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Bridging the gap
between Thai universities and business world by matching human resources
By Jon Fernquest
 Ideally
business
networking
would match business people with scientists and researchers in
universities.
Relationships between these two groups of
people do not develop automatically.
That's why the National
Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) of Thailand's government is
sponsoring a special event to help develop these relationships.
Business
plan competitions
are another useful event that bridges the
gap
between universities and the business world (Read previous articles on
competitions in Thailand #1 and #2 also see archives).
Photo on right of
King Mongkut University of Technology winners of 2010 World
RoboCup competition
in Singapore. Technology competitions such as this are another
important kind of event bridging the divide between university and the
business world.
Research collaboration
between Thai and foreign universities also help (Read on science
collaboration with Australian universities).
Engineering joint
ventures between Thai and foreign companies also provide
invaluable learning experiences to Thai engineers (Read on Thai-Chinese
high speed train project).
Today's article begins
after the vocabulary below.
business networking -
when business people meet and get to know each other (See Wikipedia)
relationship - when
two or more people or organizations have a close involvement and
interactions with each other (examples: business relationship, romantic
relationship)
automatically - without
people doing anything
National Science and
Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) - the Thai
government agency driving rapid science and technology development (See description)
business plan - "a
formal
statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed
attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain
background information about the organization or team attempting to
reach those goals" (See Wikipedia)
business plan competition
-
an event in which many students present their business ideas and plans,
judges decide which are the ones most likely to succeed, most business
schools have such a competition (See video
on how to win)
bridges the gap - connects
two things that are not connected (starts communication and
relationship building)
2010 World RoboCup competition - a recent
competition in Singapore in which students compete to build the best
robot (See website)
human resources -
people with the knowledge and skills they possess, put to use by
organizations and companies when they are hired as employees (See Wikipedia)
collaboration
- working with other others to produce things and achieve
goals
joint ventures - a
company owned and operated by two or more other companies
BUSINESS NETWORKING
Matching fair due next month
31/08/2010
Yuthana Praiwan
Thailand's first event
matching business operators, scientists and researchers
will take place next month
The expo is being organised by the National
Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), which has invited more than
300 business operators from the industrial and service sectors to exhibit their research projects.
expo - an event with
large numbers of people coming to view things being shown (new
products, technology, art, information about a country)
due - expected to
happen or should happen มีกำหนด
operators - companies
running a certain kind of business
exhibit - show
something publicly, so people can learn about it
The NSTDA will have
more than 25 projects on hand at NSTDA Investors' Day, to
be held on Sept 16 at the Queen
Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok.
The NSTDA has been
providing services to business operators for the
past four years, particularly small and medium-sized entrepreneurs.
The policy is in line with government plans to enhance the country's economic competitiveness.
on hand - have,
exist, are present at a place
Queen Sirikit National
Convention Center - a large building used for events,
conferences and fairs, located in dowentown Bangkok, connected to the
rest of the city by subway, opened in 1991 (See Wikipedia)
entrepreneurs - business people เจ้าของกิจการ
policy - a set of plans or action agreed on by a
government, political party, business, or other group to guide
decisions and achieve outcomes นโยบาย (See Wikipedia)
in line with - agreeing with, following
enhance - to improve the quality, amount
or strength of something ทำให้ดีเพิ่มขึ้น, ทำให้ดีขึ้น
competitiveness - how well a business can do
compared to other firms (does it have lower price or higher quality?)
การแข่งขัน
NSTDA president
Thaweesak Koanantakool said five projects that will be highlighted at the fair are a
silk-strengthening substance, a kit to test for drug
allergies
in dogs, high efficiency methods for marine life breeding, a new lightweight concrete made from artificial materials and a simulation programme for the analysis of
orthodontic models.
This event will match business operators,
researchers and scientists in a bid to find business solutions,"
said Dr Thaweesak.
highlighted
- emphasized; stressed; made more noticeable ที่เน้นย้ำ
substance - some kind of solid, gas or liquid
(example: wood is a solid substance and water is a liquid substance)
allergy - a
medical condition when a person is oversensitive and reacts negatively
to some substance in the food, in the air or from some other
contact (See Wikipedia)
drug allergies - when
a patient has a negative allergic reaction to some drug (See Wikipedia)
efficiency
- waste little time, energy and resources in doing a task (minimize
time, energy and resources in performing a task) (See glossary)
การทำงานอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ
คุ้มค่าเวลาและใช้พลังงานหรือต้นทุนในการผลิตน้อย เพื่อให้ได้ผลผลิตมาก
marine - relating to the sea and creatures that live
in it เกี่ยวกับทะเล
breeding - the keeping of animals or plants in order
to produce young animals from them การผสมพันธุ์สัตว์เพื่อขยายพันธุ์
concrete -
artificial - not natural, made by humans จำลอง
ที่มนุษย์สร้างขึ้น ที่ประดิษฐ์ขึ้น
simulation - imitation
of a real thing or situation, an artificial copy but with lifelike
features (See Wikipedia)
orthodontistry (noun) - dental treatment to put
teeth into correct position so that they look better (cosmetic) and
there is no "improper bite" (malocclusion) (See Wikipedia)
orthodontic (adjective)
models - a system, a simple description of how a
system works (to help you understand it)
match - to look the same as or very similar to
something else ซึ่งไม่คู่ควร
bid - an attempt to do something ความพยายาม
Discussions regarding
investments or licencing
patents or
joint ventures with the NSTDA or a venture capital fund will be discussed under the
mechanism of the Technology
Licensing Office.
