NEW SEMESTER

Parents worry about cost of uniforms

The Nation

Rising demands for 'tea money' and kids' circle of friends also a concern

BANGKOK: -- Parents are having to pay more for their children’s student uniforms, meals, transportation and textbooks, while some also have to pay "tea money" of as much as Bt400,000, according to an ABAC Poll released yesterday.

Puntaree Issarangkul Na Ayudhaya, assistant director of Assumption University's ABAC Poll, said yesterday that 1,214 parents were surveyed on their concerns about their children's first semester this academic year. The poll, conducted from April 17 through Wednesday, found that 69.4 per cent admitted to being worried about their kids' schooling expenses this term.

Concern over who their kids were friends with was the top overall concern, held by 51.1 per cent of parents, followed by drug abuse (50.3 per cent) and school expenses (47.8 per cent). Following these in descending order were: children assembling for unlawful/inappropriate purposes; superfluous spending by children; children getting caught in traffic jams; substandard education; and children's problems fitting in.

Parents on average prepared about Bt40,000 to cover tuition fees, tutoring course fees and tea money. Those with kids in private schools prepared about Bt50,000, while those with kids at state-run schools prepared about Bt35,000, Puntaree said.

The poll also found that among worries over school expenses, uniforms ranked top at 77.8 per cent, followed by meals and fares (77.3 per cent), and textbooks, stationery and tools (68 per cent). Other expenses included tuition fees, extra-curricular activity fees, school maintenance fees and tea money, and dormitory expenses, in that order.

Research showed that some parents who wanted to put their kids in a new school had to pay "tea money" of up to Bt400,000. Parents believed that the 15-year free education policy helped shoulder some of their burden, but not much, Puntaree said.

Meanwhile, Bamnej Thip-aksorn, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Education Personnel, said his office's business organisation had not raised the price of textbooks and school uniforms.

"We are aware of parents' financial concerns," he said.

He encouraged schools to buy textbooks directly from the organisation, because these items were of good quality and endorsed by the Office of the Basic Education Commission, as well as the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology.

-- The Nation 2012-04-27

Wasn't the Uniform and Textbook subsidy done away with to help fund the new tablets? Of course, the subsidy was only a few hundred baht per year, but it no-doubt helped the poorest of the parents.

If they can afford 400k in bribes then they can afford the school uniform - end of story !

Why not just issue a degree when the children reach a certain age? Save a lot of money and trouble for everyone.

This is just absolutely shocking reporting. This is how this article should be written.

Extortion, Graft and Corruption Plunge Poor into Debt over Unofficial Schooling Fees

The Truth

Head teachers conference shows the stark difference between those that have, and those that have to pay.

BANGKOK: -- An ABAC Poll released yesterday suggested that school mandarins are extorting as much as 400,000 baht per child for entrance to a new school.

In a poll where 1,214 parents were surveyed on their concerns about their children's first semester this academic year, one of the most alarming points raised is that the shameless profiteering by school administrators is still continuing, and not just for the more prestigious schools. This rot has trickled down from the elite to the non performing schools. The poll, conducted from April 17 through Wednesday, found that 69.4 per cent admitted to being worried about their kids' schooling expenses this term and that increasing use of black mail tactics has meant that poor families are falling further into poverty just to safeguard the future of their children.

Aside from the concerns held by parents of school children worldwide relating to who their kids were friends, drug abuse and legitimate school expenses such as books, uniforms, meals, following on the devastating floods in many parts of the country where reparations have still not been forthcoming, the tipping point this year is that the remorseless controllers of education are continuing to profit from the education of children in all schools.

Parents on average prepared about Bt40,000 to cover tuition fees, tutoring course fees and tea money. Those with kids in private schools prepared about Bt50,000, while those with kids at state-run schools prepared about Bt35,000, Puntaree said.

Research showed that some parents who needed to put their kids into a new school had to pay graft money, almost ironically presented as the very inoffensive phrase "tea money", of up to Bt400,000. The irony being that whilst the grasping Faginesque school administrators fill their tea pots full to the brim, the parents being extorted in this manner are often having to go without. As do the children.

Meanwhile, Bamnej Thip-aksorn, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Education Personnel, said his office's business organisation had not raised the price of textbooks and school uniforms and would certainly not raise the bribery and corruption charges,

"We are aware of parents' financial concerns," he said.

He encouraged schools to buy textbooks directly from the organisation, because these items were of good quality and endorsed by the Office of the Basic Education Commission, as well as the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology. It is not clear at this time if the price on the cover of each book is a true representation of the actual cost.

As an aside, any newspaper continuing to dumb down graft, bribery and corruption with the cute little phrase "tea money" are not fit to be journalists.

I note in the report that one of the concerns parents have about their children is that they can get caught in traffic jams. Well, if the parents stopped buying school children cars and motorbikes that would solve their problem -- and relieve some of that 7:30am congestion !

"some parents who wanted to put their kids in a new school had to pay "tea money" of up to Bt400,000"

Bt400,000 is not "tea money", it's a plain and simple extortion and should be addressed as such,- i.e "an illegal bribe".

More fool to any such person who would be stupid enough to pay such an astronomical sum.

Amazing Thailand,.. if it ever changes it'll be a Miracle!

