Student Union calls on premier to scrap new ‘code of conduct’
Freedom of expression is at stake, leaders say
Representatives from the Student Union of Thailand gathered at the Education Ministry yesterday to demand a revision of a proposed amendment to student conduct regulations issued in 2005. They say the amendment will have a negative impact on their freedom.
The student activists submitted a petition to the Prime Minister via the ministry in which they demanded the complete scrapping of new regulations which bar students from public gatherings, “inappropriate” displays of affection and causing a public disturbance.
The Education Ministry had recently submitted a request in which it sought to restrict students from public assembly that could cause public disturbances. The student’s request has been forwarded to the Council of State.
In its proposal, the ministry said it wanted to prevent the problems of brawling, motorcycle racing, and drug use. It also sought to clamp down on public displays of affection or any act deemed lewd. It went on to warn students not to share revealing pictures on social media.
The new draft would also prevent students from leaving school premises as it might be deemed a nuisance.
Members of the student union were seen holding banners writing “Stop! Controlling the freedom of students”, and raised questions about whether the move to make these changes had a hidden political motive by the government.
“The new amendments will have a negative effect on the quality of life and education of students as the draft clearly infringes on individual privacy. The language used in the amendments also carry great ambiguity, which poses the threat for it to be used as a political apparatus to restrict students’ political rights and freedom of expression,” says Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, the Student Union’s president.
“The Student Union has kindly asked the Ministry of Education to put an end to the new amendments and seriously consider guaranteeing that the lives of students belongs to the students,” the Thammasat University student said.
The petition was officially handed to the permanent secretary of education Karun Sakulpradit, who will submit it to the prime minister for consideration.
“I would like to assure that the amendment to students’ conduct are designed as a safeguard to protect children and that there are no political motives behind it. Most importantly, the Ministry of Education does not intend to infringe on students’ rights or undermine their freedom of expression,” Mr Karun said.
“This approach to raise awareness is correct, but please approach the matter carefully as the end goal is to build a framework which ensures the youth are free from temptations,” Mr Karun added.
Alot of people, once they reach adulthood, seem to forget that they, too, were once children. That could explain why they try to deny children the pleasure (and pain) of childhood. We learned in psychology and biology class about “growing pains”. But this is a natural process that teaches us survival skills and allows us to remain human.
However, modern life often inflicts artificial pain that robs us of our humanity.
A long time ago, we only had to go through the anxiety of sitting entrance exams for high schools or colleges. Now many parents impose this pressure on their children as early as kindergarten level.
For many children, schools feel more like labour camps with guards masquerading as teachers.
There are all sorts of rules but they don’t always make sense. Teachers are the rule enforcers but they could be arbitrary in taking action that results in shame and humiliation for children.
It may be true that those rules originated from good intentions, namely, rule makers’ wish to see children grow up to become well-adjusted adults.
But many of the rules were formulated in the byzantine era and somehow have survived to these days.
Over and again, debate has raged about the merits of requiring students to have closely cropped hair, and whether college students should have to wear uniforms.
College-level students are normally subjected to fewer rules than their juniors, on the assumption that they are at an age where they can take more responsibility for their actions.
Still, more conservative groups seek to find ways to ensure young people do not stray from “social norms and moral conduct”.
Most recently, the cabinet has approved a set of revised rules to impose a social and moral code on students.
As always is the case with attempts to control freedom of expression, the rules are shrouded in vague and broad language that leaves plenty of room for official interpretation.
The proposed rules are a revision of the 2005 regulations on student conduct
that prohibits public displays of affection, as well as acts that cause a public nuisance at night.
Under these rules, students are not allowed to assemble in any way that would create “disorderly conduct or conduct against good morals”.
Students are forbidden from displaying “inappropriate, sexual affection”. The rule used to be enforceable for such conduct in public but now it will apply in both private and public domains.
Students are also prohibited “at all times” from assembling and causing a public nuisance. The rule used to apply only at nighttime.
Immediately, many questions spring to mind, foremost of which is how the authorities plan to enforce the rules, and if they are capable of enforcing them.
Are the rules also to be applied to young people out of the school system? How do enforcement officials identify the targets, especially if they are not in student uniform? How do they plan to monitor students’ behaviour behind closed doors?
Can young people hold hands? Can
they be seen having bowls of noodles together while stars dance in their eyes? Do they need to sit apart in movie theatres?
Questions inevitably and quickly descend into silliness. The last but not least question would be: Don’t the authorities have better things to spend their time on?
The last question is rhetorical, of course. There are many more productive activities that officials can engage in, things like: How to create a better environment for learning, how to encourage
young people to be more creative, how to train them to be more flexible and adaptable to a fast-changing world without being turned into a senseless robot.
These rules, if they were truly a moral code, obviously have been created by old people who have forgotten what being young is like.
Or maybe they are just jealous. Being young, to summarise, means an inclination to find new and creative ways to lead a life, to tackle challenges, to express oneself and to find love and happiness. Needless to say, not everyone
will be successful in their endeavours. But everyone will learn if given a chance. Learning will not grow from an oppressive system.
Without learning, countries cannot progress. So you can forget about the much-hyped Thailand 4.0.
These are just some impacts of the regime’s latest attempt at social control. More cynical minds also see a political undertone.
People are becoming restless because of political oppression and social and economic inequalities. The main groups that can be motivated and mobilised into an active force to demand change are young people.
The new rules will give the authorities an excuse to nib any discontent in the bud, masking their actions as social rather than political ones.
These old fogies may have forgotten the world has moved beyond the 19th century. Their old world model has faded, and rightly so.
These rules have been created by old people who have forgotten what being young is like.