Education In Thailand Getting Too Expensive, Parents Say

[Markaew]

School is not only FREE in Thailand for a FULL 12 YEARS.

Yingluck governmant also provide FREE books, (tablet on the way), cash for uniform, cash for education equipments.

What else do Thai people want? Get paid for going to school?

It's just that some schools are more free than others and I think that is the point.

As for the cash for uniforms; the amount involved covers a single school uniform. It does not include scout or guide uniform / PE uniform and spares (students go through socks v quickly as they take their shoes off constantly ). And let be honest you need more than one set of uniform - after all you wouldn't wear the same clothes to work every day of every week for a year. would you?

My daughters uniform costs for this academic year are as follows

Skirt (x 3) 750 baht

Top (x3) 600 baht

Belt (x1) 120 baht

Socks (x12) 300 baht

Shoes (x1) 300 baht

Sports shoes (x1) 100 baht

PE Trousers (x1) 300 baht - must have school logo on (school direct)

PE To (x1) 250 baht - must have school logo on (school direct)

Guide uniform inc hat - 650 baht

Books [including school notebooks] with school logo on front (from school directly) 750 baht

Embroidery of school uniform - 80 baht

School bag (with logo) 400 baht - although cheaper were available (250 baht)

Grand total 4300 (not including government subsidy - 350 baht)

I won't include the 'voluntary registration fee', even though she has been at the same school for 4 years!!

Yep school is FREE

You are getting screwed. Paying for a high-so education doesn't guarantee a real education.

[Markaew]

Keep your school fees and tea money in your pocket,doesn"t matter what school you send you kids too they"ll still come out as thick as mince.

+1

[Markaew]

Uniforms alone cost around Bt5,000? Must be Chula student shopping for mini skirt and tight blouse at Siam Square. I believe lots of post on this already. http://www.thaivisa....udent-uniforms/

I went to Tesco last Sunday. School uniform cost between 100 to 300 Baht max. Some at a discount below 100 Baht. I couldn't resist and bought 3 pairs of canvas student school, size 44, for 79 Baht each. White, Black and Brown. Don't believe me. Check it out yourselves. or if you are lazy see the ads in Tesco Thailand web site. http://www.tesco.co....ion.php?lang=en

That 5000 must be a type-o.

But seriously s2, I generally detest your posts but this time....no wait...I still do.

[Markaew]

sarasass, 30.000 baht per semester + 1500 / month for bus fee

Anyone that has experienced that situation understands the quality of education students get there.

[Markaew]

I live down south, so well away from Bangkok, but even here, where the average wage would be say 12K per month many children in school (the lucky ones anyway) attend English, Maths, Mandarin and Art is also seen as being top priority. The extra education for these kids is at least 5000 per month and that does not include the 'extra tuition' after school that takes place in the school and costs 3000 per term. Why does a school that should be teaching children everything during the school day then extend its day until 5pm and almost force, via peer pressure the kids into attending. I point blank refused to have a 4 year old in school from 7.50am until 5pm, it is utter madness. I am told it is done to pay teachers salaries!

I totally agree, my

Why are the parents complaining about admission costs/'tea money'? The highly esteemed education minister Suchart Tadathamrongvej (PT) recently claimed that the public should accept this form of donation. It will only benefit the students, cause all these bribes are being used to better the education standards! And isn't that what the parents want? Also, the price of text books will be a lot lower this year, with all the kids getting tablet pc's!

The problem as I see it, is that it's only improving education of those wealthy enough to pay. The poorer their scores, the more money they pay - of course every parent wants their kids in one of these prestigious schools - smart or or slow they get to network with kids from other wealthy families. I've yet to see a school here that accepts students based purely on merit. The government should be ashamed of itself to allow government schools to accept donations, thus widening the gap between the rich and the poor. I'm not against donations, but it should be done anonymously, with no tie to getting their kids into such schools.