The agency has
previously sought potential investors through business
model contests
organised by state universities but has found it
difficult to find appropriate
candidates.
licensed (adjective)
- have
official permission from government or a business to do some activity
or use something that they control
license
(noun) - official permission (See Wikipedia)
patent - legal
rights to use an invention and to prevent the invention from being used
by others, details of invention must be revealed to government patent
office (See Wikipedia)
licencing patents - pay
owner of patent to use the idea and technology in the patent
technology licensing - when
a company pays another company to use its technology
Technology Licensing
Office - the office at a university or government in
charge of selling technology developed within the university or country
joint - done with someone else ร่วมกัน
venture - a new business which involves risk or
uncertainty ธุริกิจเสี่ยงแต่สามารถทำกำไรได้
joint ventures - a
company owned and operated by two or more other companies
capital - money invested in a business (See glossary)
venture capital - private equity
capital provided by professional outside investors to new, growth
businesses. Cash is exchanged for shares in a usually high risk company
with above-average returns (See Wikipedia)
fund - to provide money for something เงินทุน
กองทุน, ให้เงินทุน
potential - possible ความเป็นไปได้
potential investors -
possible investors
business
model contests - see "business plan competition" above
state - government รัฐ
state universities - universities
owned and operated by governments
appropriate - suitable, right for a certain situation or
purpose
candidates - one of several people competing to be
selected for some special position (job, elected government official,
etc)
Last year, the NSTDA
was able to establish only two joint venture
projects, with Anglo Thai Ceramic Co and Micro Innovate Co, on which it
spent 200 million baht for equity investment.
Next year, we plan to
join with the Stock Exchange of Thailand to set up a venture capital
fund and expand solutions for business
operators, as Thailand is becoming more of a high-tech-based economy,"
said Dr Thaweesak.
establish
- to start a company or organization that will likely continue for a
long time สถาปนา, ก่อตั้ง, จัดตั้ง
equity - money for a business that comes from
owners, not borrowed money (debt) เงินลงทุน
ที่มาจากการระดมหุ้นของหุ้นส่วน และผู้มีกรรมสิทธิ
investment - taking your money and putting it into
projects to make a profit or earn interest (buying stock shares, bonds,
real estate)
expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป
(Source: BUSINESS NETWORKING, Matching fair due next month, 31/08/2010,
Yuthana Praiwan, link)
Community Based Tourism (CBT)
and the role of small local businesses in Thailand's tourism industry
By Jon Fernquest
 Small
family
businesses
seem to be much more common in Thailand's tourism industry than they
are in other countries.
Recently, I had the
chance to wander around downtown Cebu (the second largest city in the
Philippines) looking for a place to stay for a few days.
I only found one place
that resembled the typical Thai "guesthouse" that offers cheap rooms
and food.
Small family-run
guesthouses, restaurants and bars are common in even the most remote
corners
of Thailand, catering to
the needs of
both foreign and Thai tourists staying in Thailand for a couple of
weeks (or even months and years).
It is then perhaps fitting that Thai NGOs are at the
forefront
of extending and developing this idea through the idea of community-based
tourism (CBT).
The Community
Based Tourism Institute (CBT-I) is a Thai NGO working hard to
promote this idea.
Today's article is an extract from a recent article by
Bangkok Post columnist
Imtiaz Muqbil reporting on a recent Community Based Tourism conference.
Photo on right of
guesthouse on Maesai river in Chiang Rai located next to the border
with Burma. During Songkran festivities (Thai
New Years or Water Festival) this stretch of river is teeming with people
gathering sand to build a sand pagoda at the nearby monastery. Don't
travel upriver on a rubber intertube though or you will get bit by
mosquitoes and come down
with malaria like I did several years ago.
family businesses -
a business largely owned and operated by the members of one family (See
Wikipedia)
remote corners of X - places
far away from the center, from the place where most people live
catering to the needs of Y -
giving the group of people Y what they need
fitting - what
fits or is the right thing to do in a certain situation
at the
forefront of Z - among the most advanced people or
organizations doing activity Z
Community-Based Tourism (CBT) - tourism
in local areas, managed by the local people themselves, for the benefit
of the local people rather than large corporations located far
away (See manual
and Wikipedia)
Community Based Tourism
Institute (CBT-I) - a Thai NGO devoted to promoting
community-based tourism in Thailand (See website)
Songkran - "celebrated in
Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. It
coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast
Asia" (See Wikipedia)
festivities - a large and happy event, a celebration
teeming - containing a large number of things (people,
animals, objects) all moving around
come down with - get
sick with some disease
Tourism
Community tourism's new
face
23/08/2010
Imtiaz Muqbil
About 120 delegates
involved in community-based
tourism (CBT) projects
in Thailand and Asia met last week in Bangkok to swap best
practices to
help them uphold the fundamental objectives of their grassroots ventures and prevent them from
becoming victims of their
own growing popularity.
