Donations For Schools

[sirchai]

Hello,

Just curious what other expats with kids here have to "donate" to a school to get their kids in. Being in the process to get our 14 year old into M3 at a high school, moving from the neighboring province.

Their story: " We need a new meeting hall, which will be about seven million baht. We did all, but won't get the money from the government, bla bla bla bla".

So they put me in a position where I'll have to pay a certain amount, of course "under the table."

Going rate for "World Class Not Even Standard Schools between 10 and 40,000 baht.

Any input would be appreciated.

[Honkie]

Consider it cheap , my wife donated more than 200,000 baht to the school through a go between , a senior teaching staff , not the Mother Superior or the Sisters .

No receipt !!!! And just for the youngest to get into their kindergarten !!!

[thunder30101]

200,000 for a kindergarten program ? come on, you didnt question that ???. The only extra money you should pay is for english programs or private schools where the extra money pays for nes teachers/curriculum and ac. Anything else is bullshit and is not going to get your kid a better education. It never ceases to amaze me the farangs i meet here that are too lazy to tutor their own children. Send em to a thai program (almost free) to socialize and teach them math,english or your native language etc. at home. There are also tons of western schools now with quality accredited online programs to choose from also. Dont feed the corrupt thai education system.

[Eddy B]

The school(director) has the budget. They are just trying to squeeze you as a parents for extra money. Refuse to pay anymore than is required normally for any child to attend this school, plus get a receipt!

[Honkie]

The school(director) has the budget. They are just trying to squeeze you as a parents for extra money. Refuse to pay anymore than is required normally for any child to attend this school, plus get a receipt!

Then your child will not be able to get in .

[Honkie]

200,000 for a kindergarten program ? come on, you didnt question that ???. The only extra money you should pay is for english programs or private schools where the extra money pays for nes teachers/curriculum and ac. Anything else is bullshit and is not going to get your kid a better education. It never ceases to amaze me the farangs i meet here that are too lazy to tutor their own children. Send em to a thai program (almost free) to socialize and teach them math,english or your native language etc. at home. There are also tons of western schools now with quality accredited online programs to choose from also. Dont feed the corrupt thai education system.

Do you have kids, Mate? I did object to this stupid practice but frankly , that is the best school in town and they have primary and secondary , so its just a one off contribution. The Missus graduated from this school and got into Chula and went to further her stduy in England where she got her Master degree and Yours truly.

[thunder30101]

Im not your mate, Yes my wife has 3 kids and she would never be foolish enough for US to be extorted for 200K for a kindergarten program or any school program. By the way its not "one off here" on anything, once you are marked as a farang with open pockets they will just keep asking for more. Wait and see.

[Honkie]

Im not your mate, Yes my wife has 3 kids and she would never be foolish enough for US to be extorted for 200K for a kindergarten program or any school program. By the way its not "one off here" on anything, once you are marked as a farang with open pockets they will just keep asking for more. Wait and see.

Im not your mate, Yes my wife has 3 kids and she would never be foolish enough for US to be extorted for 200K for a kindergarten program or any school program. By the way its not "one off here" on anything, once you are marked as a farang with open pockets they will just keep asking for more. Wait and see.

Fair enough ,Sir . We are all entitled to our own opinions and the way we manage our finances as we see fit.

To me , instead of leaving pots of gold for my kids, I will try to give them the best education I can afford.

[sirchai]

Im not your mate, Yes my wife has 3 kids and she would never be foolish enough for US to be extorted for 200K for a kindergarten program or any school program. By the way its not "one off here" on anything, once you are marked as a farang with open pockets they will just keep asking for more. Wait and see.

You shouldn't be so hard on Honkie....200-300 K is the amount Thai teachers have to pay for a teaching position. Honkie, you did pay too much. Thunder's right, they'll ask you again and again.

Will you refuse to pay, you might have problems with your wife.But if so, just don't pay anymore! Guess you can't loose face, do you?

Many people with cash like to bring their kids into a Anuban school.

Some schools have so many applicants that the only way to get them in is to pay more money than the others.

There's no freaking corruption in this country. It's all donated. Love it, or hate it.It starts at the top and ends at a traffic cop asking for Song Reu....