I also remember a teacher from one of the big uni's saying a few years back how he was told to give an automatic pass to anyone that was a monk. education here is a joke and the Thai parents never cease to amaze me the way they try to force the kids to spend all day at school in the expectation of improved results, yet they pamper their spoiled brats and do nothing to instil any discipline.

And how many good students simply give up because they see the richer kids buying their passes? I have heard a number of students complaining, whats the point in working when others can just buy their qualifications. Employers only end up with useless staff who have all the right qualifications but have little or no idea what they are doing... which would seem to be the case with many Thai lawmakers who are required to have a degree. Stop the corruption in schools (pass marks) and the country will benefit dramatically.

Parents are paying for "high-so" not education here. I was helping a Mattayom student this morning with her English and while discussing universities the only thing she could say is that university is high-so and the other university is MORE high-so. Literally. Very disheartening.

[Tbone]

Education getting too expensive, parents say

. . . . . .but not nearly as expensive as ignorance!

[jonclark]

School is not only FREE in Thailand for a FULL 12 YEARS.

Yingluck governmant also provide FREE books, (tablet on the way), cash for uniform, cash for education equipments.

What else do Thai people want? Get paid for going to school?

It's just that some schools are more free than others and I think that is the point.

As for the cash for uniforms; the amount involved covers a single school uniform. It does not include scout or guide uniform / PE uniform and spares (students go through socks v quickly as they take their shoes off constantly ). And let be honest you need more than one set of uniform - after all you wouldn't wear the same clothes to work every day of every week for a year. would you?

My daughters uniform costs for this academic year are as follows

Skirt (x 3) 750 baht

Top (x3) 600 baht

Belt (x1) 120 baht

Socks (x12) 300 baht

Shoes (x1) 300 baht

Sports shoes (x1) 100 baht

PE Trousers (x1) 300 baht - must have school logo on (school direct)

PE To (x1) 250 baht - must have school logo on (school direct)

Guide uniform inc hat - 650 baht

Books [including school notebooks] with school logo on front (from school directly) 750 baht

Embroidery of school uniform - 80 baht

School bag (with logo) 400 baht - although cheaper were available (250 baht)

Grand total 4300 (not including government subsidy - 350 baht)

I won't include the 'voluntary registration fee', even though she has been at the same school for 4 years!!

Yep school is FREE

You are getting screwed. Paying for a high-so education doesn't guarantee a real education.

Didn't realise SatriWitthaya 2 was high so??? Since when did public schools become hi so ??

[pattayaorganic]

Having studied BA at Chula, I can only confirm that tuition fees are high, and probably to high when compared to income etc. Luckily I come from a country where the government actually do support you, even when studying abroad.

And then another plus is that books, stationary etc. is very cheap in Thailand.

Having studied [for a] BA at Chula, I can only confirm that tuition fees are high, and probably [too] high when compared to income[,] etc. Luckily I come from a country where the government actually [does] support you, even when studying abroad.

And then another plus is that books, stationary[,] etc. [are] very cheap in Thailand.

For having a BA from a so-called reputable university, your English grammar is abhorrent. I gather that you are not a native English speaker, but it never ceases to amaze me how a university graduate can not even achieve grade school level basic grammar.

Sorry for off-topic rant!

[jonclark]

Keep your school fees and tea money in your pocket,doesn"t matter what school you send you kids too they"ll still come out as thick as mince.

+1

Glad you find the education (or lack) of other peoples children amusing

[sparebox2]

School is not only FREE in Thailand for a FULL 12 YEARS.

Yingluck governmant also provide FREE books, (tablet on the way), cash for uniform, cash for education equipments.

What else do Thai people want? Get paid for going to school?

It's just that some schools are more free than others and I think that is the point.

As for the cash for uniforms; the amount involved covers a single school uniform. It does not include scout or guide uniform / PE uniform and spares (students go through socks v quickly as they take their shoes off constantly ). And let be honest you need more than one set of uniform - after all you wouldn't wear the same clothes to work every day of every week for a year. would you?

