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EDUCATION
Closing small schools unconstitutional: rural teachers
Supinda na Mahachai
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Rural Teachers Society's Northeastern branch yesterday condemned the Education Ministry's move to close down small schools.

"It's a violation of the 2007 Constitution," said society vice president Wittaya Panpeng.

He was speaking at a teachers' forum held by the Federation of Teachers Associations of Thailand.

Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana, however, was undaunted. He has stood by his policy to close some small schools to improve the overall quality of educational services. Usually allocated few resources and few teachers because they have just a handful of students, small schools are often plagued by quality problems.

Wittaya said the government was required by the Constitution to provide Thais equal access to 12 years of free education. "The government has the duty to ensure that education services reach all children," he said.

He complained that if small schools in rural zones were closed, many more children would leave school.

"I believe some children, especially those in remote areas, will simply stop going to schools if the nearby schools are closed," he said. Wittaya is the director of a Si Sa Ket-based school.

He said the Education Ministry should find out the wishes of local communities before deciding to close down small schools in their areas.

"So many teachers at small schools disagree with the policy to close down their schools. They are planning to stage a protest at the Education Ministry, bringing along students and parents," Wittaya said.

Phongthep said his policy did not seek to eliminate all small schools. "We are going to close down just some of them. We will also provide free transportation for local children who have to move to study at another school instead," he said. "At most, these children will only have to travel some three to five kilometres further."

He said merging the schools would give children better access to learning materials.

"In areas where there is just one school, we definitely will not close it," the education minister said.


-- The Nation 2013-05-10

[BrianCR]

although causing students extra problems with travel, overall the idea is good as most small schools are basically nothing more than places to babysit children rather than educate them due, to lack of qualified teaching staff and budgets that do not allow for education. For once I think this is a good idea

[Locationthailand]

"... He has stood by his policy to close some small schools to improve the overall quality of educational services."

Now there are the words of a total moron. How do these people get the post as ministers? Oh Dubai dictated his position as education is not high on the skim sources list.

[foxteen]

More money spending on school is need..small school deserve to be look after and kids to go without in rural areas

[Thai at Heart]

Indeed the "we can buy buses" statement, reported elsewhere sums up the issue I think.

First risk rural doctors now rural schools. There is a plan here somewhere presumably to slowly kill the villages of reasons to stay.

That said, the average age in the villages has been rising and the amount of kids out there dropping for many years.

[MaxLee]

Closing schools upcountry and forcing the kids to come to Bangkok where they will pay triple to ten times the cost of living, transportation and food that they have at home,... means also, more traffic jams and 1000 students PER classroom with only ONE teacher....

And in the future we will have ONE million students per classroom and less teacher in decline because teaching will become an unpleasant job for teaching professionals

Oh I love to exaggerate here ....

[LuckyLew]

Instead if a 2 trillion budget for infrastructure that is not needed and will be poorly built

they should increase education budgets ... but that would be a smart thing to do

[Chao Lao Beach]

It is not the size of the schools, it is the way it is taught.

This route learning crap and if a student asks a question, then teachers take it as they are being challenged. Amazing Thailand alright.

And, "It's a violation of the 2007 Constitution," said society vice president Wittaya Panpeng. Since when has this stooped them?

Edited May 10, 2013 by Chao Lao Beach

[Mampara]

although causing students extra problems with travel, overall the idea is good as most small schools are basically nothing more than places to babysit children rather than educate them due, to lack of qualified teaching staff and budgets that do not allow for education. For once I think this is a good idea

Why don't we just close all the schools, nobody wants to learn anyway, as you say they are just used as a place of safety by the parents during the weekdays, and the kids are just dumped into shopping malls during weekends and even if they fail in the exams they just pass anyway, so why bother.

[rubl]

So, any one here who ever saw a reliable account with at least some details on how the Ministry of Education spents it's annual budget which for 2012/2013 is THB 420.4 billion (18% of national budget) ?

BTW providing reliable transportation costs money as well (buy busses, hire driver, maintenance, etc., etc.). I assume before a school is closed the MoE will transparently show a cost/benefit analysis? Plan to have up-to-level teachers at the school where kids are concentrated. School infrastructure (power, internet, foodcourt, etc., etc.)