About 80
villages nationwide participating in CBT attended
the meeting at which they sought to learn
from each other how to attract more visitors without
damaging the environment or causing other social or
cultural problems that would eventually make the exercise
self-defeating.
community
- the people living in one particular area ชุมชน
Community-Based Tourism (CBT) - tourism
in local areas, managed by the local people themselves, for the benefit
of the local people rather than large corporations located far
away (See manual
and Wikipedia)
swap - giving
something to another person who, in turn, gives you something,
exchange
practices - ways of doing commonly repeated tasks
best practices - the
best ways of doing
commonly repeated tasks
uphold - to show that you support something such as
an idea by what you say or do สนับสนุน รับรอง พิทักษ์รักษา ยืนหนัด
fundamental - very important and essential พื้นฐาน
รากฐานที่สำคัญ
objectives - goals; aims; things that you plan to
achieve จุดมุ่งหมาย
grassroots - involving the ordinary people rather
than their leaders ในระดับรากหญ้า, ชาวบ้าน
venture - a
new business or activity
victims
- people who are killed injured or harmed in some way from an accident,
natural disaster, crime, etc.
victims of their own growing popularity
- people who become popular but fail to use to benefit
from the opportunity
nationwide - including the whole country ทั่วประเทศ
meeting - when a group of people come together to
discuss issues and make decisions การประชุม
attract - to cause someone to be interested in
something ดึงดูดความสนใจ
environment - the natural world of land, sea,
plants, and animals
eventually - at the end of a period of time or at
the end of a process ในที่สุด
exercise - activity
with a result or purpose behind it
self-defeating - in
trying to solve a problem, creating more problems (which means you
can't solve the original problem)
Organised by the Community
Based Tourism Institute (CBT-I), located in Chiang Mai, the
meeting was supported by the Thailand
Research Fund
in an effort to show how far CBT is
contributing toward sustainable development. The European Union has also funded the CBT promotion effort at various stages.
Although Thai villages
have been catering to brief stops by visitors
for more than 15 years, some have gone a step
further
by expanding into home-stays and other opportunities for small numbers of tourists
to stay overnight, and also join local people in some daily activities.
Community Based Tourism Institute
(CBT-I) - a Thai NGO devoted to promoting community-based
tourism in Thailand (See website)
Thailand Research Fund (TRF) -
an organization promoting research in Thailand (See website)
effort - an attempt to do something ความพยายาม
sustainable - able to be successfully continued for
a long time ยั่งยืน, ถาวร
development - the gradual growth and formation of a
country's economy
funded - given money to บริจาค
funded - money provided for operation of a business
or organisation ให้ความช่วยเหลือทางการเงิน ให้เงินลงทุน
promotion - giving an employee a higher position or
job than they already have
effort - activities
of people working together to achieve a goal
stage - one
point in time during a process or series of events
catering - the job or organising the food and drinks
for an event such as a party or meeting การจัดเลี้ยง (See Wikipedia)
gone a step further
- did something new (that went beyond the original idea)
home-stay - a
form of tourism that allows the visitor to rent a room from a local
family to better learn the local lifestyle as well as improve their
language ability (See Wikipedia)
opportunities - situations in which it is possible
to do what you want or need to do
local - in or related to the area that you live, or
to the particular area that you are talking about ท้องถิ่น
This has tapped into the growing demand by well-travelled visitors
worldwide for a "learning
experience"
from their trips. Proponents say it is in line with national poverty-alleviation goals and gives villagers a reason to uphold
their cultures.
It also distributes income to the rural areas and helps residents preserve the local environment.
While no definitive numbers are available on
total visitors to all the
CBT projects nationwide, a study presented by Prof Pariwat Somnuek of
Ubon Ratchathani University showed that the village of Baan Phu
received 5,850 Thai and 23 foreign visitors in 2008, generating total
income of 1.85 million baht. In 2009, the figures fell to 5,133 Thai and 20
foreign visitors, generating 1.56 million baht.