My daughters uniform costs for this academic year are as follows

Skirt (x 3) 750 baht

Top (x3) 600 baht

Belt (x1) 120 baht

Socks (x12) 300 baht

Shoes (x1) 300 baht

Sports shoes (x1) 100 baht

PE Trousers (x1) 300 baht - must have school logo on (school direct)

PE To (x1) 250 baht - must have school logo on (school direct)

Guide uniform inc hat - 650 baht

Books [including school notebooks] with school logo on front (from school directly) 750 baht

Embroidery of school uniform - 80 baht

School bag (with logo) 400 baht - although cheaper were available (250 baht)

Grand total 4300 (not including government subsidy - 350 baht)

I won't include the 'voluntary registration fee', even though she has been at the same school for 4 years!!

Yep school is FREE

Skirt (x 3) 750 baht ? Bullshit I just bought for 129 at Tesco. You have been ripped off

Top (x3) 600 baht ? Bullshit I just bought for 99 at Tesco. You have been ripped off

Belt (x1) 120 baht? Bullshit I just bought for 49 as Tesco. You have been ripped off

Socks (x12) 300 baht ? Why do you need 12? Pack pf 6 is only 69 at Tesco. You have been ripped off

Shoes (x1) 300 baht ? I just bought 3 pairs at 79 each. All size 44. You have been ripped off

And all the others that you paid, like 'voluntary registration fee', etc, are just stupid corruption money, WHY COMPLAIN?

Also, I get the free cash every year; my children still can wear last year cloth, but I just went to Tesco to buy more unnecessary uniform, just because the school want the receipt.

[sparebox2]

sarasass, 30.000 baht per semester + 1500 / month for bus fee

FYI in case you did not know.

Bus in Bangkok (and many town) are FREE. Paid by Yingluck govt (and Mark govt before her, and Somchai g......).

Why? Your kids is so hi so he/she cannot take the public buses?

Your 1,500 / month you pay for sarasass bus can feed a Thai family in the country side.

[jonclark]

School is not only FREE in Thailand for a FULL 12 YEARS.

Yingluck governmant also provide FREE books, (tablet on the way), cash for uniform, cash for education equipments.

What else do Thai people want? Get paid for going to school?

It's just that some schools are more free than others and I think that is the point.

As for the cash for uniforms; the amount involved covers a single school uniform. It does not include scout or guide uniform / PE uniform and spares (students go through socks v quickly as they take their shoes off constantly ). And let be honest you need more than one set of uniform - after all you wouldn't wear the same clothes to work every day of every week for a year. would you?

My daughters uniform costs for this academic year are as follows

Skirt (x 3) 750 baht

Top (x3) 600 baht

Belt (x1) 120 baht

Socks (x12) 300 baht

Shoes (x1) 300 baht

Sports shoes (x1) 100 baht

PE Trousers (x1) 300 baht - must have school logo on (school direct)

PE To (x1) 250 baht - must have school logo on (school direct)

Guide uniform inc hat - 650 baht

Books [including school notebooks] with school logo on front (from school directly) 750 baht

Embroidery of school uniform - 80 baht

School bag (with logo) 400 baht - although cheaper were available (250 baht)

Grand total 4300 (not including government subsidy - 350 baht)

I won't include the 'voluntary registration fee', even though she has been at the same school for 4 years!!

Yep school is FREE

Skirt (x 3) 750 baht ? Bullshit I just bought for 129 at Tesco. You have been ripped off

Top (x3) 600 baht ? Bullshit I just bought for 99 at Tesco. You have been ripped off

Belt (x1) 120 baht? Bullshit I just bought for 49 as Tesco. You have been ripped off

Socks (x12) 300 baht ? Why do you need 12? Pack pf 6 is only 69 at Tesco. You have been ripped off

Shoes (x1) 300 baht ? I just bought 3 pairs at 79 each. All size 44. You have been ripped off

And all the others that you paid, like 'voluntary registration fee', etc, are just stupid corruption money, WHY COMPLAIN?

Also, I get the free cash every year; my children still can wear last year cloth, but I just went to Tesco to buy more unnecessary uniform, just because the school want the receipt.

