Thailand’s declining birth rate over the past several years has resulted in fewer students and a commensurate reduction in education budget, from about 330 billion baht this fiscal year to about 325.9 billion baht for 2023, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in parliament, as he responded to opposition MPs’ questions about why the education budget had been cut, today (Wednesday), the second day of the three-day first reading debate on the annual national budget.

 

The birth rate in Thailand has been steadily falling over the past 5 years. Approximately 702,000 births were recorded in 2017. In 2020, however, there were only about 587,000, which is the first time in 70 years that the rate has fallen below 600,000. The figure continued to decrease in 2021, when about 544,000 were recorded, the first year in which there were fewer births than deaths, recorded at around 563,000.

 

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Despite the cut, the Education Ministry will still receive the largest slice of the national budget cake, compared to other ministries, followed by Defence, which is set to receive 325.5 billion baht should the bill passed unchanged.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/pm-blames-reduced-education-budget-on-fewer-students-due-to-declining-birth-rate/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-06-01

 

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What do we need education for when most will be indoctrinated and conscripted to the army, let's convert all school buildings into barracks so that we can move all budget to Defense. Kids and teachers are in Army uniform already.

Edited June 1, 20224 yr by RandiRona

3 minutes ago, RandiRona said:

Why do we need education for when most will be indoctrinated and conscripted to the army, let's convert all school buildings into barracks so that we can move all budget to Defense. Kids and teachers are in Army uniform already.

Although the amount of young people conscripted in to the Armed forces is 13 % of the young people, which isn't "most" , by a long way 

10 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Although the amount of young people conscripted in to the Armed forces is 13 % of the young people, which isn't "most" , by a long way 

Yes , may be in comparison to North Korea and China....

What are they scared of ? Surrounded by enemy states?

How many wars they fought in last 100 years?

You need many to use against your own people?

Edited June 1, 20224 yr by RandiRona

Even the unborn hate you general ????

So in the past five years how many of those (fewer) kids are at school yet?

Oh, and what about a thing called inflation?
This guy is a proper one! ????

4 minutes ago, RandiRona said:

Yes , may be in comparison to North Korea and China....

What are they scared of ? Surrounded by enemy states?

How many wars they fought in last 100 years?

You need many to use against your own people?

How big do you think the Thai Army should be and what jobs should the Thai Army be doing ?

8 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

How big do you think the Thai Army should be and what jobs should the Thai Army be doing ?

That Detective, is the right question!

Now it is clear why a very famous school in Phetchaburi is hiring Thai teachers for 7.000 THB a month of which he/she has to pay 5% social security.. than is the salary 6.750 THB a month and that for  a school with more than 3500 students.......Shameful

8 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand’s declining birth rate over the past several years has resulted in fewer students and a commensurate reduction in education budget

can someone make sense of that please, evidently the source IMO is severely lacking in an education ......................... more wood 

9 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The birth rate in Thailand has been steadily falling over the past 5 years. 

Of course it could coincide with the arrival of the junta and coup leaders and young people deciding it was not the right time to start a family with Generals ruining the country

Edited June 1, 20224 yr by RichardColeman

1 hour ago, smedly said:

can someone make sense of that please, evidently the source IMO is severely lacking in an education ......................... more wood 

He's saying that the number of children entering the education system in the future will fall, based on a falling birth rate, so the budget, based on overall numbers of students, is also reduced. The budget calculation for 2022 will presumably be based on the birth rate in 2017. Whether this is a proper calculation is moot. With inflation etc, you would expect the budget to rise quite dramatically, even with fewer primary school pupils. But he's using birth rate as an overall criterion for setting the budget, because it superficially indicates less money will be required. But it's only a small part of the picture, and quite the opposite might well be the case. Does it cost less to educate 27 children in a class rather than 30? Have the costs of equipment, facilities, staff etc etc reduced? Thoroughly misleading IMHO.