tapped
- used
demand - people or consumers wanting to buy goods
and services ความต้องการ
learning experience -
when you learn things during some activity
proponent - a
public supporter of an idea, policy or plan
in line with - following,
agreeing with
poverty - the condition of being extremely poor
ความจน
alleviation - reducing the suffering and negative
effects of something bad
national poverty
alleviation - making poverty in a country less severe,
reducing the negative effects
uphold - to
support and help something by what you say and do
uphold their cultures - to
support and help a culture to grow strong and survive by what you say
and do
reason - an explanation of an event, why an event
happened เหตุ ; เหตุผล ; สาเหตุ
income - money that people receive from work or some
other source, used for household consumption and savings
rural - connected with the countryside outside big
towns and cities ในชนบท, บ้านนอก
residents - people who live in a particular place or
area ชาวบ้านในบริเวณ ผู้อาศัยในบริเวณ ราษฎรในบริเวณนั้น
preserve - to keep something as it is, especially in
order to prevent it from being damaged or destroyed ทำให้คงอยู่, สงวน
อนุรักษ์
definitive - better
than all the others
figures - statistics, numbers describing the economy
German consultant
Nicole Hausler, who specialises in responsible tourism issues, notes that two other issues
are the income
distribution
within the CBT villages themselves as well as "organisation culture
versus community culture."
She cited the results of a 2005 study by the
Social
Research Institute
of Chiang Mai University of Plai Pong Pang
Village in Samut Songkhram, which showed that the manager of the
village's tourism management centre was the son of the project
chairman.
The study
found that four owners of the Thai traditional houses were all related.
Income distribution was unequal with a small number of participating
members getting the bigger share. The richest household got 76% of the total income.
More than 80% of the villagers did not participate in the tourism project and
did not benefit from it," she quoted the
study as saying.
Imtiaz Muqbil is
executive editor of Travel Impact Newswire, an e-mailed feature and
analysis service focusing on the Asia-Pacific travel industry.
issues
- an important subect that people are discussing and debating
about ประเด็น
income distribution -
the way that money (wealth, income) is spread throughout a
society
cited - mentioned (to support a point you are making
or arguing) กล่าวถึง
results - what is produced in the end by an activity
or task
Social Research Institute
(SRI) - an institute devoted to research at Chiang Mai
University
traditional - things (clothes, music, customs, etc.)
that have been part of a country or society for a long time
share - the smaller part received by one person when
some big thing is divided up
household - a group of people, often a family, who
live together ครัวเรือน
participate - to take part in or become involved in
an activity มีส่วน
benefit - to get help or an advantage from something
ผลประโยชน์
(Source: Bangkok Post, Community
tourism's new face, 23/08/2010, Imtiaz Muqbil, link)
Global rice prices
rising, time to offload
Thai government stockpiles?
By Jon Fernquest
 Rice
prices have risen recently due to supply-side
climate factors.
In 2008 global
commodity
prices rose to very high levels before the global recession shot them
down (Read article and archives).
Experts predicted that
they would rise once again and stay high (Read article).
Government rice stockpiles
shot up
to the point where there were not enough warehouses to store the rice.
With rice prices
rising again, the ideal time for Thailand to offload its
stockpiled rice on global markets may have arrived.
Today's article begins
after the vocabulary below.
Photo on right shows
rice sacks purchased by the government stacked high in a warehouse waiting
for prices to rise so the government does not lose money.
supply-side - in
markets where goods are bought and sold, the side where the supply of
goods comes from
climate - the general weather
conditions usually found in a particular place สภาพอากาศ
factors - the different things that affect the
outcome of a situation, event, or decision ปัจจัย
global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก
commodity -
some basic good (food, fuel) sold in units of weight or quantity
(kilos, liters) every unit being the same (if you buy one more kilo of
rice that kilo is the same as the last kilo you bought)
stockpiles -
large amounts of something stored for future use
shot up - increase very quickly (like a rocket "shot" into
the sky)
warehouse - a
large building that a business uses to store goods in (see photo of
rice warehouse on the right, also see Wikipedia)
sacks - a
large and strong bag for caryying things (examples: sack of cement,
sack of rice)
stacked - a pile of things, placed one on top of another
Marketing
AGRICULTURE
Rice prices pick up
as demand
improves
23/08/2010
Phusadee Arunmas
Rice prices are expected to rise by 6% to 7% this
month or early next amid a resumption in foreign demand ahead of
year-end festivals and lower supply due to climate change.
Foreign purchase orders have already resumed, and a flood of orders is anticipated next month to serve the many
year-end festivals, said Sumeth Laomoraphorn, the chief operating officer of CP
Intertrade.
More purchase orders
from African markets are also likely after Ramadan.