So what your saying is unless you take the cheapest stuff around you've been ripped off. <deleted>. The point is not whether I've been ripped off its that parents - Not YOU - are finding the expense of education increasing. PS if you think a pack of 6 will see your offspring through until the end of the year -think again. I bet my bottom dollar you replace everything you have bought by the end of the year - ripped off no - but you will still pay the same by the end of the academic year guaranteed.

[FOODLOVER]

Education getting too expensive, parents say

. . . . . .but not nearly as expensive as ignorance!

The price of eyeglasses going up as well.

[TommoPhysicist]

sarasass, 30.000 baht per semester + 1500 / month for bus fee

FYI in case you did not know.

Bus in Bangkok (and many town) are FREE. Paid by Yingluck govt (and Mark govt before her, and Somchai g......).

Why? Your kids is so hi so he/she cannot take the public buses?

Your 1,500 / month you pay for sarasass bus can feed a Thai family in the country side.

I always wonder how many really pay these fees to the school, and how many just place money in an outstretched female hand.

Edited May 8, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[brit1984]

I can't wait to buy school uniforms for my daughter and (soon to be born) son; I couldn't care less how much it will cost.

Do people really expect raising children to be cheap?

[TommoPhysicist]

Do people really expect raising children to be cheap?

I never expected raising children to be cheap, in England it wasn't, but in Thailand I find it is.

Finding a woman to produce the children with me was also amazingly cheap, Amazing Thailand.

Edited May 8, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[E1717007]

Government officials are all the same around the world,... they stink and want to enrich themselves with the people's tax money that they use to enjoy their lives at the cost of ours.

No, singapore civil servants are much better

[harrry]

The uniform costs quoted are reasonable but not the cheapest. If you buy big c uniforms the skirts are round 60 baht. My neice prefers to spend more...round 180 baht for a skirt this year as they are better quality and altered to fit better. She asked this year for one skirt and top as with the one she had plus the tracksuits and the scouts uniforms she sometimes had to wear it for 3 or 4 days and preffered to have another one so that she could wash them together. She cares for her uniforms well and they generally last 2 years or more with alteration.

The place she gets the skirts from is worried this year as their sales are way down as people do not have the money for the better material and are buying at BigC>

Edited May 8, 2012 by harrry

[brit1984]

Do people really expect raising children to be cheap?

I never expected raising children to be cheap, in England it wasn't, but in Thailand I find it is.

Finding a woman to produce the children with me was also amazingly cheap, Amazing Thailand.

I will resist commenting on your second point but would like to understand why you think raising children in Thailand is cheaper than in the UK... while I agree that many of implicit costs associating with having a family (most notably property) are lower in Thailand, the explicit costs of children (most notably education) are pretty much the same anywhere in the world... if I compare the better known Bangkok schools with their equivalents in the UK (equivalence based on the standard of universities attended by their students), the Bangkok schools are actually slightly more expensive... is there something I am missing?

[sparebox2]

Education getting too expensive, parents say

. . . . . .but not nearly as expensive as ignorance!

The price of eyeglasses going up as well.

Eyeglasses pricing, like watch, is a funny thing.

You can get a good one for 10,000 Baht.

You can get a reasonable on for 1,000 Baht.

You can get the cheap one of 100 Baht.

I prefer to buy the 100 Baht for my kids (both the glasses and watches), and replace it every 6 months (some even last more than a year). They are happy, because they keep getting new ones. What is the point of getting the 10,000 baht one which can last a lifetime, but the kids are sick of it after 2 years.

Edited May 8, 2012 by sparebox2

[brit1984]

Education getting too expensive, parents say

. . . . . .but not nearly as expensive as ignorance!

The price of eyeglasses going up as well.

Eyeglasses pricing, like watch, is a funny thing.

You can get a good one for 10,000 Baht.

You can get a reasonable on for 1,000 Baht.

You can get the cheap one of 100 Baht.

