After they’ve finished raising the flag, reciting Buddhist prayers and singing patriotic songs, students will have one more daily ritual before they get to learning: reciting the “12 National Values,” inspired by Prime Minister-General Prayuth Chan-ocha’s words of wisdom.
Students from Prathom 1 to Mathayom 6 levels at all schools will be required to recite the “12 National Values,” starting next semester, Kamol Rodklai, chief of the Office of the Basic Education Commission told Nation Multimedia yesterday.
Here are the very important 12 values as translated into English by Khaosod.
“One, love the Nation, Religion, Monarchy
Two, honesty, sacrifice, endurance
Three, gratitude to your parents with all your hearts
Four, strive to learn and be diligent in studies
Five, preserve the national culture
Six, do not lack in morality and religion
Seven, learn about sovereignty of the people
Eight, maintain discipline and Thai law
Nine, practice the Royal Teaching
Ten, you can live on Self-Sufficiency
Eleven, be strong in body and mind
And twelve, think of the greater good”
The 12 values are a personal project of Prayuth, but there is no confirmation whether he wrote them himself. They will also be turned into a song for students to remember easily, according to Education Minister Admiral Narong Pipattanasai.
However, the success of this policy won’t be measured by how well the students recite the values, but how they live them, officials said.
The Ministry will propose a teaching plan on how students can implement the values in their daily life, Narong added.
No, actually, another test may be a pretty good idea, Education Secretary-General Dr. Sutthasri Wongsamarn said, indicating the 12 values would be put into student exams, according to Thai Post.
That’s two more values to remember than the 10 of the “Children’s Duty” still in schools today. Written in 1955 during the era of a previous military dictator, Plaek Phibunsongkhram and also known as also known as the “Good Kid” song, the song’s “10 Good Kid Values” have been taught in schools ever since and played on Children’s Day every January.
Here are the lyrics, well known to all Thais:
“One, hold a religion
Two, preserve Thai traditions
Three, listen to parents, guardians, and teachers
Four, speak politely in a soft tone
Five, show gratitude
Six, know your duty
Seven, seek for knowledge, do not be lazy
Eight, be frugal, learn to save money
Nine, always be honest, understand sportsmanship
Ten, be useful, know the law of karma and preserve national properties
The children in the age of country’s development will lead Thailand to civilization”
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