Making The Grade in Thailand

[admin]

Want a bachelor's degree? One can be had for between 37,000 to 90,000 baht, depending on the institution. There's a service that will hack into a university's computer, insert your name on a degree and voila, you can even join the graduation ceremony.

Want a 3.5 GPA? No problem. A hacker can arrange it. Want to be on the honour roll? Just pay a little more.

In fact, your kids can even obtain a primary school certificate; that's only 5,000 to 8,000 baht.

Too dumb to do an MBA thesis? No problem. For anywhere between 120,000 and 280,000 baht, someone will write one for you.

I thought it was an advertisement but it turned out to be an OpEd piece by that troublemaker Voranai Vanijaka

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/214089/bought-grades-sold-souls-an-all-access-pass-through-the-halls-of-higher-learning/

[Chatty]

What??? Does it mean i wasted my 4 years for my BA? someone got it that easily? ****!!

Does it mean I wasted my 2 year ++ for my ME.? i'm too dumb to do my thesis... I spent same amount of money... but still do it my own... damn stupid me.

[Admin_2]

This is possibly/probably true as I've heard and have been offered it from uni students. These are from some of the top 5 schools that are seen as highly respectable in Thailand.

Anyone wanna pool together 60k so that we can videotape Ciaran, aka "Ben Dover" get a degree from XXXXX University?!

[admin]

You don't have to pay that much. I purchased my Harbard Uniwercity degree on Khao San for 300 baht. So far it hasn't been questioned.

[pandorea]

What??? Does it mean i wasted my 4 years for my BA? someone got it that easily? sh*t!!

Does it mean I wasted my 2 year ++ for my ME.? i'm too dumb to do my thesis... I spent same amount of money... but still do it my own... damn stupid me.

Our Ex-primeminister didn't care for bachelor or master degree in Thailand, I have been told he bought one from USA. :?:

[Chatty]

What??? Does it mean i wasted my 4 years for my BA? someone got it that easily? sh*t!!

Does it mean I wasted my 2 year ++ for my ME.? i'm too dumb to do my thesis... I spent same amount of money... but still do it my own... damn stupid me.

Our Ex-primeminister didn't care for bachelor or master degree in Thailand, I have been told he bought one from USA. :?:

âÃÇáÃèà¨éÒ Money is the key then.

[pandorea]

What??? Does it mean i wasted my 4 years for my BA? someone got it that easily? sh*t!!

Does it mean I wasted my 2 year ++ for my ME.? i'm too dumb to do my thesis... I spent same amount of money... but still do it my own... damn stupid me.

Our Ex-primeminister didn't care for bachelor or master degree in Thailand, I have been told he bought one from USA. :?:

âÃÇáÃèà¨éÒ Money is the key then.

Want a bachelor's degree? One can be had for between 37,000 to 90,000 baht, depending on the institution. 

Nong 1 kha, according to a statistic from my university - nowadays each student spends approx 1 million bth/year at CMU.. easy math - 4 years = 4 million.. Why spend 4 million when you can get one on a bargain price.

[SoBeIt]

Nong 1 kha, according to a statistic from my university - nowadays each student spends approx 1 million bth/year at CMU.. easy math - 4 years = 4 million.. Why spend 4 million when you can get one on a bargain price.

yeah seem like the fee of many universities are higher nowadays since they came out from the system.

Last time I went to mine.. it looked like another city of something..

[SoBeIt]

Want a bachelor's degree? One can be had for between 37,000 to 90,000 baht, depending on the institution. There's a service that will hack into a university's computer, insert your name on a degree and voila, you can even join the graduation ceremony.

Want a 3.5 GPA? No problem. A hacker can arrange it. Want to be on the honour roll? Just pay a little more.

In fact, your kids can even obtain a primary school certificate; that's only 5,000 to 8,000 baht.

Too dumb to do an MBA thesis? No problem. For anywhere between 120,000 and 280,000 baht, someone will write one for you.

I thought it was an advertisement but it turned out to be an OpEd piece by that troublemaker Voranai Vanijaka

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/214089/bought-grades-sold-souls-an-all-access-pass-through-the-halls-of-higher-learning/

Im not surprised really, as money can buy most things in Thailand.

[Crustyjuggler]

What??? Does it mean i wasted my 4 years for my BA? someone got it that easily? sh*t!!

Does it mean I wasted my 2 year ++ for my ME.? i'm too dumb to do my thesis... I spent same amount of money... but still do it my own... damn stupid me.

Our Ex-primeminister didn't care for bachelor or master degree in Thailand, I have been told he bought one from USA. :?:

âÃÇáÃèà¨éÒ Money is the key then.

