Reality TV
Who is still watching Academy Fantasia 4? I asked because according to my sources among the upmarket media ladies munching set and the members’ bar boozing set: “Nobody is watching AF4. Nobody.” It hasn’t set Bangkok on fire, nor has it excites me and why? Because there is really no outstanding singer in the series ever. What there has been – what there still is – is a bunch of epically overblown emotional progressions, and desperately flawed, inconsistent and astoundingly ordinary performances.
Some credits have to be given to the show though, in many ways it does help a small minority of Thai people succeed, and brought out the best in them. Instead of dropping all of our effort into AF, we could expand this idea further and apply it to the other reality TV shows and benefit more people the society.
We could put the best and the brightest in charge of a challenging but vital institution and gives them time to turn it around. A school would be a perfect host for such a venture. An institution that can produce painful humour and sorrow in equal measure, and that can, in certain circumstances, change the life of young people. The project would provide heart-rending entertainment and the real possibility of social good.
The best measure of a good school is the one that can motivate team of staff and students, and engage a community to share the clear vision. We know where the best schools are and where to find the failing schools. We also understand how hard it is to change years of backward education systems, social disadvantage, and low expectations from students attending such schools. So why don’t TV producers give this a go?
Get the top consultants, administrators, or CEOs of big affluent firms such as JP Morgan, Citibank, or McKinsey to lend hand as a head teacher. Get PricewaterhouseCoopers to look at the finance of the school, figure out how the school can make the most out of its resources and how to generate greater future income, which could be put back into the system to make schooling even better.
Give these people one year and follow it with a camera. The educational department should also pay close attention to what all these smart people have to say about the Thai educational system. They got to their positions because they are ahead of the game. Thailand is falling behind China, India and Vietnam at a faster rate than ever.
Our primary school text books with farmers working in the rice paddy field are outdated, and needed to be updated with more inspiring occupations, such as engineering which created the tractors to work for human.
And why should you big companies send in your top people to be on the show? The smart company wouldn’t be asking me this question. They know that this is a great way to contribute back and relate to the public on a personal scale. Everyone knows a child, if not have one, and of course we care how they are being raised, and we want to ensure they get the best education they can possibly get. It will show the public which companies have the smartest and most capable people working for them, and who the company is looking to recruit. It will be a fantastic genuine opportunity for marketing, instead of self-proclaiming that the company is good.
Now this could be entirely unethical, and raised a lot of debate on filming children and their vulnerabilities, glamorizing people’s problems, and experimenting with education. But it wouldn’t have to be. Many students were adamant that these might be a way forward, to turn around the backward educational systems. If nothing else, it would show either that it is impossible to turn around a school even when you have the best people on board, or that it is entirely possible, you just need to invest. Both outcomes would certainly give us a new perspective on the realities of school life, and for that, it might be worth a try.
Alternatively, we could follow Indian latest reality TV show, The Scholar Hunt, which children had to compete for a grant to study in the top university in the UK. It is a combination of The Apprentice meets the Weakest Link. Students had to take exams, face tough interviews, and do a Mastermind-style quiz show for eight weeks. In the final episode, the contestants have to construct a machine which would propel a ball the furthest. The scholarship to study in England was a prize coveted by millions of Indian school pupils. In a way, I could see how this would also encourage Thai students to concentrate on their studies and there is more to life than being a winner on The Academy Fantasia.
Test yourself
Here are some questions from the ‘easier’ rounds of the Indian TV quiz:
Q: What metal is extracted from the ore bauxite?
A: Aluminium
Q: Which are the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust?
A: Oxygen and silicon
Q: Which letters do not appear in the periodic table of elements
A: J and Q
Q: Who proposed the theory of continental drift?
A: Alfred Wegener
