Education and degrees do matter for Thai students while western people don’t really care about how educated people are (this is what I’ve heard). So a graduation ceremony is what Thai university students and their parents always look forward to. Getting a degree means a success in life and as for Thai society, it’s not only a value but it’s what can obviously be seen in every day life.
There are a number of state universities and private ones in Thailand and of course students who graduate from state universities usually gain more advantage in applying for a job as they are the very first choices for several companies.
The graduation ceremony is also held at the different period of time for different universities. The person who gives the degree certificate is also the different ones. For some universities, it’s an honour to get the degree certificate from a royal family member while some university students get it from the president of their university.
It’s the proudest moment for those students and their parents as the degree commonly means their efforts capabilities and IQ.
On the ceremony, apart from attending the hall to get the certificate, when the ceremony is done, it’s time for taking photos and each the graduate will hire their private photographer, some of which are professional while some are the graduates’ friends. They also invite loads of their old friends, cousins and their juniors in the uni to join them in hundreds of photos
June 25th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
“Education and degrees do matter for Thai students while western people don’t really care about how educated people are”
I think this applies to companies rather than individuals. It’s a lot easier to find employment in the west based on experience, whereas most Thai managed companies insist on a degree.
Successful people without a degree will obviously say that it doesn’t matter… why would they, they got through life okay without one!
Also - Degree’s from the west are a lot more prestigious, both for Thai companies and western countries. Most western companies and people seem to think that Thai uni’s are a bit of a joke with the way they run the curriculum. A perfect example is that students must attend sport activities even though they are not studying sport (so I’ve been told)… what is the point in that?
I guess it boils down to culture… I have western friends that lived in Thailand for many years but as soon as they had kids, they moved back home as they think the education in the west in better.
Education in Thailand is way behind the west, which is a real shame.
Either way, anyone that has studied something for many years deserves recognition as it’s not easy… in Thailand or in the west.
Anyway, just my 2 bahts worth