pick up - get
better, go faster (here: prices increase)
demand - the need and desire to buy goods and
services by households and businesses
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
X amid Y - X
happened while Y was happening
resumption - to start or begin again เริ่มใหม่
climate change -
long-term negative changes in weather patterns and temperature caused
by changes in greenhouse gases (GHGs) (See Wikipedia)
Greehouse Gases (GHGs) -
gases in the Earth's atmosphere such carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide, and ozone that are associated with climate change (See Wikipedia)
purchase - buy goods
purchase order - an order to buy
goods, "a commercial document issued by a buyer to a seller, indicating
types, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services the
seller will provide to the buyer. Sending a PO to a supplier
constitutes a legal offer to buy products or services" (See Wikipedia)
resumed -
started again (after stopping)
flood - a large amount or number of something
จำนวนมาก
flood of orders - a
large amount of goods being ordered
anticipated - believe will happen, expected
คาดว่าจะเกิดขึ้น
officer - a high level person in an organisation
with special responsibilities (a government officer, a police officer,
an army officer)
CP Intertrade - the
subsidiary of the CP Group responsible for food exports
Ramadan
- "the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the
Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from
eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn until sunset. Fasting
is intended to teach Muslims about patience, humility, and
spirituality. It is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God
(Arabic: الله, trans: Allah) "
(See Wikipedia)
Mr Sumeth said other
supporting factors were the impact from global warming and widespread drought that has led Russia to ban wheat exports.
Hot, dry weather is
also expected to cut the output and export capacity of Ukraine and other European
nations.
In addition, Mr Sumeth
said lower output in Latin American countries, particularly Brazil, due
to climate change is also expected to prompt them to increase their rice
imports.
impact
- an effect or influence ผลกระทบ
widespread - happening or existing in many places,
or affecting many people อย่างแพร่หลาย
drought - a period of time when there is very little
rain and water available ความแห้งแล้ง (See Wikipedia)
ban - to officially say that someone is not allowed
to do something การห้าม ห้ามอย่างเป็นทางการ
capacity - the amount of something that can be
produced ความสามารถในการ (ผลิต)
capacity - the highest amount of production possible
if all factories and machines are used
capacity - the largest amount that can be produced
with current resources (factory, equipment, machines, facilities)
prompt - to cause someone to take action กระตุ้น
prompt - to cause something to happen or be done
ก่อให้เกิด
The Philippines, which
is the world's leading rice importer, is also now facing inadequate rice production and will have
to import as much as two million tonnes
this year," he said. "If Vietnam, which has already secured massive advance
purchase orders,
fails to deliver on
its commitments,
opportunity will return to our grains.
Vietnam expects to
export 6.5 million tonnes of rice this year, 4 million of which have
already been exported.
Mr Sumeth said
Vietnam's 2% depreciation of the dong last week was
unlikely to improve the rice industry's export competitiveness very much.
inadequate
- not enough, or not good enough for a particular purpose, not enough
to achieve goals อย่างไม่เพียงพอ
import - to buy or bring in products from another
country นำเข้า
secure -
get
massive - very large in size, amount or numberใหญ่โต
advance purchase orders -
people requesting to buy something far ahead of when it is to be
delivered
commitments
- things you must do (because you promised to do them)
deliver on its commitments -
do what it promised to do
opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do
something that you want to do (See glossary)
depreciation - reduce the value of a countrys'
currency (so that exports are cheaper)
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
competitiveness - how well a business can do
compared to other firms (does it have lower price or higher quality?)
การแข่งขัน
The currency devaluation would instead drive up inflation and interest rates, consequently raising
production costs for Vietnamese producers, he said.
Prices for Thai rice
have bottomed out and are now starting to
improve due largely to shrinking world rice stocks after traders delayed their purchases over
the past four or five months," said Mr Sumeth. "The second half will represent an opportunity for Thai rice
exports, which are expected to reach 8.5-9 million tonnes.
Pakistan, the world's
third-largest rice exporter, [is] suffering from floods and other
disasters...parboiled
rice
shipments would especially benefit from India's continued ban on
non-basmati exports...
currency
- the money accepted for exchange of goods in an economy เงินตรา (See Wikipedia)
devaluation - when a currency becomes less valuable
or "weaker" compared to other currencies (meaning that less of the
currency buys the same amount of goods as before) การลดค่าเงินบาท
drive up - make it
increase
inflation - the rate at which all prices in the
economy are increasing (See
Economist Glossary) อัตราเงินเฟ้อ, ภาวะเงินเฟ้อ
interest - payments made for the use of another's
money for a period of time
interest rates - the
percentage of the loan amount that must be paid as a fee for using the
money, the cost of borrowing money
bottomed out -
reached the lowest point (will now start increasing again)
shrinking - reducing
in size, getting smaller and smaller
stocks - large amounts stored for future use
traders - people who trade securities (stocks,
bonds), derivatives or commodities ผู้ค้าหุ้นและหลักทรัพย์
X represents Y - X will be an
example of Y
suffering - physical or mental pain or problems
ความทุกข์ทรมาน
parboiled rice - rice
that is boiled until partially cooked ข้าวต้มสำเร็จรูป
benefit - to get help or an advantage from something
ผลประโยชน์
basmati rice - a
variety of long grain rice, grown in India and Pakistan notable for its
fragrance and delicate, nuanced flavour (See Wikipedia)
ข้าวพันธุ์บาสมาติ ของอินเดีย
(Source: Marketing, AGRICULTURE, Rice
prices pick up as demand improves, 23/08/2010,
Phusadee Arunmas, link)
Universal education
for all in Thailand, getting there, but not there yet
By Jon Fernquest
 Very
young children are slipping through the cracks of Thailand's
educational system and not even receiving the basic
education
in reading, writing and arithmetic that they need to survive and thrive in the adult economic
world:
"Factors pushing
children out of the formal school system include financial problems, broken families,
poor health and pressure from schools which shun
students with weak academic records."
