked out to get a "permission slip" to take your exam. Teachers at our old campus are allowed to take food and drinks in but students (some kids study non-stop without a break for lunch) are stopped and often spoken to very rudely by the guards. A week ago I caught a security guard calling a couple of friends of mine "kheks" for trying to bring in a chocolate milkshake. When confronted, we are told that "this is Thai culture" - which is a load of bullshit if you ask me. I am in the midst of my final exams. These are the last exams I need to take to graduate and as you can imagine, I'm very concerned that all goes well. Yesterday, I went to the newer campus of my university to take a computer lab exam at 10:30. Upon reaching the exam room, I saw a whole bunch of students standing outside waiting around. I was early so ok, I decided to wait. 10:15.......waiting10:25........waiting10:30........still waiting 10:35....??? 10:40....uh hello?10:45......ok what the **** is going on here? In a display of utter incompetence, the lecturers informed us that we would not be able to take our exam today because "the computers don't work". I don't get it! This university is a university for rich kids. The facilities are ultra-modern and very much up to date. It turned out that they had cancelled the exam for the 9:30 section as well. All we got by way of explanation was "we cannot connect to the MOS server in the US, we're sorry". Ok fine...whatever. What are we supposed to do about it? The lecturer asks a class of 150 students to line up and go to ONE lady sitting at the back of the room in order to reschedule our exams. By now it was close to 12 and many students had another exam at 13:00.

 Anyway, the point of this is - I do not understand the work ethics here. The administration can stop us from taking AN EXAM for not dressing properly and they cannot do a simple task like set up computers for students to take their exams? Not to mention the fact that this is their JOB - it is what we are paying them to do. The hypocrisy of it all is mind-blowing. They claim to want to turn us into respectable adults (by telling us what to wear...that'll work) and then display utter incompetence and lack of discipline themselves!

 Sometimes, the attitude here just gets on my nerves!

i dont understand the reason why thai universities require their students to wear uniforms. most universities in the world allow their students to wear whatever they like to campus. its time your universities treat their students as adults rather than treating you guys as children.

Princess, the way things have been going lately, I would think that you'd be a nervous wreck? However, you seem to be able to tuck it all under your skirt :-)

haha matisse, thats a good one. next they are going to practise marching in school...

Im amazed that you being a thai person are surprised by this.

as the security guard told you *this is thai culture*

pardon but are you new ?

jacksonNg.......... dont the thai students ( up to M. 6 ) stand in a very similar way that the army does every morning ? hehe

That's a little presumptuous of you Thomas_K. No I am not Thai. I'm a foreign student.

And no it is not Thai culture...it's a load of bullshit designed by the admin staff to project a holier-than-thou image.

sorry for my mistake then

but i will agree with the old man..........like it or not .....right or wrong .........agree or disagree........whatever you want to call it ........ that is thai culture!!

Uh...so calling someone a "khek" which is a racial slur is Thai culture?

Glad you think so

how about farang key nok ..... or farang key kwai ?

Your point being it's ok to insult people racially as long as it's part of "the culture"?

So I could go around calling people whatever I want as long as I say it's part of my culture?

Double standards indeed (they can eat, you cannot...). Very frustrating but nothing you can do about it (except complain but that will not help at all).

good luck with exams btw!

racism exists...... everywhere!!

sorry for your experience but that is life

Jackson: I don't really mind the uniforms. It's just that they take things waaaay too far. Does it really make sense to stop a student from taking an exam because a sliver button or brooch or belt is missing? No, it's moronic.

Afook: It's not that bad. I've been better and I've been worse

Baboe: Double standards - exactly. What gets on my nerves is that we are PAYING them to do their jobs and they don't seem to realise this.

Ghee: I've worked for three years. My boss is great.

Matisse: Yes and they fail you on such basic and simple levels that it makes you wonder how they cannot see the utter lack of common sense and decency that is reflected in their actions.

Thomas K: It exists, yes. But passing it off as culture does not make it acceptable.

Hehe Princess.. If you are staying here for a while some things are getting annoying. Agree with you, get that feeling also sometimes. The attitude is mostly mai pen rai and the most people accept everything, so things will not be changed soon here. For foreigners that's sometimes difficult to understand and accept.. Strange things, problems and rules and why, why, why nobody do something about it?? But what can you do about it?? Take a deep breath.. ;-)

i didnt try to pass it off as culture ...... the old man did

All part of "Amazing Thailand"

There is a saying at my school and it goes a little something like this..........

" It's not about education, it's all show and presentation "

Oh ! yes .. it's like this as always.it was very strick since I studied there.. be patient!! just follow regulations..like me hahah

referring to someone as "the old man" may not be racist, but sure sounds a tad impolite .