[Honkie]

Well , have made it very clear to the wife that this is a one off payment and no , will not make any more donations.

It has nothing to do with "face" , she thinks it should only be right that she supports her old school that she grew up and spent most part of her happy years with.

[sirchai]

Well , have made it very clear to the wife that this is a one off payment and no , will not make any more donations.

It has nothing to do with "face" , she thinks it should only be right that she supports her old school that she grew up and spent most part of her happy years with.

You don't support the school. Well maybe a few baht will be used for the school. The rest will disappear in the director's, assistant's and other peoples' pockets.

Please don't get me wrong, you should give a flying one what your wife thinks. You're the one who's paying the money, so it has a lot to do with keeping, not loosing face.

Your wife looks good, as they think she found a walking ATM. Those teller machines usually have more money in it.

Your wife grew up in the same system, I guess....

Edited March 21, 2013 by sirchai

[Eddy B]

The school(director) has the budget. They are just trying to squeeze you as a parents for extra money. Refuse to pay anymore than is required normally for any child to attend this school, plus get a receipt!

Then your child will not be able to get in .

My adopted son is attending an Anuban school and myself and the wife paid the basic amount for any student to attend this school plus given a receipt. No disrespect but you got screwed and you don't seem to even know it or care about throwing your money away.

[Chao Lao Beach]

I have a friend whos school demanded 90k for a AC in the class room. He said sure, I will ring the air con company and get them to install 2. His son was denied

Thai corrupt 'maggot' school management at it's best.

[Honkie]

Guys , I have never thought for a minute ALL the money would go to the school fund but for crying out loud, it is a Christian school and the Directors are the Mother Superior and the Sisters.

May be as some here had said , I am just too impatient and lazy to give my kids Home Schooling.

By the way ,it is not My money , it is Our money , the wife makes much more than I do , I am just a humble employee of an exporting company and she is the financial director of all the family businesses ( petrol, real estate, construction, rubber plantation,landscape gardening).

[culicine]

I personally don't disagree with donations - as long as it's done anonymously and has no bearing on grades or entrance to the school. But I bet that scenario is rare. Demands by schools are outrageous. I heard one famous school (they are NOT poor), wanting a new school van !! I'm guessing that as these are donations, and thus are not taxed, I doubt schools even declare them to the tax office. They just line the Director's pocket. Wonder about religious schools there. Where does that money go? We are getting a new kindy school. It's absolutely massive and as large as any regular school. There's plenty of money sloshing around in these schools, for sure. Too bad they don't put money into useful educational initiatives/resources, though.

[Honkie]

I personally don't disagree with donations - as long as it's done anonymously and has no bearing on grades or entrance to the school. But I bet that scenario is rare. Demands by schools are outrageous. I heard one famous school (they are NOT poor), wanting a new school van !! I'm guessing that as these are donations, and thus are not taxed, I doubt schools even declare them to the tax office. They just line the Director's pocket. Wonder about religious schools there. Where does that money go? We are getting a new kindy school. It's absolutely massive and as large as any regular school. There's plenty of money sloshing around in these schools, for sure. Too bad they don't put money into useful educational initiatives/resources, though.

Totally agreed but then again they never force you to contribute , there are many other kindergartens and schools , just that if you want them to accept your kid , you need to show that you are keen to help the school, that is the way it is ,according to what I was told.

I don't know whether the Sisters know what is really going on or not , may be they choose not wanting to know and let the senior staffs to handle

the dirty jobs.

Anyway I heard that in Hong Kong and China or Singapore , you need to pay much more.

[colinneil]

Comments about school directors pocketing money make me bloody angry . My thai wife is a school director and is the most honest straight person i have ever met.

Every week she has a meeting with all staff at the school and they all have to account for every baht.

On more than 1 occasion my wife has put her own money into school funds to make up a shortfall in the budget.

So tv members stop slagging of directors ,unless you have 100% proof of them pocketing money.

