Professor Kreinngsak Chareonwongsak’s concern on young strayed people
When the news on crime committed by a teenager came up, Thai society paid acute but brief attention to the violent games which are prevalent among young people.
“In one incident recently, a 12th grade student killed a taxi driver, wanting something that the driver had. However, what is more astonishing about this act is that it was duplicated from an online game known as Grand Theft Auto (GTA). In this game, the main player is a thief, who collects score points by chasing and killing others. An issue now of concern, such games are attracting much criticism and concerned interest from the public.”
Dr Kriengsak suggested that attention should be focused on the root causes and not only the symptoms.
“Analyses shows that this teenager copycat deed is just one result of the lack of time devoted by parents to be closely involved with their children in enjoyable creative activities with them; thus children become friendly with technology instead. Online games are a most popular activity for children these days, in which they are likely to spend much of their recreation time. Recent research conducted in March, 2008 by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) in the United Kingdom mentioned when parents abandon their children to the playing of computer games and watching TV, it leads to serious control problems and cultivates inappropriate behaviour in children. For example, children learn to think only of themselves and their own wishes and desires, they learn to ignore school rules, and adopt many undesirable characteristics from online games and TV programmes. Governments also show their recklessness in allowing the sale of such dangerous games. In 2007, the United States Attorney General pronounced GTA as a dangerous game that should be avoided, although Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, through the Office of the National Culture Commission officially permitted this game to be sold and also served via Internet and game shops by giving license to do so in August, 2007.”
Prof Kreingsak Chareonwongsak, as a father of two grown up and successful sons gave suggestions to the parents that
“ Parents are recommended to spend time with their children and to monitor their children in playing more games with them.”
It is rather interesting to learn from Dr Kriengsak, a prominent academic who was a member of parliament as well as a candidate running of the Bangkok Governor post, to manage his busy time to raise his two children successfully.
Besides the parents, the government can have their role in young people’s lives as the following:
“ The government should
1) Be more strict to seriously detect and rank dangerous computer games by not allowing them to be sold or to be served in Internet parlours.
2) Establish a network to detect inappropriate online games and to reward people who can provide information as to their secret usage.
3) Assign every province to implement learning sources and activities that will interest children, such as adventure programmes that are easily viewed through accessible channels.
4) Establish a research institute that will keep an eye on online games and be a national data source; providing studies and research on the impact of games on players in terms of their behaviour. New, creative games should also be developed and included that will help to develop many skills in children, while giving them the excitement that they are looking for.
5) To implement online game website that divided online games into categories due to skilled development, which might have to gather psychologists, academists, and programmers to participate with this programs.”
If we can make our people to become quality adults, then the hope and future of Thailand is promising .
Then Dr Kriengsak Chareonowongsak touched on a special group of young people , the Academic Olympic award winners.
Prof Dr Kreinngsak Chareonwongsak gives good suggestions to fulfill the hope for Thai young people on becoming world class people
In his article “ Academic Olympics : Equip intelligent people for the good of the country” *, Dr Kriengsak suggested long term solutions.
*This article can be read in full at www.kringsak.com
The contemporary context that Dr Kriengsak gave his comment is
“To our delight, some of our Thai students recently brought fame to the country by winning medals at the Academic Olympics in many new fields, namely Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, while in the Rescue Robot section of the Competition, Thai students have been the World Championship winners for the past three consecutive years.”
In spite of the joy Thai people experienced when Thai students receive a few medals in Academic Olympics, Dr Kreingsak Chareonwongsak warned the society that these awards is not to be the fulfillment of the hope of society. He said
“Nevertheless, winning medals will not be the country’s crowning accomplishment. What we really need is for these students to receive good support toward the fullest development of their potential so that their abilities can be harnessed for Thailand’s long-term development. “
Prof Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak then comments that the government should do many things to further the development of Thai young people. Young people should be supported to be able to reach their full potential.
“Hence, the government should map out the way for these students to reach their full potential, giving them an opportunity to use all their potential in order to help develop the country.”
His thought provoking suggests are for the Government to
1) Utilize long term support measures
Dr Kriengsak suggested that before any support to be given, the government should cast the vision and hope for young people first.
“ The government should set measures in place to support this special group of students across the long term period. It is not just scholarships that they need in order to complete doctoral degrees, but a strategic vision is also necessary for the way ahead, so that specific advantageous gain can be made for the country according to their abilities.”
The Government, according to Dr Kriengsak’s opinion should play a leading role in guiding young people in how they should pursue in their studies and career that would be best for the development of the country as a whole.
The government thus should not only support young people financially but support them intellectually.
Dr Kriengsak said that “Thus, clear parameters can be specified for them, such as their fields of study and their research topics. These should be related to national development and enable them to make practical applications.”
The support then has to be well prepared before young people enter into their tertiary education. However the process of support doesn’t end there, Professor Kriengsak thinks that it should be extended to even after they finish their education. The government’s role after graduation is also important.
In order to maintain the enthusiasm of new bright graduates, working ethos and rewarding system is important.
“ Clear support measures will be vital for them after graduation, regulating such areas as work organization, work position, work tools, and work reward and motivation systems. It is also important to have an open working system toward making changes and improvements or in order to create new things. This is unlike the old system in which it was hard for a new generation of workers to do something different in an organization. Eventually they became bored with the old system and would quit their jobs, feeling this employment beneath their abilities.”
It may be Dr Kriengsak’s observation out of his own experience, beauraucratic system my cause new western educated young grads to divert from their original hope to contribute to the development of the country.
2) Establish a volunteer mentality to bring advantages to a country
Only the academic training does not guarantee that bright young people will want to serve the country by working in public sector. If their value is to work and gain as much money as they can, public sector is not an ideal place to work for capable people.
“Excellent Academic Olympic winners who are overseas graduates mostly choose to pay their government back financially, and will typically work for the private sector, particularly in foreign countries where they can earn more money. This is the result of investing in the development of excellent students for the Academic Olympics. However, the country is unable to earn benefit from them fully, as the process in developing these students should have a greater goal than just developing them to excellent standards in academic knowledge. It should go together with building up a volunteer mentality where these students are willing to make sacrifices for others and where they are also inspired to use their potential for the sake of the country, rather than for their own survival.”
Dr Kreingsak has transformed the above value into practice by setting up various social development and philanthropic organizations. The most creative and effective organization is “Time Bank Society” , a program that works as a clearing house or a matching agent for people who volunteer their time to do good to society and projects and programs that need people to do them.
“ Our country has no need for medals of accomplishment that will result only in temporary satisfaction, but Thailand needs excellent Thai students who truly desire to give their country the leading edge. “
Dr Kreingsak ends his article with his real concern for a long term hope for Thai young people that adults today will pave way for our next generation.
Read more of Professor Kriengsak Chareonwongsak’s article in www.kriengsak.com.
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