I prefer to buy the 100 Baht for my kids (both the glasses and watches), and replace it every 6 months (some even last more than a year). They are happy, because they keep getting new ones. What is the point of getting the 10,000 baht one which can last a lifetime, but the kids are sick of it after 2 years.

Fashion?

[bigbamboo]

"The school fees are not expensive, it's just your imagination"

Most Education institutes in Thailand are a rip-off ...

As Sunantha will soon discover

Sunantha Pholphote, whose son is at Assumption College, said she could afford the Bt70,000 fees per semester, adding that she wanted her son to become fluent in English language.

.

Haha!......... how naive is that!

I guess the additional cost of text books following the governments failure to supply the promised tablets will have to be factored in now too.

Just as well prices are falling.

[walterego]

After working in government schools for the last 5 years (4 years with an agency that moved me from school to school allowing me to see a variety of govt schools, 1 yr here 6 months there etc) and having my own children in Thai schools. (soon to fly home for a better education).

I have to agree 100% with the title story of the thread. It is so sad to see that in ALL schools I have worked in that only parents of students that can afford to pay for EXTRA services have access to a more thorough educational experience that maximises the given institutions potential. The rest of the students, despite ability are destined to spend their time in cramped, overcrowded, and often in the company of staff that have no intention of providing them with the education so needed. That said on my own front teaching the 'gifted' or paid up kids is always a pleasure however my classes to other students are often cut or without the needed institutional support. - just my personal experience others I am sure have experiences that are somewhat different.

[harryfrompattaya]

Having studied BA at Chula, I can only confirm that tuition fees are high, and probably to high when compared to income etc. Luckily I come from a country where the government actually do support you, even when studying abroad.

And then another plus is that books, stationary etc. is very cheap in Thailand.

Having studied [for a] BA at Chula, I can only confirm that tuition fees are high, and probably [too] high when compared to income[,] etc. Luckily I come from a country where the government actually [does] support you, even when studying abroad.

And then another plus is that books, stationary[,] etc. [are] very cheap in Thailand.

For having a BA from a so-called reputable university, your English grammar is abhorrent. I gather that you are not a native English speaker, but it never ceases to amaze me how a university graduate can not even achieve grade school level basic grammar.

Sorry for off-topic rant!

Well a Pattaya Pervert that's a grammar Nazi

[anterian]

Malaysians, at least the Chinese and Indian ones, take education very seriously and most send their children to extra tuition. The extra tuition is ethnically biased, Tamils go to Tamil groups, Chinese go to Chinese groups.

In Thailand we seem to have a large number of expat teachers or retired teachers. Now a retired teacher is forbidden to work, even unpaid voluntary work. However, if a group of expat children were coached by an expat retired teacher, would this remove it from the Thai visa regulations or would it still be illegal?

[surangw]

do we get to claim the "tea money" as a tax deduction?

if so, make the school show where the money actually goes?

[jamora]

Having studied BA at Chula, I can only confirm that tuition fees are high, and probably to high when compared to income etc. Luckily I come from a country where the government actually do support you, even when studying abroad.

And then another plus is that books, stationary etc. is very cheap in Thailand.

Having studied [for a] BA at Chula, I can only confirm that tuition fees are high, and probably [too] high when compared to income[,] etc. Luckily I come from a country where the government actually [does] support you, even when studying abroad.

And then another plus is that books, stationary[,] etc. [are] very cheap in Thailand.

For having a BA from a so-called reputable university, your English grammar is abhorrent. I gather that you are not a native English speaker, but it never ceases to amaze me how a university graduate can not even achieve grade school level basic grammar.

Sorry for off-topic rant!

No, I am not a native English speaker, and no, my grammar is not perfect (in any language). And to be honest, I don't care much about grammar when posting on a forum like this... It might also amaze you, but there are actually many fields where grammar is not very important... secondly, why do non native english speakers have to be perfect in grammar to study at uni?

[falangjim]

Having studied BA at Chula, I can only confirm that tuition fees are high, and probably to high when compared to income etc. Luckily I come from a country where the government actually do support you, even when studying abroad.