Today's article begins
after the vocabulary.
basic education -
educational
activities that take care of people's basic educational needs such
"reading, writing, and arithmetic," usually takes place at an early
age, but adult education such as learning to read (adult literacy) also
included (See Wikipedia)
literacy - the
ability to read and write (See Wikipedia)
universal -
involving all members of a society or group
survive - to
continue to exist, even in a very difficult situation
thrive - to
become very successful (happy, healthy, rich)
factor - one of the
things that determine and influence whether an event happens and how it
happens
broken families - situations
where the mother and father of children stop living together (divorce,
separation, etc), also known as a "broken home"
pressure - when people are being pushed or forced to
so something
shun - to deliberately avoid a person, place or
activity
academic records - the information kept at schools
on what courses a student has taken and the grades they received
Local News
Up to 2 million young
miss basic education
Dire social,
economic outcomes
predicted
26/08/2010
Sirikul Bunnag
Up to 2 million
children nationwide are not receiving a basic
education, a
development
that could lead to dire social and economic consequences.
From 1.7 million to 2
million children aged between 3 and 17 years, or about 11% of the
school-age population,
have been pushed out of the education system, Juajan Jongsathityoo, a
former education planning adviser to the Education Council, said
yesterday.
outcome - one
possible result of a process
predicted -
what people think will happen in the future
nationwide - throughout a whole country
ทั่วทั้งประเทศ
a development - something that happens, an event or
situation
dire - very serious and bad แย่มาก เลวร้ายมาก
consequences - results of some actions or events
population - all the people living in a country,
region or city (See Wikipedia)
The sorry state of affairs was uncovered by a study by
Witthayakorn Chiangkoon, the dean of Rangsit University's
College of Social Innovation.
The findings were raised for discussion at
a seminar on
children outside the education system held yesterday by the Quality
Learning Foundation (QLF).
innovation - creating
or "inventing" new ideas, equipment or methods
state - condition สภาพ
affairs - events and activities relating to the
government, politics, economy etc of a country, region, or the world
ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างประเทศ
sorry state of affairs - a bad or
unpleasant situation (that is sad to even look at or think about)
dean - a senior official at a college or university,
often the head of a faculty or department คณบดี (ทางการศึกษา), อธิการบดี
findings - the results or conclusions of an
investigation or research
Quality
Learning Foundation (QLF) - NGO working towards building
a "Learning Society" in Thailand (See website and twitter: @qlfthailand)
The study found
children of primary school age topped the list of those
who were not receiving a basic formal education, followed by those in
secondary school.
Factors pushing
children out of the formal school system include financial problems, broken
families,
poor health and pressure from schools which shun students with weak academic records.
primary
- first and most important
primary school - the first
early stage of required education (compulsory education) from about age
5 to 12 (See Wikipedia)
broken families - situations
where the mother and father of children stop living together (divorce,
separation, etc), also known as a "broken home"
pressure - when people are being pushed or forced to
so something
shun - to deliberately avoid a person, place or
activity
academic - related
to education (especially university education)
records - pieces of information describing something
written down or stored on a computer บันทึุก
academic records - the information kept at schools
on what courses a student has taken and the grades they received
Ms Juajan
said the findings
reflected
a survey by the National Statistical
Office in 2006 which found the quality of the country's labour force was declining.
Uneducated or under-educated children were unlikely to
make up a strong pool of skilled workers in the
future.
The number of workers
with an education background below primary primary level
stands at 21.6 million people, or 60% of the country's labour-age
population," Ms Juajan said.
Low education standards make Thailand's labour
exports uncompetitive, she said.
findings - what
research or a study finds out or discovers to be true
reflect -
show
survey - gathering information about what people
think about different subjects (public opionion) by asking large
numbers of people questions and counting their answers, and then using
statistics, graphs, and tables to present results (See Wikipedia)
การสำรวจ
labour force - all
the people working in an economy (and those looking for work too)
declining - worsening
under-educated - do
not have enough education to achieve goals in life
pool - a group of people available for work สมาคม
กลุ่มสถาบัน
background - personal history and experience
standards - an acceptable level of quality or
achievement มาตรฐาน
Supakorn Buasai,
manager of the QLF which organised the seminar, insisted children must be allowed the opportunity to enter or re-enter the
formal education system.
He said the problem of so many children not
receiving a basic education
would have serious social and economic ramifications if left
untackled.
The children would
become jobless and they might turn to illicit drugs and crime, Mr Supakorn
said.