Edited May 10, 2013 by rubl

[thaicbr]

although causing students extra problems with travel, overall the idea is good as most small schools are basically nothing more than places to babysit children rather than educate them due, to lack of qualified teaching staff and budgets that do not allow for education. For once I think this is a good idea

It MAY be a good idea depending on how it's implemented. Are they budgeting for more classrooms in the target schools are they transferring existing teachers. are they implementing max class room sizes?

Like usual an announcement with NO information.

[theajarn]

although causing students extra problems with travel, overall the idea is good as most small schools are basically nothing more than places to babysit children rather than educate them due, to lack of qualified teaching staff and budgets that do not allow for education. For once I think this is a good idea

In general it's a benevolent idea, but in Thailand it just means that The Ministry can rape more people out of their money and taxes. On the other hand the admin are complaining because they can't rape any money from the government... you know, like that computer in the picture that the school wrote down as being THB60,000 (for just the computer)? Now the teachers complaining... some of them might be genuinely concerned for the students -- the others just want the perks of being a government slave-for-life.

[theajarn]

although causing students extra problems with travel, overall the idea is good as most small schools are basically nothing more than places to babysit children rather than educate them due, to lack of qualified teaching staff and budgets that do not allow for education. For once I think this is a good idea

Why don't we just close all the schools, nobody wants to learn anyway, as you say they are just used as a place of safety by the parents during the weekdays, and the kids are just dumped into shopping malls during weekends and even if they fail in the exams they just pass anyway, so why bother.

Why bother!? How do you think the Thai government can enslave the people without proper b̶r̶a̶i̶n̶w̶a̶s̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ education?

[theajarn]

Instead if a 2 trillion budget for infrastructure that is not needed and will be poorly built

they should increase education budgets ... but that would be a smart thing to do

It won't do sh•t. They've already increased the education budget over and over -- there was an article about this somewhere. The budget rises while "education quality" decreases. The problem with these small schools is NOT that they are lacking in professionals or standards. Quite the opposite! These smaller schools are doing something WRONG -- they ARE teaching! The government doesn't want little 'rogue' schools to be sincerely educating the future voting population. They want to keep everyone in their nice little bubble-worlds.. keep taking their blue pills.

[hellodolly]

although causing students extra problems with travel, overall the idea is good as most small schools are basically nothing more than places to babysit children rather than educate them due, to lack of qualified teaching staff and budgets that do not allow for education. For once I think this is a good idea

That is as good a description of larger schools also.

Might I suggest there is an ulterior motive hidden away in the following quote.

"Phongthep said his policy did not seek to eliminate all small schools. "We are going to close down just some of them."

At the end of the day they will be able to say we have electricity in all are schools now.

Not an expert or even an amateur on the subject of the best way to educate but some thing tells me that increasing class sizes is not the way to go.

As to traveling 4 to 5 more kilometers by bus I see no problem with that. All though the busses are expensive and some one in government will be pocketing some of the money.

If the 2.2 trillion baht loan goes through it will take Thailand 50 years to pay it off/ If it is put into education it will be paid off a lot sooner and Thailand will not have to depend on Technology from other countries it will have innovators itself capable of contributing to the world with ideas. Not just a mindless horde who can only contribute with cheap labor.

[BrianCR]

Closing schools upcountry and forcing the kids to come to Bangkok where they will pay triple to ten times the cost of living, transportation and food that they have at home,... means also, more traffic jams and 1000 students PER classroom with only ONE teacher....

And in the future we will have ONE million students per classroom and less teacher in decline because teaching will become an unpleasant job for teaching professionals

Oh I love to exaggerate here ....

No one is forcing rural kids to go to Bangkok to study there are many many large, modern, fully equipped in or near every large town and city in Thailand - they will be asked to travel a bit further to get an education from (trained) teachers and schools with better facilities

[rubl]

"they will be asked to travel a bit further to get an education from (trained) teachers and schools with better facilities"

ADD: Allegedly that is

[Johpa]

although causing students extra problems with travel, overall the idea is good as most small schools are basically nothing more than places to babysit children rather than educate them due, to lack of qualified teaching staff and budgets that do not allow for education. For once I think this is a good idea

In the rural areas where these schools tend to be located, the adjoining school where kids would be relocated, usually in the largest village in the sub-district (tambon) and just as often the village of the local kamnaan, the teachers are of no better or worse quality than those in the smaller school. But the children now relocated will have to pay for transportation and some families will not have the money.