Model Schools Struggling To Cope With Debt

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Model schools struggling to cope with debt

Project is successful but subsidies cover only third of costs: survey

BANGKOK: -- The government's model-school project has some tangible results to show for itself but has thrown participating lab schools more than Bt7.74 billion in debt, according to one report.

"Research shows school administrators are suffering from stress because of debt problems," Assoc Prof Jariya Setthabut, a senior official at the Education Ministry said yesterday.

"For example, they incurred debts and owed money to construction-material stores," she said.

"With more facilities at the schools and visitors who call on the schools for educational tours to take care of, these schools have to shoulder much bigger expenses," she said.

A large laboratory school in the project now carries Bt7 million in debt on average, medium-sized schools about Bt1.45 million and small schools Bt1.26 million.

"Government subsidies cover just one-third of what these lab schools really paid out," she said.

Only 30 per cent of the lab schools received the government subsidies on time, she told an Education Council seminar held to release the report that reveals how much money they have put into transforming themselves into model schools.

The findings were based on Dhurakij Pundit University's survey of 471 out of 921 lab schools in the project.

Jariya said the schools had tried to raise funds from local communities and networks to cope with the huge overhead, but very often they could not get enough and fell into debt.

Paitoon Khankaew, the principal of Lue Amnat Wittayakhom School in Amnat Charoen, said the increasing costs were putting lab-school administrators under pressure.

However, Jariya pointed out that these schools boasted outstanding facilities for information and communications technology, allowing students to enjoy studying more than ever.

"They become e-schools like well-equipped schools in major towns. Their teachers have proper ICT knowledge to teach children," she said.

The students have demonstrated greater self-confidence and ease in expressing themselves through activities and opportunities offered at their schools, while the schools have encouraged children to further their education in their hometowns rather than move to the city, she added.

Paitoon said intake at his school had climbed from 789 in 2005 to 940 last year and 1,083 this year.

Oratai Nuankham, head of the Educational Innovation Development Bureau, told The Nation that the review might have been conducted before the four-year project ended last year.

"Before the completion of this project, the lab schools had already cleared their arrears," she said, while admitting that schools would likely incur new liabilities because they had to keep spending on educational improvements.

"To provide educational services, we have to invest. These investments are worthwhile," she said.

The lab schools have managed to persuade about 100,000 children from leaving their hometowns to enrol at provincial schools in big cities.

"Through this project, lab schools do not compete on which one will have a more beautiful fence. They compete academically and this is good for children," Oratai said.

Model schools have also proved themselves in grooming students for the best undergraduate programmes.

"Of the total graduates, 76.2 per cent have now become students at one of the country's top 10 universities," she said.

Kasama Varawarn, secretary-general of the Basic Education Commission, said the project had turned a new page for secondary education upcountry.

"We have now expanded the lab-school project to primary schools," she said.

The project for primary schools started late last year.

-- The Nation 2007-10-22