Thais not convinced by rock singer’s charity run for education
Singer Toon Bodyslam’s plan to run 109 kilometres to raise funds for 109 students faces criticism. Detractors urge him to ask the government to provide free education. In the first half of the 2021, the number of poor students rose by 30 per cent.
Bangkok (AsiaNews) – In Thailand, the latest charity initiative by Toon Bodyslam (stage name of Artiwara Kongmalai), one of the best-known Thai rockers and lead singer for the Bodyslam band, might be a flop.
An eager runner, the singer organised several runs across the country in recent years to raise awareness of social problems and collect funds for various charitable initiatives, as well as get Thais into physical fitness.
After a similar initiative last year, his proposal for a "virtual race" (with individual runners participating at a distance) of 109 kilometers from 1 January to 28 February to finance the education of as many middle school students, has met with a lot of criticism.
In a country where free education stops at lower secondary school, up to a million students enrolled in higher grades could benefit from free access to education.
The financial burden on families for their children’s education is a very hot topic in Thailand, not to mention the poor level of preparation and constant nationalistic indoctrination, especially at a time when a large number of people face economic hardships.
It is estimated that the number of poor students rose to at least 1.24 million in the first half of 2021, up 30 per cent over the previous year.
This situation has led many students to drop out of school in order help their families as well as pushed some into a life of crime or addictions.
What is more, the transition to online learning has been difficult, especially for junior high school students, who show significant weaknesses in crucial subjects.
The problem is even more serious for students in more remote areas (87 per cent of students in 29 of the country’s 76 provinces). Unable to follow online lessons due to a lack of electricity or adequate technology, they are now far behind their luckier fellow students and at risk of dropping out for good.
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23/04/2016 13:41