[thunder30101]

^ So tell us where does all the money go ??? The MOE has the highest budget of any ministry of the thai gov, School is supposed to be free. But here we have low paid teachers (thai and the lowest paid esl teachers in asia)classrooms and schools fallng down, broken equipment and desks never replaced, paint as old as the school, broken concrete everywhere, sub-standard lunches,etc., then we have parents constantly paying extra fees, sometimes exorbitant just so their kids can get a certificate that will get them into a more expensive school (another expensive worthless piece of paper). But yet directors and long time teachers are living in multi million baht houses driving bmw's and mercedes, taking trips (seminars and fact finding trips of course ! to foreign countries)all the while thailand has the worst education scores in ASEAN and also the worst toefl-ielts scores. Yeah buddy ! no corruption and theft here !!! The future of any country relies on its children and thailand and most thais just dont give a damn about anything except right now and today. Honest hard working thais know it but can do nothing about it except hope they can afford to play the system at its most expensive level.

[Eddy B]

Comments about school directors pocketing money make me bloody angry . My thai wife is a school director and is the most honest straight person i have ever met.

Every week she has a meeting with all staff at the school and they all have to account for every baht.

On more than 1 occasion my wife has put her own money into school funds to make up a shortfall in the budget.

So tv members stop slagging of directors ,unless you have 100% proof of them pocketing money.

Maybe not all school directors pocket the money, I also know of a school director who is honest but a bloody large percentage do. I worked at one school where the director spent money from the school budget to buy two massage chairs. At first they were on the school campus near the main office and we were told they were for the staff if they wanted a relaxing massage. Well I am sure you can guess that after about a week or so they were never seen again and I was told by a Thai teacher at the school that the director had taken them home for personal reasons. At least B50,000 - 60,000 per chair. Now tell me thats fair for the school and the students? Edited March 24, 2013 by Eddy B

[Scott]

I assist with a number of schools and I have never known any of the directors to pocket any money, and keep their job. One took some money that was designated for lunch for the teachers who were at a meeting, not a lot of money, but the way, but enough to get her canned. She lost a career for less than 7,000 baht. The owner of the school watches the money pretty carefully. Of course, it would be possible to buy something and then use it at home rather than the school, but again it's a big risk where I work.

Even any deductions from salary and watched to make sure they are not pocketed by the admin.

[thunder30101]

You seem like a nice guy scott but you live in the the upper level private school system in bkk which represents a very small percentage of the thai school system. And I firmly believe you think people are being honest but as falangs employed here in thailand sometimes we tend to develop a bubble around ourselves due to self preservation of our positions and families. I have been there myself, but it doesnt change the facts of the rampant corruption and bribery in the school system that even the thais will admit to.

[Scott]

No doubt there is corruption and plenty of it. However, not everyone is involved in it. That was my point and my only point.

[totantaz]

Recently my girfriend enrolled her son (prathom 1) in a new shcool. The management told her to give a "donation" when she would do the formalities. Since its a new school for a new city she had no idea how much to give, the management only tell her "up to you !" beforhand.

so she asked a couple of her friends in that new city, they pretty much told her 5000 baht was a good bet, thats what they gave a couple years ago. On the day of the enrolment she only put 3000 THB in the enveloppe since she was confident her son would get approval. The admin personnel then checked all the donations and made a list of all the applicants. When she told she gave 3000 the eyes of the staff lit up, and she received instant feedback about her son being approved, she got a quick glance at the list being made up, there she was on the list with her 3000 Baht precedded by a vast majority of 200 and 500 Baht "donations" . She was quite furious of losing this money, while i had a good laugh.

seems like thais are getting the finance squeeze as well lately.

note: this is a basic thai private shcool with a good local reputation in a big city not to far from bangkok, not some remote part in the jungle

cheers,

[sirchai]

No doubt there is corruption and plenty of it. However, not everyone is involved in it. That was my point and my only point.

Gotta love this one...........

[colinneil]

Thank you scott for speaking up that not all directors are corrupt!!!

[sirchai]

Thank you scott for speaking up that not all directors are corrupt!!!

I can only speak for most directors in lower north east so far. Majority of them at bigger schools are as corrupt as m- suckers. The joke is that all Thai people know it.

I was approached by a Thai man, wearing a shirt with our schools emblem on it. He was furious and told me that if he gives the director money around 60 percent disappear in his pocket.

They also sell their position for a lot of money. It's not up to the new director's qualifications, it's up to the amount of money they offer.