He urged municipalities across the
country to help solve
the problem as they were closely involved in managing primary and
secondary education.
insisted
- say firmly that something must happen or is true, and will not change
mind
opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do
something that you want to do (See glossary)
tackle a problem - solve
a problem
problem left untackled - problem
left not solved
illicit - against the law ผิดกฎหมาย
urged - advised someone very strongly about what
action should be taken วิงวอน
Phatthalung municipality mayor Kosil Paisarnsil said his
municipality faced a problem with students quitting school after it
took over supervision of public schools a few days
ago.
Many schools wanted to
enrol only smart students. Students
who did not do well academically could not stand the
pressure
and left.
Fewer than 10 out of
61 primary school students under the municipality's management could
read or write Thai, the mayor said.
After completing
Prathom Suksa6 (Grade 6), they failed to meet the
academic requirements to continue their education in secondary school.
Tueng (real name
withheld) said he was expelled from school when he was in
Grade 9 for misconduct.
He said he became
rebellious because he was frustrated that the school turned away
children with troubled backgrounds.
He turned to illicit
drugs and committed crimes but was finally caught.
Tueng said he was given a new
lease
of life
by officials at Ban Kanchanapisek Remand Home.
municipality
- a town, city or district with its own local government เทศบาล
mayor - the chief, head, leader of a town
supervision - the process of making sure that
something is being done properly การควบคุมดูแล การตรวจตรา
enrol - register, sign up สมัคร
enrol - to put yourself onto the official list of
members of a course or college ลงทะเบียน
stand the pressure -
be able to resist being forced to do something
expelled - forced
to leave a school or organization because of bad behaviour
misconduct - unacceptable or bad behaviour by
someone in a position of authority or responsibility การประพฤติผิด
frustrated - feeling annoyed and impatient because
prevented from achieving something ผิดหวัง,ท้อแท้ใจมาก หงุดหงิดใจ
troubled - has problems
committed crimes - do
something illegal (they could be punished for by going to jail or
paying a fine)
lease on life -
given a new chance (after a failure)
remand - waiting
for a criminal trial ("remanded in custody" means waiting in jail,
"remanded on bail" means waiting outside of jail)
(Source: Bangkok Post, Up to 2 million
young miss basic education, Dire social, economic outcomes predicted,
26/08/2010, Sirikul Bunnag, link)
Labour rights laws
for migrant workers
in Thailand
By Jon Fernquest
 Many
Bangkokians might guess that most maids (more respectfully: "domestic
workers")
employed in Bangkok are not Thai
at all
but from Burma or Laos, in other words they are migrant
domestic workers.
According to today's
article, however, Thai domestic workers (225,000) still outnumber foreign domestic workers
(150,000).
One might also guess
that in many cases their employers have not obtained the necessary Thai work visa to make them legal since this
would add to the
cost of employing them.
It is helpful to
imagine what a more just and humane would be like for domestic workers.
If domestic workers had enforced
legal rights
as workers and work visa laws were actually enforced on their
employers, "domestic worker" might actually become an attractive
occupation
for poor rural Thais, work they could support and build a
future for their families with.
One key labour right
is the "right to change employers" which is the key to avoiding abusive employers.
There are many other
issues that the new law must address including: unfair
dismissal,
severance
pay,
holding wages in arrears
and sometimes not even paying it at all, which is made even easier if
the worker has no official visa and is completely dependent on their employer.
Today's article begins
after the vocabulary below.
On right photo of
domestic worker trying to hide from view behind a wall. They are often
kept locked up in their employer's house and often are not paid their
wages on time or at all. Because their employer does not get them a
visa and legal residence in Thailand, they are completely dependent on
their employer being just.
domestic
worker -
a person working in the home of a family doing tasks such as cooking,
house cleaning and washing (See Wikipedia)
domestic
- within
the home
migrant
- moving
from one place, region or country to another in order to work and/or
live
migrant
workers - people
who move to another country to work
migrant
domestic worker -
maids from other countries who work in the the homes or condomimiums of
your country (See Wikipedia)
X
outnumbers Y -
there is more X then there is Y
work visa - the
informal name for the Thai visa that allows a person to work in
Thailand
enforced
legal rights -
what the law allows you to have and do สิทธิ์ (See Wikipedia)
attractive
occupation -
a job that is worth having and doing (because a good wage, interesting,
a nice and fair employer, etc)
abusive - treating
a person in a violent way
arrears - money
that is owed that should have been paid earlier
dependent
- needing
another person to live, work or do some other activity
sever -
cut
severance
- the act
of ending an employee's employment contract
severance
pay - the
amount of money that must be paid to an employee if their employment is
ended (according to the contract they signed)
hold in arrears -
dismissal
- when a
company or other organization removes an employee from their job
Local News
LABOUR
Maid-to-order bill helps domestic workers
23/08/2010
Lamphai Intathep
Hundreds of thousands
of domestic
workers
are set to gain the same protection enjoyed by workers in official economic sectors.
