Samak gets serious about
Thailand's 12-year free education
By Jon Fernquest |
Sometimes straight talk [Thai: put trong] is sorely needed and Thailand's current Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej, is a master of straight talk.
Every year official policy assures everyone that education in Thailand will be free. Then every year education that is not free slips by unnoticed. Not this year.
Hopefully, the two parties (PPP, Democrat) will put their differences behind them and work together on this problem for the welfare of the nation.
See photo on right of Democrat Party billboard at Din daeng intersection in Bangkok during the last election promising free education for all.
Read a previous Bangkok Post article about free education in Thailand.
Here is the article in full:
EDUCATION
PM slams schools that bill parents extra
YUWADEE TUNYASIRI THAI NEWS AGENCYMonday May 26, 2008
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday slammed public schools that charge parents extra fees, saying they are contradicting the state's 12-year free education programme.
Though the Education Ministry announced in February a free education policy starting this academic year, many parents are still being forced to pay "tea money", or extra money beyond tuition fees.
Mr Samak reacted angrily as he read a complaint about the burden of schooling sent in by a parent during his TV and radio talk show yesterday.
"The government wants your children to receive free education," he told the audience. "But school owners might adopt some tricks, so it's your duty to denounce them."
In March, the cabinet approved a 2.9-billion-baht budget for the 12-year free education programme at the elementary and secondary levels. This is to fulfil a constitutional promise of free basic education for all.
Education Minister Somchai Wongsawat said earlier the all-inclusive programme would cover all extra costs.
Each school will receive more subsidies to make sure they can pay for each student.
However, only a week after schools reopened, hundreds of parents at a recognised school in Pathum Thani reportedly staged a walkout from a meeting after they were told to pay extra money. They were given a 15-item list of expenses, which included the cost of projects to develop students' potential and fees for guest speakers.
The enraged parents said the costs were doubled this year. They believe some of the costs should be absorbed by the schools, not them.
Education officials said the school director told them the school did not have enough money to cover such increasing costs as power bills.
According to the Office of the Basic Education Commission, parents can voluntarily pay costs for infrastructure and educational resources.
Mr Samak told all schools to make it clear whether the state subsidies were enough for them. They should not charge more fees to parents while saying they provide free education, he said.
The ministry will today unveil how much the government subsidises its schools and how it would solve problems if some do not have enough money to cover total costs.
An initial survey has found most schools, mainly small and medium-sized ones under the education commission, have no trouble with the subsidies.
Up to 76% of 8,316 schools countrywide could run the schools under the budget provided by the government, said secretary-general Khunying Kasama Voravarn na Ayudhaya.
(Source: Bangkok Post, general news, 26-05-08, YUWADEE TUNYASIRI THAI NEWS AGENCY, page 4, temp-link)
Vocabulary:
slammed - criticised strongly
get serious about Y - going to treat Y as important, unlike the past
straight talk - tell people the unpleasant truth, speak frankly
sorely needed - needed very much
slip by unnoticed - something happened and nobody saw it or knew about it
put their differences behind them - forget about the things you disagree about for a while, so you can work together
billboard - a very big sign by the side of the road with an advertisement
contradicting - disagreeing with, not consistent with (both cannot be true at the same time)
tea money - (slang) bribes
tuition fees - school fees, money paid to school for education
denounce - criticise seriously and publicly
fulfil a promise - do what you promised to do
all-inclusive programme - the programme includes everything you need, no extras
subsidies - money paid by the government to cover costs of operation or production (without subsidy continued operation usually not possible)
staged a walkout from a meeting - walk out of the meeting in protest
enraged parents - very angry parents
costs should be absorbed by the schools - schools should pay the costs, the costs should not be passed on to parents
voluntarily pay - pay if they want to pay, not necessary to pay
unveil - introduce to the public (See glossary)