Want a bachelor's degree? One can be had for between 37,000 to 90,000 baht, depending on the institution. 

Nong 1 kha, according to a statistic from my university - nowadays each student spends approx 1 million bth/year at CMU.. easy math - 4 years = 4 million.. Why spend 4 million when you can get one on a bargain price.

It would explain all the baffling decisions coming from the top.. But not nearly as baffling as to why you all constantly wipe the ass of the wealthy.

[Hazel]

Sad life, this is.

[Admin_2]

Why spend 4 million when you can get one on a bargain price.

One would hope that something would be learned during those 4 years that would at least be worth the for mirrions bahts + peace off papur.

[pandorea]

Why spend 4 million when you can get one on a bargain price.

One would hope that something would be learned during those 4 years that would at least be worth the for mirrions bahts + peace off papur.

Yes, and I believe many students have learned alot.

Back to the article, I found it entertaining and its source of thing that many farang like to read (and believe). I think the article will be more interesting if he added some facts in it. That bla bla bla theory doesn't give me anything but entertaining...I get the same feeling from watching Jerry Springers' show.

but I like this sentence thou'

As for the rest of us, we all have done things we wish we hadn't.

(I stop reading any article of this guy from now on, because I can easily get the same info. by sitting in a pup anywhere, perhaps around Soi Cowboy) :wink:

[Seafra]

(I stop reading any article of this guy from now on, because I can easily get the same info. by sitting in a pup anywhere, perhaps around Soi Cowboy) :wink:

a wonderful source of information Soi Cowboy.

[Stramash]

I can easily get the same info. by sitting in a pup anywhere,

NO to animal cruelty...

:twisted:

[admin]

Why spend 4 million when you can get one on a bargain price.

One would hope that something would be learned during those 4 years that would at least be worth the for mirrions bahts + peace off papur.

Yes, and I believe many students have learned alot.

Back to the article, I found it entertaining and its source of thing that many farang like to read (and believe). I think the article will be more interesting if he added some facts in it. That bla bla bla theory doesn't give me anything but entertaining...I get the same feeling from watching Jerry Springers' show.

but I like this sentence thou'

As for the rest of us, we all have done things we wish we hadn't.

(I stop reading any article of this guy from now on, because I can easily get the same info. by sitting in a pup anywhere, perhaps around Soi Cowboy) :wink:

Well, the article is an OpEd piece and restricted by length being in a newspaper so the amount of citations one can include is often limited. Besides, the idea is to express an opinion not necessarily demonstrate something beyond a reasonable doubt.

I'm not sure what you mean by it's from a source that many farang like to read (and believe). There are really only two English language news sources in Thailand, The Nation and The Bangkok Post. So our options are:

1. Learn Thai well enough to read the Thai press

2. Not read either paper

3. Read one or the other (or perhaps both)

I'm not sure which Soi Cowboy pubs you think share his attitude but generally I think Voranai is far more optimistic about Thai people solving their own problems than the average farang occupying a barstool. Thus his sentence which you cited:

As for the rest of us, we all have done things we wish we hadn't.

But look at the sentence within the context of what he was saying.

If we want to solve Thailand's woes, overcome our failings and progress into the brave new world, we need to stop pointing fingers at others and start accepting responsibility for the things we do each and every day of our lives. There can't be a crisis among the younger generation unless the old generation instigates it.

No doubt, there will be those holier-than-thous who will insist, ''Not me! I'm not responsible for any of this! It's all of you! But not me!'' Well, fine.

As for the rest of us, we all have done things we wish we hadn't.

Taken out of context that sentence seems to be a rather obvious statement and thus worthy of some ridicule. However in context it does get to the core of many of the issues facing Thailand today. Not enough people are willing to accept responsibility not only for how Thailand is today but where it will be tomorrow. In other words, in a country where 76.1% of the people feel corruption is okay (as long as they're benefitting from it) there will be corruption. And if 76.1% of people feel corruption is okay what sorts of values do you think they are going to impart on their children?

[Crustyjuggler]

Voranai is hardly like Springer, it's not like he's suggesting anything new. He updates the rest of us with the typical shenanigans of life in Thailand, something most Thai publications are hesitate to do and many Thais prefer to bury for the sake of national pride/face.

Thais i speak with admit the truth in his articles quite freely, while others know it's true but prefer to live in denial (not the river in Africa)

I have noticed the same 'back to the bar' retorts whenever admin quotes these particular articles. Thailand's evident problems should be more transparent to the outside world because that is crucial to anything being fixed.. Exposing corruption to it's own subjects in clearly something government isn't really worried about. The polls suggest most Thais are comfortable with corruption but 90% of the workforce don't pay any income tax so we're not likely to hear much outrage from them are we..