The poorest families just get deeper into debt when it comes to the uniforms. What is it, a different uniform for every day of the week ? Different colour shoes, scouts or girl-guide uniforms too and sports kit. Families with several children are not allowed to ' hand-me-down ' uniforms, every child must have new uniforms. How often does the Ministry change the colour of the uniforms ? They may not put the prices up, but they sure know how to make the parents have to go out and buy all new uniforms. AND of course, they can arrange a loan for those people that do not have the ready cash -- no hurry to pay it off either, just let the interest build up.

Thia school want look...? Thai school pay...Otherwise...Thai school. sukkk a$$$$

police, schools, hospitals... everybody sees you a a scheme to get money out of you, in stead of doing the job they are paid for...

a doctor in thailand is a businessman

a policeman, well, no need to tell what they are good in

a teacher that asks bribe money

hub of ....

This is just absolutely shocking reporting. This is how this article should be written.

Extortion, Graft and Corruption Plunge Poor into Debt over Unofficial Schooling Fees

The Truth

Very well put. With regard to the 400,000 tea money quote in the original article, <deleted>? what schools were these 1200 odd interviewees sending their kids to? I send my 8 year old son to a very nice little bi lingual school in Khon Kaen for about 90,000 baht a year. We have never been asked for tea money and if someone asked for 400,000 I'd tell them where to go. I don't know that many Thais that could afford 400,000 tea money, I know we couldn't and I'm a supposedly rich farang.

Very well put. With regard to the 400,000 tea money quote in the original article, <deleted>? what schools were these 1200 odd interviewees sending their kids to? I send my 8 year old son to a very nice little bi lingual school in Khon Kaen for about 90,000 baht a year. We have never been asked for tea money and if someone asked for 400,000 I'd tell them where to go. I don't know that many Thais that could afford 400,000 tea money, I know we couldn't and I'm a supposedly rich farang.

I actually rewrote the whole article to be a true reflection because firstly, this is scandalous that The Nation wrote this piece watering down the Tea Money almost into something comical and light hearted; worse in many ways than the pigs at the trough extorting the money.

If they can afford 400k in bribes then they can afford the school uniform - end of story !

The parents who are worried about the cost of bribes are not necessarily the same parents who are worried about the cost of uniforms and textbooks.

School administration in Thailand seems to attract the immoral and the incompetent. However good the teachers may be (and many of them are) they are trapped in this corrupt and inefficient system.

This is just absolutely shocking reporting. This is how this article should be written.

Extortion, Graft and Corruption Plunge Poor into Debt over Unofficial Schooling Fees

The Truth

Very well put. With regard to the 400,000 tea money quote in the original article, <deleted>? what schools were these 1200 odd interviewees sending their kids to? I send my 8 year old son to a very nice little bi lingual school in Khon Kaen for about 90,000 baht a year. We have never been asked for tea money and if someone asked for 400,000 I'd tell them where to go. I don't know that many Thais that could afford 400,000 tea money, I know we couldn't and I'm a supposedly rich farang.

The 90.000 you pay every year, is not a bribe? So why do you pay it? it is a year's salary for many teachers.

This is just absolutely shocking reporting. This is how this article should be written.

Extortion, Graft and Corruption Plunge Poor into Debt over Unofficial Schooling Fees

The Truth

Very well put. With regard to the 400,000 tea money quote in the original article, <deleted>? what schools were these 1200 odd interviewees sending their kids to? I send my 8 year old son to a very nice little bi lingual school in Khon Kaen for about 90,000 baht a year. We have never been asked for tea money and if someone asked for 400,000 I'd tell them where to go. I don't know that many Thais that could afford 400,000 tea money, I know we couldn't and I'm a supposedly rich farang.

The 90.000 you pay every year, is not a bribe?

I think you'll find that's the school fee.

The poorest families just get deeper into debt when it comes to the uniforms. What is it, a different uniform for every day of the week ? Different colour shoes, scouts or girl-guide uniforms too and sports kit. Families with several children are not allowed to ' hand-me-down ' uniforms, every child must have new uniforms. How often does the Ministry change the colour of the uniforms ? They may not put the prices up, but they sure know how to make the parents have to go out and buy all new uniforms. AND of course, they can arrange a loan for those people that do not have the ready cash -- no hurry to pay it off either, just let the interest build up.

I send my son to school 65 km away in Khampaeng Phet and pay 30,000 baht a year to do so, but he is in an Englsh language program as well as Thai and has an air conditioned classroom and some genuine expat teachers and is in a class of only 23..

He wears white shirt and blue shorts on Mondays and Thursdays, white scout shirt with blue neckerchief on Tuesdays, blue tracksuit on Wednesdays and blue shorts and patterned shirt on Fridays.

We pay 2,000 baht per school month for transportation though that will probably go up next month when they go back to school

He has been there for M1 for a year and likes it a lot.

I nearly always speak in English to him and my wife talks to him in Thai.

His English must be reasonable because quite often I will tell him and his friends to do something and he will translate it into Thai for them.

He is quite a smart little bugger at times and I am very proud of him.

He also understands my English sense of humour at times.

Billd, nice to hear something positive. Oh, and by the way, he must be really smart if he understands the English sense of humor....I sure can't get it!!

Billd, nice to hear something positive. Oh, and by the way, he must be really smart if he understands the English sense of humor....I sure can't get it!!

His only other choice is a Thai sense of humour and I certainly can't understand that.

He knows his way around a lot of internet sites and one of his favourites is Mr Bean and Thomas the Tank Engine is another.