Truly free education for all Thais,
no matter how poor,
without hidden charges, right now?
By Jon Fernquest |
Thailand's newly elected government has vowed to really provide free education to everyone this time around.
A Bangkok Post article discussed these plans yesterday.
Rural farming households in Thailand have long found it necessary to supplement their income with work in the informal sector (temporary work in the non-agricultural part of the Thai economy) often migrating to Bangkok to work as migrant labourers for part of the year. [See lecture by professor Pasuk of Chulalongkorn university on this subject]
If they can get their children through college, their children may even make the big jump into Thailand's formal work sector and get a permanent job in a large Bangkok company that will lead to permanent improvements in the family's standard of living.
(See photo on right of Terry Fredrickson giving a Bangkok Post seminar to young students)
Yesterday the Bangkok Post ran an article on the new universal free education proposal:
"The Education Ministry has agreed in principle to cover all costs under the 12-year free education scheme, and to extend free schooling to cover two years of kindergarten as well. Education Minister Somchai Wongsawat said yesterday the free education scheme must not contain hidden costs for parents.
"Free" education has long been a goal, the only problem is that education has never really been completely free. Small expenses that aren't small at all for poor people inevitably creep back in:
Parents had complained that their children do not actually go to school for free, as they have to foot the bills for charges such as laboratory and computer use, and extra-curricular activities.The government gives state schools annual subsidies under the 12-year free education policy. But most schools claim the subsidies are inadequate and pass costs they are unable to absorb onto parents."
Many important educational expenses incurred by parents would be covered in full under the proposal including two years of kindergarden, textbooks, school uniforms, and other personal expenses:
"The two years of kindergarten schooling would also be free of charge...Mr Somchai said the ministry would also need a separate budget of 2.7 billion baht to pay for textbooks in five core subjects for primary and lower secondary-school students.
The ministry would also pay another 988 million baht to help meet uniform costs and other personal expenses incurred by poor students."
The new education minister is calling for immediate action:
Mr Somchai said the education scheme would now cover all extra costs and the all-inclusive programme could begin as soon as the next academic year in May, instead of being progressively introduced over the next three years.
Of course, this proposal will require money and getting budgetary approval is not at all a sure thing:
Mr Somchai said at least 2.4 billion baht more would be required each year to make 12-year education truly free, as well as covering the additional two years of kindergarten.The policy was discussed at a meeting between agencies under the ministry and the Budget Bureau yesterday.
The subsidy covers 12 years of primary and secondary school.
"This is an urgent issue for the government. The change must be made quickly to relieve the burden on parents," Mr Somchai said.
"The Budget Bureau will decide in the next few days if it can accommodate the full subsidy as the Education Ministry plans," he said.
A full free-education subsidy would amount to 1,700 baht a student at kindergarten level. The annual subsidy for primary school students would be raised from 1,499 baht a head to 1,900 baht.
Lower primary school students would get 3,500 baht a head per year, up from 2,649 baht at present, while the subsidy for upper primary school students would rise from 3,249 to 3,800 baht per head...
There is also a shortage of teaching staff that needs to be acted on immediately:
Mr Somchai said he would tell the ministry's manpower commission to move quickly to replace all teachers who retired last year.Altogether 4,263 teachers retired last year but not all were replaced, which had worsened a shortage of teaching staff.
(Source: Bangkok Post, 28-02-08, general news, page 4, Sirikul Bunnag, temp-link)
Vocabulary:
this time around - will happen this time, has failed to happen several times
supplement - an additional or extra thing
urban informal sector - vendors, mom and- pop stores, services, small enterprises, illegal businesses, and a big casual workforce floating between jobs in many areas, on notable area being construction (See professor Pasuk's lecture)
formal sector - people with relatively permanent jobs in enterprises of some scale, usually in Bangkok, only 8% of the Thai economy (See professor Pasuk's lecture)
migrant labourers - people who move from one region to another region or from one country to another country to work
agreed in principle - in general agree with it, but do not know the details yet and whether it will really be possible
cover all costs - all costs are paid for
a scheme - a plan or arrangement made by a government or other organisation
inevitably - certain to happen, cannot be prevented or avoided
foot the bills - pay the bills
charges - a payment that has to be made for something
extra-curricular activities - school activities outside of normal school activities (such as sports, music, dances, festivals, or field trips)
subsidies - money paid by the government to help some project, industry, or business
absorb costs - pay for the costs yourself, rather than making someone else like the customer or the parents of schoolchildren pay for it
pass costs onto parents - instead of paying for it, make the parents pay for it
expenses incurred - money paid for something and recorded in accounting records
covered in full - all of it is paid for
core subjects - the most important subjects that everyone has to take (Math, Thai reading and writing)
calling for immediate action - asking people to do this right now without waiting
all-inclusive - includes everything
progressively introduced - introduced slowly over time
relieve the burden - make a difficult thing that someone has to do less difficult