Pongsak Plengsaeng, an
adviser to Labour Minister Paitoon Kaewthong, said the draft of the ministerial regulation on the protection of domestic
workers, those who work within their employers' household, was expected to be completed on Sept 23,
the ministry's anniversary.
maid vs. made - "worker
who cleans a house" vs. "to create something" (the title plays with the
similarity of these two words)
play on words -
made to order - made specially to meet your needs and
requirements (example: made to order suit that fits exactly)
sector - a
part of a country's economic or business activity ภาค (เศรษฐกิจ)
(public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household
sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia)
bill - a written document containing a proposal for
a new law ญัตติ
official - approved by the government or some
authority ที่เป็นทางการ
draft - not in a final form and likely to be changed
ร่าง
regulation - an official rule that controls the way
that things are done กฎระเบียบ, ระเบียบข้อบังคับ
household - a group of people, often a family, who
live together ครัวเรือน
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
anniversary - a date when you celebrate something
that happened in a previous year that is important to you วันครบรอบ
He said it would be
sent to the cabinet for consideration and approval this year.
Mr Pongsak said the
regulation would lure more people to the domestic
industry as they would be protected by the law, and, importantly, the
law would be promoted among employers and employees.
He said employees
should know about their basic rights and employers must realise what they should avoid.
consideration
- to go over details before deciding to do a project
approval - official permission การอนุมัต
lure - to persuade someone to do something by making
seem very attractive หลอกล่อ (See glossary)
employers - companies that hire workers
rights - what the law allows you to have and do
สิทธิ์ (See Wikipedia)
realise - to know about ตระหนัก รู้
The minimum wage, day leave, access to medical treatment and education, and other
requirements would be specified in the ministerial regulation.
Mr Pongsak's announcement at a seminar yesterday
heralding
this
Saturday's Day of Domestic Workers is being cheered by
domestic workers, both Thais and foreigners, and labour
rights
activists.
wage
- an amount of money that you earn for working, usually according to
how many hours or days you work each week or month ค่าจ้าง
leave - time take off from work, either paid or
unpaid การพักงาน
leave - a period of time when you are not working at
your job, doing something else (for example, "medical leave" to receive
medical treatment)
access - the right or opportunity to have or use
something ได้รับสิทธิ์หรือโอกาสในการใช้
access - the ability to get something
สิทธิหรือโอกาสในการใช้
treatment - the process of providing medical care
การรักษา
announcement - information given to public ประกาศ
heralding - happening
before some event, informing people that the event will happen,
announcing
cheer - to show that
you like and appreciate something by shouting happily and clapping your
hands
activist – someone
who takes part in activities that are intended to achieve political or
social change, especially someone who is a member of an organisation
นักกิจกรรม
labour rights
activists - people working for change in the laws that
protect workers
The 1998 Labour
Protection Act
does not cover domestic workers.
Sumeth Riddhagani,
head of the House of Representatives' labour committee, said domestic
workers were looked on as not contributing much to the country's
economy, so policy makers had previously paid
them little attention.
Many do not have a day
off, holidays, health benefits, education opportunities or any bargaining power with their employers. Some
domestic workers also suffer
sexual harassment.
1998 Labour Protection Act - Thailand's
set of laws for protecting the rights of workers, covers such things as
"severance pay" and "unfair dismissal" (Read the
law (pdf))
policy
- a set of plans or action agreed on by a government, political party,
business, or other group นโยบาย (See Wikipedia)
benefits - things like health insurance that
employees receives in addition to their salary and wages
opportunities - situations in which it is possible
to do what you want or need to do
bargaining power - the ability
to get a better deal from someone (for example, a better price for
something you want to buy)
power - energy in the form of electricity produced
in large quantities and used to operate lights, machines, and heating
suffer - to experience physical or mental pain
sexual harassment - "intimidation,
bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or
inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual
favors" (See Wikipedia)
Adisorn
Kerdmongkol, a member of the human rights activist group Committee
of Action Network for Migrants, said there was no exact
number of domestic workers in the country.
But based on Kasikorn
Research Centre
data collected in 2007, there were
an estimated 400,000 people working for private households, consisting of 225,000 Thai-nationality domestic workers and 150,000
foreign domestics. The remaining 25,000 were Thai people working in
overseas households.
Mr Adisorn applauded the government's action.
activist
- someone who takes part in activities that are
intended to achieve political or social change, especially someone who
is a member of an organisation นักกิจกรรม,
ผู้ดำเนินการที่มีความกระตือรือร้น
Action Network for
Migrants (ANM) - an NGO in Thailand that works to protect
the rights of migrants and migrant workers (See contact
information)
Kasikorn Research Center -
Thailand's top private economic research center (See website)
data
- facts or information used for making calculations or decisions ข้อมูล
households - families or groups of people living
together
nationality - the official right to belong to a particular
country สัญชาติ,เชื้อชาติ, ชนชาติ
applauded - praised,
said they thought something was very good
(Source: Bangkok Post, LABOUR,
Maid-to-order
bill helps domestic workers, 23/08/2010, Lamphai
Intathep, link)
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