==The Sin of Taking the Measure To Be the Goal.==
In our modern days of the twenty first century, we are doing things (กรรม, kamma) for some purposes (เจตนา, cetanā) using certain defined methods with certain defined goals and certain measures (meters, certain standard device for measurement) of success. The bells of the churches of systematic theologies are ringing more than 5 times a day everywhere. In business enterprises, monthly targets are the measure of productivity (and success on time and on cost). In government administration and public services, the preaching are loud, some targets are set but [seemed] not really rigorously enforced. In defence, education, finance, health, local administration, police, service, transport sectors and so on. Every organization is using 'goal and measure' to drive the operations forwards.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (who will guard the guards themselves?) [found in the work (Satire VI, lines 347–348) of the Roman poet Juvenal --wikipedia] This famous quote raises the issues of quality assurance (of control). In today settings where automatic control of quality is preferred over 'forces' (thus the church of systems), quality [meeting purpose] is assured with [standard] measures.
Let us now look at a few examples of the sin of taking the measure to be the goal.
Example 1
Examples of students working for good grades instead of learning the subjects are plenty. Thailand’s education systems encourage good grades instead of good knowledge with grade-based admission/entrance. While in many cases, good grades is a good measure for ability to learn, but when the grades come from practicing answering multiple choice questions it is difficult to fit pieces into the big jigsaw picture and to show the learning. (Good grades can be a result of good memory not good reasoning.) One consequence of urging on good (multiple choice) grades is (in more familiar economic terms) 'inflation' (perhaps we make up a word like 'eduflation' for this phenomenon -- higher education grades but lower the values of those grades. Higher and higher grades are needed to demonstrate ability to work (to earn a living). In comparison to 'more and more money is needed to feed the family', when there is a wage increase, prices of good and services also increase because the cost is higher (because of wage rise), so most people with wage increase end up worse off.
Example 2
There are cases of government Offices publicizing numbers and pictures of 'project work' without real results. Many websites are set up and run without maintenance nor up-to-date information. Many show more pictures of head of offices, ceremonies and meetings without substance of the projects they are running. The follow-ups are quite rare. The build-ups on successful projects are rarer still.
The measures are reported but how they meet the goals are often missing.
Example 3
Researchers using wrong statistical methods to claim results and promotions are weakening Thailand.
A common statistical assumption that the data is 'normally distributed' (and so by the Central Limit Theorem, only a small sample of [experiment/test] data can represent the [much larger] whole population. The sample data is collected without regard to criteria for 'good data collection'. Then the sample data is used in t-test (Student test which depends on 'normally distributed data') without validating the the sample is actually 'normally distributed'. Reports on results and tests with confidence level of 95% are made and submitted and in many cases accepted.
There is no ‘later’ validation of result of research and there is no latter verification of of the result of application of the research work on students. This leads to lowering rigorousness of research systems as a whole.
Notes
This phenomenon is well described by ==Goodhart’s Law== states that “when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” In other words, when we use a measure to reward performance, we provide an incentive to manipulate the measure in order to receive the reward.
Democracy is a modern political goal, and election is a measure for selection of the nation's guardians who are to develop and maintain prosperity, sovereignty and welfare of the people. It is already a cascading systems and difficult to maintain [automatically]. Elections in countries around the world are showing weaknesses to satisfy democracy. Democracy itself is weakening by fraction and dissatisfaction. The goal of society [constitution] is shifting and changing with the measure. Sweet points have not been found for most countries.
It’s sad to know. I agree. Something that is not appropriate must be terminated. I also doubt whether the result of achievement should be traced with its process(es) to guarantee the achievement. …วิโรจน์ ครับ
Awareness is an important stage in learning, isn’t it?
Should we learn to recognize ‘this sin’ and learn not to accept/do/propagate it?
Thailand (and the world) is not lacking in ingenuity nor deceit, we block one channel and water will find another way to lower its level ;-)
How can we block ‘all’ channels so that water level can only rise?
I would like to suggest reading Prof Vicharn Vanich’s
วิพากษ์การพัฒนาที่ยั่งยืนด้านการศึกษา (SDG 4) เพื่อการศึกษาไทยไม่ตกหลุมพราง https://www.gotoknow.org/posts/713391 …แต่ตัวชี้วัดกลับเน้นที่ปริมาณหรือตัวเลข ไม่เน้นเรื่องคุณภาพ …เน้นผลิต qualified teachers ผ่าน teacher training
Thank you for such insight and informative observation on Thai Education. I agree with you on using fake statistics and saved face-reports in Thai context. I fought against both through out my life, but little effects for the fact that we run our country with unbalance powers of the three branches of Democratic governing system:: Legislative, executive, and judiicial branches, especially the last one that over rule all others. The problem is like what you pointed out and more over we are ‘silent society’ as old proverb says: speak out cost a few buck, but keep quiet shall yield profit (พูดไปสองไพเบี้ย นื่งเสียตำลึงทอง). Although the outcomes do not conform the saying: Power-person speak out, get all, the powerlessness speak out, end in jail. Although the outcome might not be as we expect, people like you and me point out the problems and suggest how to solve them. Occasionally or Most of the time it might not work as we think, like วิทยฐานะ that I proposed for hoping to promote value added education. And after it did not turned out the way we wanted, we felt ‘guilty’. Only people like you and me who are always accountable for our actions, but many might not even cares at all. But, because this world has the people like Edison, Einstein, Hawking, etc. that encores the way we are now. Although it might be another way around, I mean, leaving the world alone a primitive one and might not have to face pulution as it is today. But we might miss a lot of experiences. You and me might not have a chance to read each other thoughts through internet.
Thank you for you insight and informative writing again.
Saman Asawapoom
ps: I hope you don’t mind if I share your ideas with my friends.
It’s an honor to receive your attention and good comment for such a prominent academic ศ.ดร. สมาน (Saman) อัศวภูมิ (Asawapoom). I thank you.
Please accept my apologies for not responding timely. Family (a new grandchild) and health (cataract surgeries) and home security (invasion of certain protected wildlife and crop destruction by resident wildlife, restoration of facilities due to excessive rains and storms) has taken a lot out of me for the last few months. ;-)
I am a believer of the “Ascent of Man”. Human have capacities intellectually and physically to reach up and to become citizen of the universe one day. Though at the present time from where we are, we have a long way to go. We have learned a lot of “Nature” (‘Physics’ in a more encompassing sense) and “Culture” (‘Morality’ and ‘Practice’ in our daily life). We know what good and bad, but sometimes, some fall in into the traps (buddhist’s lobha, dosa and moha) and drag some along. And sometimes, some choose the other way and ascend.
We are living on the edge of ‘chaos’ (of ‘good’ side and bad side), creating false images (māyā) to control the burning in our mind and seeking opportunities to be ‘more’. Education is a way to shape the image of ‘more’. Culturization is another. We can help to make ‘more’ commonsense and ‘everywhere’ and so the edge is tipping away from the bad side. (cross finger 🤞️)