This forum is certainly not the time or place to be patriotic for the sake of.

People with great responsibility here in Thailand are doing a terrible job and i don't need Veranai to tell me that...

[pandorea]

si6 :

it's not like he's suggesting anything new. 

Exactly!!!!

Not that I live in denial. I never say education system in TH is excellent. I never denial the FACT that Thailand is full of corruption and so on.

BUT it's easier to point of a problem than solve it and he wasn't the only one who tried. You just happened to read his articles. IF he really wants to make a different in Thailand, write article in Thai. Write a book in Thai (and perhaps give his book away to those Thai children in school), tell Thai people how and what he thinks. Make Thai hear what he has to say, not just Farang or Thai who can read English.

Anyway, I must give him some credit as what he has been written about was true, mostly.

[admin]

si6 :

it's not like he's suggesting anything new. 

Exactly!!!!

Not that I live in denial. I never say education system in TH is excellent. I never denial the FACT that Thailand is full of corruption and so on.

BUT it's easier to point of a problem than solve it and he wasn't the only one who tried. You just happened to read his articles. IF he really wants to make a different in Thailand, write article in Thai. Write a book in Thai (and perhaps give his book away to those Thai children in school), tell Thai people how and what he thinks. Make Thai hear what he has to say, not just Farang or Thai who can read English.

Anyway, I must give him some credit as what he has been written about was true, mostly.

But going back to your farang barstool philosophers, the thing that I do like about reading Voranai is that unlike most drunken bar patrons, Voranai actually seems to know what he's talking about. Since he's Thai he understands the cultural aspects which is often missing or overly simplistic in the musings of barstool philosophers.

It's easy for someone to say that the educational system in Thailand isn't very good or that corruption is impacting Thailand's competitiveness internationally. That's what you can get from your typical bar patron. I don't quote his articles here for pointing out the obvious. I quote them because Voranai tends to dig a little deeper than the surface issue and recognize it as a symptom of other problems.

For us farangs it can often be frustrating trying to understand these issues because when we ask, when we probe, we're told "it's the Thai way" or "you can't understand". In some cases our questions generate defensive outbursts of Thai nationalism (often having nothing to do with the topic we're discussing - uh, and why is Thailand never being colonized relevant in this discussion about Bangkok traffic?). So, by virtue of people being unwilling or incapable of discussing various topics with us we not only fail to understand them but we also fill that knowledge vacuum with our own theories which may or may not be correct.

What I find a little bit conflicting in what you say is that you seem to indicate that he's saying nothing new but then offer that if he wants to solve the problems then he should be writing for a Thai audience. That would imply that what he's saying in English is not what regularly appears in Thai language news and that Thais would, generally, benefit from his insights.

Many people on the Bangkok Post ask the same sorts of questions. Some have suggested that he run for office and try to change things. Some suggest that he start a political party or some sort. Why doesn't he do any of those things? No idea.

[Teddy]

Kudos to Bills point(s), you will get an extra cookie in your lunchbox today young man. lol

[Crustyjuggler]

In some cases our questions generate defensive outbursts of Thai nationalism

Some?

Now your just being too polite..

[pandorea]

But going back to your farang barstool philosophers, the thing that I do like about reading Voranai is that unlike most drunken bar patrons, Voranai actually seems to know what he's talking about. Since he's Thai he understands the cultural aspects which is often missing or overly simplistic in the musings of barstool philosophers.

But I bag to the differ.

Most Farang have been discussing about Thailand more or less the same problems as he wrote. The different is he is Thai and he says it out loud (or it’s his job he gets pay to write? Correct me if I’m wrong). It’s very common that we tend to give credit to anyone who speaks about his/her own country’s problems. We enjoy listening to negative than positive things. Voranai did a good job on provoking people. I hope Bangkok post pays him good money.

It's easy for someone to say that the educational system in Thailand isn't very good or that corruption is impacting Thailand's competitiveness internationally. That's what you can get from your typical bar patron. I don't quote his articles here for pointing out the obvious. I quote them because Voranai tends to dig a little deeper than the surface issue and recognize it as a symptom of other problems. .

I don’t disagree with him on his “bough grades…†article but he should also mention that it’s also important in Thailand which university or which kind of education you got, not just any kind of paper will guarantee you a good job/career or being accept. Most companies or business owners in Thailand are not that stupid.

