NOTE
I recommend this article to the notice of the
Minister of Education and the UnderSecretary. I have
marked certain passage in red, because some of them
impress me, and others state very clearly what I
have felt all along.
All systems and rules and syllabus are really
so much waste paper, and worse still _ waste of
time, if they do not succeed in producing the sort
of citizens we want for our country. I do not say
that what applies to England will equally apply to
Siam. On the contrary it would be a very grave
mistake to adopt English methods in tots without
alteration, but the article may give one some few
ideas.
In the Royal Pages Colleges, what I want is
not so much to turn out model boys, all of the same
Standard, all brilliant Madhayom Scholars with
thousands of marks each, as to turn out efficient
young men, _ young men who will be physically and
morally clean, and who will be looking forward
keenly to take up whatever burden the future may lay
upon them. _I do not want monument of learning who
have passed all your exams with flying colours. I do
not want a walking school books. What I want are
just manly young men, honest, truthful, clean in
habit and thoughts; and I would not break my heart
about it if you told me that such or such a fellow
writes with difficulty, cant do compound fraction,
or does not know any geometry, if I only knew that
he has learnt enough at my school to know the
difference between true manliness and effeminacy. I
never want again to hear clever people complaining
that "ปัญญาท่วมหัวเอาตัวไม่รอด".
At the Mahadlek College, what I want is that
Education should mean the turning of a boy into a
fine young man and a good citizen, not to crush out
all individuality under the weight of Syllabus and
System!_ and I want Education to be interesting to
the boys, so that they would in later days be able
to look back upon School life as something
peculiarly pleasant to have passed through. My
College is not to be compared to other schools,
where the aim is different. If I had wanted just the
ordinary kind of school, I would have founded a day
school, not a boarding one.
All this may all or may not be in accord with
your scheme of Education _if it is, then I am glad;
but if not, then please let me have a fair trial
with my idea. Dont try and make my Teachers toe
your line"; let them toe mine, because they are
running in my "sports", in which I am giving
the "Cups".
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