And then another plus is that books, stationary etc. is very cheap in Thailand.

Having studied [for a] BA at Chula, I can only confirm that tuition fees are high, and probably [too] high when compared to income[,] etc. Luckily I come from a country where the government actually [does] support you, even when studying abroad.

And then another plus is that books, stationary[,] etc. [are] very cheap in Thailand.

For having a BA from a so-called reputable university, your English grammar is abhorrent. I gather that you are not a native English speaker, but it never ceases to amaze me how a university graduate can not even achieve grade school level basic grammar.

Sorry for off-topic rant!

Whoa! Who pissed in your cornflakes? I'd hardly call that grammar 'abhorrent.' Take a chill pill.

[elektrified]

Uniforms alone cost around Bt5,000? Must be Chula student shopping for mini skirt and tight blouse at Siam Square. I believe lots of post on this already. http://www.thaivisa....udent-uniforms/

I went to Tesco last Sunday. School uniform cost between 100 to 300 Baht max. Some at a discount below 100 Baht. I couldn't resist and bought 3 pairs of canvas student school, size 44, for 79 Baht each. White, Black and Brown. Don't believe me. Check it out yourselves. or if you are lazy see the ads in Tesco Thailand web site. http://www.tesco.co....ion.php?lang=en

My child's school requires that the uniforms be purchased from them - no exceptions. 3 sets + sports outfit and shoes Bt. 2000

[bkk_mike]

Do people really expect raising children to be cheap?

I never expected raising children to be cheap, in England it wasn't, but in Thailand I find it is.

Finding a woman to produce the children with me was also amazingly cheap, Amazing Thailand.

I will resist commenting on your second point but would like to understand why you think raising children in Thailand is cheaper than in the UK... while I agree that many of implicit costs associating with having a family (most notably property) are lower in Thailand, the explicit costs of children (most notably education) are pretty much the same anywhere in the world... if I compare the better known Bangkok schools with their equivalents in the UK (equivalence based on the standard of universities attended by their students), the Bangkok schools are actually slightly more expensive... is there something I am missing?

I can only assume you've never been to the UK...

I can only think of only a few things that cost more in Thailand, and most of those are where they're essentially for sale to expats/tourists only...

1. Decent internet access.

2. imported motor cars

3. Mobile phones (but that's only because in the UK they're usually thrown in with a 2 year contract).

4. foodstuffs imported from the UK/Europe. (The stuff imported from the US is often cheaper here than in the UK).

5. Books (in the English language).

6. Farang sizes for jeans. (I can buy jeans in my size cheaper in the UK - I struggle to find them in my size here outside of Robinsons...).

I'm probably excluding something, but generally everything else is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive in the UK. That's partly because of higher fuel costs (so delivery costs more), higher wage costs (the minimum wage is approx. 300 baht per hour in the UK and they're trying to get it to be 300 baht per DAY here), higher taxes (VAT is 20% there compared to 7% here). Add in the effect of all those additional costs on the input side, and retail prices are significantly higher in the UK.

i.e. a 1.25 litre bottle of Coke Zero (when you can find it - the distribution here still seems to be a bit screwed up from last years flooding) is around 24 baht (or 48 pence). - You can't buy a can in the UK for that. The normal price seems to be about £1.99 (approx 200 baht) for 2 litre bottle - with relatively frequent buy 1 get 1 free offers, but even with the offers, it's still more than double the price in Thailand.

As for the cost of children's clothes. Even Primark (a discount retailer in the UK) would be expensive by Thai standards.

I will admit - if you are in a postcode in the UK with decent state schools, your kids would be better off in the UK than here. But with the added taxes and higher cost of living in the UK, it will hit your pocket almost as hard as paying for International School in Thailand.

Where it gets more interesting is as your children get older. i.e. To be eligible for student loans, you have to reside in the EU for 3 years prior to going to University. But that entitles you to loans (that don't need to be paid back until the child is earning a decent wage) to cover the fees and living expenses at University. i.e. The parent doesn't have to bankrupt themselves to send their children to a good University.