Thai people who went to decent schools/universities tend to stick together. We know who is who, if I may say. So a consequence is, if anyone bough a degree, and if we know we do tell and you know Thai people gossips A LOT!..and here the losing face thing in Thailand can be useful.

I don’t know how deep he dig , but I think he just says what most farang like to hear. If I want to be recognize positively by most farang in Thailand, I will do the same.

For us farangs it can often be frustrating trying to understand these issues because when we ask, when we probe, we're told "it's the Thai way" or "you can't understand". In some cases our questions generate defensive outbursts of Thai nationalism (often having nothing to do with the topic we're discussing - uh, and why is Thailand never being colonized relevant in this discussion about Bangkok traffic?). So, by virtue of people being unwilling or incapable of discussing various topics with us we not only fail to understand them but we also fill that knowledge vacuum with our own theories which may or may not be correct. .

Now that I agree with you and believe me, not only farangs get frustrate with “Thai’s way†thing some Thais feel the same. (and what’s wrong of being nationalism? I live in one of the most nationalism country, maybe that’s the reason I can’t see anything wrong in it).

What I find a little bit conflicting in what you say is that you seem to indicate that he's saying nothing new but then offer that if he wants to solve the problems then he should be writing for a Thai audience. That would imply that what he's saying in English is not what regularly appears in Thai language news and that Thais would, generally, benefit from his insights. .

Sorry I didn’t make it clear enough, pardon my Danish.

There were many decent Thai writers wrote about problems in Thailand in Thai, from Jitt Bhumisak, Nai Pee, Prapatsorn Srivikul, Newarat Phongphiboon, Niwaith Kanthairath and so on. I believe he likes reading. He must have read few books of those writers, or perhaps got some ideas from them.

Many people on the Bangkok Post ask the same sorts of questions. Some have suggested that he run for office and try to change things. Some suggest that he start a political party or some sort. Why doesn't he do any of those things? No idea.

In fact I don’t care much about Voranai. I don’t know him and to me he’s a journalist. He mentioned “I recently finished my first semester of lecturing at a university.†So he must work at a university somewhere, hopefully a decent one.

According to an Abac poll, 76.1% of Thais believe that corruption is OK, as long as the country prospers

That’s a shocking statistic and kind of sad. I hope he says something about that during his lecturing, I hope he tries to tell his students about how wrong the corruption is, not just write about it on Bangkok post (which is more than 70% of the readers are farangs).

[SoBeIt]

According to an Abac poll, 76.1% of Thais believe that corruption is OK, as long as the country prospers

That is not so hard to understand,

76.1% of Thais care about what to eat tomorrow, how they will pay the rent this month etc...

They dont care much who will become the next PM

Or global warming or the disgusting companies like Monsanto or McDonald.

They have no time for that.

[pandorea]

According to an Abac poll, 76.1% of Thais believe that corruption is OK, as long as the country prospers

That is not so hard to understand,

76.1% of Thais care about what to eat tomorrow, how they will pay the rent this month etc...

They dont care much who will become the next PM

Or global warming or the disgusting companies like Monsanto or McDonald.

They have no time for that.

True! as long as basic needs didn't fulfill, people can't be intellectual.

[StuckinBKK]

What??? Does it mean i wasted my 4 years for my BA? someone got it that easily? sh*t!!

Does it mean I wasted my 2 year ++ for my ME.? i'm too dumb to do my thesis... I spent same amount of money... but still do it my own... damn stupid me.

Yes a vast percentage of degrees are a waste of time (anything other then science or vocations), a waste of money and they encourage people to think theyre as bright as a button for plagiarising someone else's work whilst at the same time it restricts them real world experiences to form an opinion vaguely worth listening to, and its only people who have spent 3/4/5 years at one of these education asylums with people who on the whole think exactly like themselves that'll offer some wonderful intellectual argument as to why im wrong. Though i do confess theyll open doors to some slightly above average paying job in some cases, maybe more so in Thailand.

But its good to see the chicks of Blighty are coming around to my way of thinking, pity it took them 3 years and 50K to realise, id have told them for a handjob.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1344857/Nearly-half-women-wouldnt-bother-university-chance-again.html

[CiaranM]

According to an Abac poll, 76.1% of Thais believe that corruption is OK, as long as the country prospers

That is not so hard to understand,

76.1% of Thais care about what to eat tomorrow, how they will pay the rent this month etc...

They dont care much who will become the next PM

Or global warming or the disgusting companies like Monsanto or McDonald.

They have no time for that.

very good point SBI !! if u r worrying about how to feed, clothe and house urself and ur family other things r not really that important !!!