By Wannapa Phetdee

Want your kids to have a happy life? Instil in them life subjects that are not taught in school: teach them to share and co-exist happily with others in society.

"Huge incomes generated by tutorial institutions could indicate that parents are leading their children down the path to hardship because they focus only on academic knowledge," says Buppasawat Ratchatatanan, director of the Buddhist-leaning Thaw Si School.

As a result, she says, parents overlook how their children live with others in their community or at school and how to teach them to be good. This has given rise to lots of problems among kids.

She was speaking at a discussion on 'Subjects Untaught by Schools' at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation yesterday.

"In fact, academic matters can be found in life subjects. Teachers and parents should give children a chance to learn academic subjects relating to their life together with instilling in them patience, self-confidence, accountability, sympathy and responsibility," Buppasawat says.

Chaiwat Chaijaruwanit, a member of a group that educates children and youth through communities, says formal education is actually pulling them out of their community, as children believe they will be able to learn only if they go to school; they don't recognise that they can learn many other things from their community, which will help them live a happier life.

"Thai education focuses on academic subjects but forgets to educate children on many other things outside school that are necessary to their life," Buppasawat says. "This has led to an increase in child and youth problems.

"If the government focuses only on money or a good economy and aims to boost only academic knowledge, society won't be happy and there will be a number of problems as we're |seeing today. It should change the direction of education and lay emphasis on life subjects that will help our children and youth live |happily," she adds. -DAILY XPRESS