Is Thailand losing an entire generation of academic potential? Here's how our government scholarships are falling short.

I recently read "It takes two to think" by Prof. Itai Yanai. This one-page correspondence explains why most government scholarship here in Thailand won't work. They government essentially throws individual 'Thai Scholar' to underrepresented universities, hoping he/she can help develop research program there. It's impossible (best case, REALLY hard) to establish anything meaningful when you're all alone at this new university where everyone else in the department only know university professors as 'teachers' rather 'researchers'

You toss your ideas around the department only to be echoed back with 'oh, that's too advanced'. Most of the time, 'doing research' at these institutions are mostly just replicating experiments already published elsewhere. Most of the faculty are only familiar with a pre-defined research report structure (5 chapters: intro, related work, methodology, result, conclusions) rather than telling a story around your finding (well, most of the time, there's no finding). Time passes. this new scholar who graduated from abroad and had high hope to start this academic research group, start to realize there's no way out. His/her ideas got mostly ignored. He/she eventually succumbs to just repeating the experiments like everyone else.

The country just lost 10 years waiting for this new faculty to graduate.

I'm not saying that it's always like this for all new grads under the Thai government scholarship program. Some may find a way to work around this limitations. Most of the time, it's finding there colleagues at large universities to bounce their ideas with. That's just something that the government NEEDS to provide, not just hoping for this kind of serendipity will magically happen when you throw new professors into underrepresented universities.

As part of my responsibility at NRRU, I was tasked with analyzing and managing household data in Nakhon Ratchasima. This is part of a bigger project on poverty alleviation that was funded by PMU-A since 2021. Here's a quick summary on the history of poverty alleviation in Thailand.

Poverty alleviation has been a pressing concern in Thailand for decades. Despite being one of the most rapidly growing economies in Southeast Asia, Thailand still struggles with a significant wealth gap, with a large proportion of its population living below the poverty line. According to the World Bank, in 2020, approximately 7.3 million people in Thailand lived on less than $3.20 per day, which is considered the moderate poverty line. To address this issue, the Thai government has implemented various initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and promoting economic growth. This essay will discuss the current state of poverty in Thailand, the causes of poverty, and the strategies employed by the government to alleviate poverty.

One of the primary causes of poverty in Thailand is the significant income inequality between the rich and the poor. The wealthiest 10% of the population holds more than 50% of the country's wealth, while the poorest 10% hold less than 3%. This disparity is largely due to the lack of access to education, job opportunities, and social services in rural areas. Many rural communities lack basic infrastructure, such as roads, healthcare facilities, and schools, making it difficult for people to access essential services and improve their socio-economic status.

Another significant contributor to poverty in Thailand is the agricultural sector's vulnerability to natural disasters and market fluctuations. Many farmers in Thailand rely heavily on agriculture as their primary source of income. However, frequent floods, droughts, and price volatility in agricultural commodities have led to crop failures, livestock diseases, and reduced incomes, further exacerbating poverty.

To address these challenges, the Thai government has implemented several initiatives aimed at reducing poverty. One of the key strategies has been to invest in rural development programs, which focus on improving infrastructure, providing access to education and healthcare, and promoting entrepreneurship and job creation. For example, the government has launched the "Sufficient Economy" philosophy, which aims to promote self-sufficiency and sustainable development in rural areas. This approach emphasizes the importance of community-based initiatives, such as cooperatives and community enterprises, which enable rural communities to manage their own resources and make decisions about their development.

Another key strategy has been to provide financial assistance to low-income households through cash transfer programs. The government's "Poverty Reduction and Social Protection" program, launched in 2015, provides a monthly stipend of 3,000 baht (approximately $100) to eligible households. This program has helped to reduce poverty rates, particularly among the elderly and people with disabilities.

In addition, the government has implemented policies to promote economic growth and job creation. The "Thailand 4.0" initiative, launched in 2016, aims to transform the country's economy into a high-income economy by promoting innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. This initiative has led to the establishment of special economic zones, which offer tax incentives and other benefits to attract foreign investment and promote industrial development.

Furthermore, the government has recognized the importance of education and skills development in reducing poverty. The "Free Education for All" policy, launched in 2009, provides free education to all students from kindergarten to high school. This policy has helped to increase access to education, particularly in rural areas, and has contributed to a significant reduction in poverty rates among young people.

Now looking at the current situation in Thailand, or at least in my province, there's also another intrinsic problem with the alleviation effort in Thailand (or should I say in Thai citizens). Portion of the impoverished household here doesn't want to improve. They essentially prefer to stay below the poverty line so that they can still receive support from the government. In some cases, they are willing to have their house flooded so that they can receive the government relief package (which include small monetary amount).

I'm not sure yet what the best way to handle this situation would be, but I believe MHESI's effort on trying to pooling in academic and higher-education institution into the loop is still better than doing nothing.

-- Pai.

This mark a little over two years since I moved back to Thailand. I'm at this point in my career where I started to get the flow of the academic system in Thailand. I'd like to use this space as my milestone to pass on what I've learned in the past two years. My goal is to help new Thai scholars who just moved back, or those who are still struggling, navigate their career so that it's less painful.

This current post is specific to my experience as a Ph.D. grad from the US, who has to come back and work in Rajabhat University system (Nakhon Ratchasima to be specific). So, your mileage may vary.

