Youths protest '12 core values' online

A group of youngsters calling itself Education for Liberation of Siam on Tuesday launched an online petition against the Education Ministry’s plan to have primary and secondary school students recite 12 core values in the second semester which will start next week.

The 12 core values of Thais



1. A love of the three tenets of the nation: the nation, religion and the monarchy



2. Honesty, sacrifice, patience



3. Gratitude and obedience towards one’s parents, guardians and teachers



4. A pursuit of knowledge, both directly and indirectly



5. Preserve Thai traditions in a good way



6. Morality and kindness to others



7. Understanding and knowledge of a constitutional monarchy



8. Discipline, obeying the law, respecting elders



9. Sensibility, knowing how to think, knowing what to do



10. Knowing how to live one’s life under the sufficiency economy theory



11. A strong mind, not wielding to dark forces



12. Working towards the common good rather than personal gain



A group of youngsters calling themselves "Education for Liberation of Siam" on Tuesday launched an online petition against the Education Ministry's plan to have primary and secondary school students recite daily the "12 core values of Thais" when they return to school next week.

The group comprised of high school students called on their peers and the general public to oppose the plan by signing up at change.org.

The 12 core values were drafted by the National Council for Peace and Order and NCPO leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha mirror many of those from two decades ago. They include a "correct" understanding of democracy, discipline and respect for the law and elders, and putting the public and national good above self-interest.

In its statement addressed to Education Minister Adm Narong Pipatanasai and permanent secretary for education Sutthasi Wongsaman, the group said it did not agree with the forced recitation of the 12 values in schools because the practice was a "thought control over students" by an authoritarian method.

"They foster what they regarded as virtue into juveniles without pondering about diversity. They scornfully look at juveniles as an empty container into which they can press any ideologies. These thoughts should not happen among educators in the 21st century," the group said.

The group said it previously tried to calmly negotiate with authorities by sending them an open letter, but the group's voice was ignored.

Members demanded the ministry review the plan, explaining the proper education reform will not take place unless the juveniles' voices - a core element in the education system - are taken into consideration.

The group, led by its secretary-general and a Mathayom 5 student Nathanan Warintharavej, gathered outside the Education Ministry Oct 14 to oppose the order for them to recite the 12 values at schools.

The young protesters recited the values to a youngster wearing a mask of Gen Prayut and carried placards that said: "Listen to children to make changes to education"; "Values can't be forced"; and "Learning is through action, not recitation."

A video uploaded by a YouTube user Gunturret shows pupils from the Education for Liberation of Siam group hold an anti-core values protest outside the Ministry of Education on Oct 14.