10 hours ago, 2long said:

So in the past five years how many of those (fewer) kids are at school yet?

Oh, and what about a thing called inflation?
This guy is a proper one! ????

Karnnt?  Why yes yes he is

30 minutes ago, bradiston said:

He's saying that the number of children entering the education system in the future will fall, based on a falling birth rate, so the budget, based on overall numbers of students, is also reduced.

I'm surprised he does not see that as a good thing to buy more tanks, planes and subs !

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

from about 330 billion baht this fiscal year to about 325.9 billion baht for 2023

Yep it's a big drop but it's still a huge budget in a country with a substandard eduction system. Skim, skim, skim etc all the way down to the schools and this budget aint so big anymore.

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The birth rate in Thailand has been steadily falling over the past 5 years.

Linked to peoples pockets being empty and unable to raise children... but the PM doesn't see it like everyone else.

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Despite the cut, the Education Ministry will still receive the largest slice of the national budget cake, compared to other ministries, followed by Defence, which is set to receive 325.5 billion baht should the bill passed unchanged.

He could cut the defense budget in half, by slimming down the military numbers.

Then offer an annual subsidy per new born child lasting from ages 0-5.

I know I am a bit off topic, but this makes me ponder over what would happen if Thailand introduced generous family allowance as the French did after WW2. We were a single income workers class family, with 4 kids, were the allowances boosted our income 25 to 30%.

This is exactly what happens when somebody absolutely unqualified for the position of PM and previously used to doing everything purely by the numbers is in control.

Anyone genuinely interested in kids welfare would have at least maintained the budget as is and improved the system.

Has he assigned TAT  to monitor the birth rate

He seems to have completely ignored inflation, which is rampant now.

 

Maybe he's just of the opinion that it shouldn't cost too much to teach kids how to sing the national anthem, respect their superiors and not ask difficult questions. Which is pretty much the aim of Thai education.

... because if you didn't cut the education budget it would mean more could be spent per child to improve their education, but we can't have that, can we?

Perhaps he believes in the old dictum of other dictators

Keep them uneducated

Poor health

Then they become more desperate for lower paid work and are more controllable

He after all had all his education through the Army  schools and academies, why would anyone else require more?

Highschool and University education only for the elite 

 

6 minutes ago, mrfill said:

... because if you didn't cut the education budget it would mean more could be spent per child to improve their education, but we can't have that, can we?

Education has always been bottom of the pile when it comes to the budget allocations here. Always has been, under which ever government, and presumably always will be.

Entailing rote learning and blind nationalism, it's not really "education" anyway.

I would imagine the bullet proof glass screen may become a regular thing when announcements are being made that tend to make little or no sense. So your cutting the budget for education and the money is redirected to …. You won’t say that’s also a big problem you want to keep secret. 

3 hours ago, bradiston said:

Does it cost less to educate 27 children in a class rather than 30? Have the costs of equipment, facilities, staff etc etc reduced? Thoroughly misleading IMHO.

Herr General and his gang has been misleading this country since 2014 and will continue to do so.

What a Pleb, maybe increase teachers wages so they are not in debt, or free uniforms/bags etc etc. he is clueless beyond belief. Hopefully the public will get him out.

 

Why he is not wearing mask??? boom! 20k fine!

56 minutes ago, huangnon said:

Education has always been bottom of the pile when it comes to the budget allocations here. Always has been, under which ever government, and presumably always will be.

Entailing rote learning and blind nationalism, it's not really "education" anyway.

I think you'll find education has the biggest budget.

This starts out talking about birth rate, but cites absolute figures, which are interesting but they leave out the fertility rate which google gives as 1.51. I think a society's replacement rate is usually given as 2.1 or 2.2.

Would births have fallen as much if Covid had not happened? 

It gives me hope. If in an urban, modern society people just want to have sex and be free to have fun, maybe the world population will finally fall--long after I'm gone.