• Delay starting your position as much as possible. Don't rush into the new job. Travel. Be with your family and friends. Explore new hobbies. Enjoy the time after graduation as long as (financially) possible. This is your last long vacation.
• Find some ways to earn extra cash during this time. I tried tutoring and freelance writing. At least, get your momentum going. Once you start the position, it's extremely hard to stop and think.
• Get your finances in order. Assuming your position is in academic, sooner or later you'll start complaining about your salary, especially when comparing to where you got your degree. Bad news, because of the contract, you'll stuck here for a little while. Good news, you're smart. Find something you relatively enjoy outside of academia, that pays (I did freelance writing on Fastwork).
• Join TYSA. This it where you'll meet cool people and think about bigger picture of younger generation of researchers (like yourself).
• Spend ~a month getting to know as many as possible outside of your program/department, especially the supporting staffs. They can make your life at your new workplace wonderful or miserable.
• Spend ~a semester to teach with your full effort. I know the students won't listen to your as much. They'll always be shy when you ask questions. You'll feel disappointed, but this will be the main coping mechanism you can tell everyone that you've already given your best.
• Minimize personal interaction among the colleagues, keep it extremely professional. You are here to work. Send off that message quick and clear. You'll get a chance to fraternize later. But delaying it allows you use gauge who you can trust.
• Get your self into a type of project where your workplace has been specialized in. Unless you are in the national labs, or the large research universities, chances are that your school focuses on teaching/local developing (Rajabhat) or technical teaching (Rajamangakala)
• Don't forget your main expertise (piggybag from the previous point). You'll come back to it later. I studied semiconductors and generative AI from CalTech. Of course, it'll be best for the country if I can continue my frontier research, but it's not the time yet. So you have to work with whatever your university is specialized. It'll help you speak the same language as your colleagues.

• Try to get involve with university projects (outside of the faculty level). If you're in small local universities (RU, RMUT), then it's easier to do comparing to large universities. Turn it to your advantage.
• For the first year and a half (says after passing the probation period), say YES to EVERYTHING. Otherwise, people will stop asking you to join their projects in the future. Inside or outside your affiliation, doesn't matter.
• After a year and a half, say NO to almost everything that doesn't align with your goal. You should still say yes to new opportunities if it helps you meet cool people (my choice of word for people who actually do the work and think about their work).
• Exercise. Sleep. Other folks enter workforce and get busy early in their 20s where their body are still young and quick to recover. You don't have that luxury. Most of us are in 30s. Get enough sleep and exercise often. Otherwise, your body will age really fast especially when combined with the stress from work.

-- Pai.

One of the cool things I got to do when I was in the US was learning how to fly. Before I got my license I had to go through a flying exam, aka. a checkride. (The written exam too, but there's nothing special about that. And we typically got that taken care of a few weeks into the training)

My checkride was on June 28th with Tony Gatis at Cable Airport in N89084. I rescheduled twice. Initially, the checkride was set for June 21st. It was then moved to the afternoon of June 28th and subsequently changed to the morning. Despite the changes, Tony was very accommodating. I was relieved that we rescheduled to the 28th as the weather was much cooler than the original date, which was over 100°F.

A day before the checkride, Tony sent me a cross-country scenario: flying from Cable (KCCB) to Jean (0L7) with a stop at Apple Valley (KAPV) to drop him off (150 lbs) and pick up a 190-lb passenger with some baggage. We had to reach Jean by 4 pm. Tony later explained that the scenario could vary based on the written exam results. Since I missed a question on weight and balance, he had me plan a trip requiring recalculating W&B at KAPV.

On the exam day, I arrived at Cable around 9:45 am, 15 minutes before the scheduled time. Tony assisted with towing the plane to parking and then we completed the necessary paperwork. Tony is a friendly person, so don't be overly intimidated by the formality of the exam. Although I was initially nervous, our casual conversation helped me relax.

The oral exam focused mainly on the ACS. Interestingly, we began with the weather information for the cross-country rather than the usual currency and regulations. Tony emphasized this as it would typically be the first step in an actual flight. We reviewed the weather forecast I printed from 1800wxbrief.com, noting moderate turbulence en route and a TFR for firefighter operations near San Bernardino. Tony then reviewed weather charts on DUATS.

We discussed private pilot qualifications, limitations, and personal minimums for crosswind, visibility, and ceiling. Tony also questioned me about the maximum demonstrated crosswind for the C152, which I couldn't recall initially but found in the POH. Topics also included regulations, incidents vs. accidents, and right-of-way rules.

The regulatory segment concluded with airworthiness, where Tony had me review the maintenance logbook. Ensure you bring all required documents to the exam room as Tony will need copies.

We then covered engines, pitot-static, and vacuum systems, addressing potential issues and solutions. The human factors section touched on carbon monoxide poisoning, hyperventilation, and the five hazardous attitudes.

The majority of the oral portion focused on cross-country navigation and charts. We reviewed checkpoints, pilotage, chart symbols, emergency scenarios, communications, and airspaces in detail.

After a 15-minute break, we proceeded to the flight portion.

During preflight, Tony checked the engine, counterweights on the control surfaces, fuel, brakes, hydraulic system, and flaps.

We executed a soft-field takeoff followed by a short-approach emergency landing. Tony initiated a go-around once he observed a stabilized approach. The second landing was a soft-field landing, followed by short-field takeoffs and landings.

Following the flight plan, we reached checkpoints within close proximity to the planned times. We performed steep turns, stalls, slow-flight maneuvers, and a simulated instrument flight scenario involving unusual attitudes and an engine failure.

Upon returning to Cable, we executed a no-brake landing aiming for the first taxiway. Tony demonstrated a technique to increase drag by pulling the engine to idle. After discussing landing techniques, Tony informed me that I had passed.

We returned to the office for paperwork and a brief lesson on energy management. Tony shared an example of a skilled pilot landing precisely on a designated spot without using engine or flaps.

Overall, I had a positive experience with Tony and highly recommend him for a private checkride.