Educational Scholarship Programs Are A Mess

[sriracha john]

Truly needy missed out on scholarships, study finds

Most of the scholarships in the government's four-billion-baht programme did not go to students who truly needed them, a Chulalongkorn University study revealed. Academics looked into the 400,000 scholarships allocated last year to students whose families earn less than 50,000 baht a year or whose parents have contributed to the public sector and society.

They found 75% of recipients from low-income families and 96% from socially contributing families said they could pursue higher education without such aid.

Teachers also said 21% of their students who did not get assistance were in a worse financial position than those who did.

The fund came from the sale of the two- and three-digit lottery. The grants for young people from socially contributing families mostly went to relatives of political canvassers _ kamnans, village heads and local politicians _ and government officials with family income surpassing 120,000 baht a year. The programme also missed people left out of the education system.

The survey by the education faculty looked into scholarships handed out last year to underprivileged pupils. Three groups of parents, recipients and teachers, each of 14,617 people, were interviewed.

Sompong Jitradap, a faculty lecturer, said the scheme suffered from a ''lax screening process carried out under a tight timeframe of only six weeks''.

Applicants' backgrounds were not thoroughly checked. Only a government official's signature was required to verify he or she came from a low-income family.

Mr Sompong said with the budget set to double to eight billion baht this year the scheme should ensure the help goes to those who most need it. The survey results will be sent to the National Economic and Social Development Board.

The 400,000 scholarships granted by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry and the Education Ministry were divided into levels: 6,000 baht a year for kindergarten and primary students; 10,000 baht for secondary and vocational students; 20,000 baht for undergraduates; and 5,000 baht for individuals in non-formal education.

- BP

=============================================================

and now... the corrupt influential parents report is followed by the corrupt schools report

Universities warned not to break loan scheme rules

The Office of Higher Education Commission warned yesterday that if any state and private universities are found to have violated the rules of the new student loan programme, they would be ejected from the loan scheme. The Income Contingent Loan (ICL), from which students could obtain loans regardless of their financial status, will be introduced at the beginning of the new semester starting next month.

But many students have lodged complaints with the commission that some of the universities under the scheme were demanding the fee before the commencement of the new semester.

''This is not correct and would only lead to their expulsion from the programme as punishment,'' said OHEC secretary-general Pavich Tongroach.

Universities joining the programme are allowed to collect a tuition fee from students only after the commencement of the new semester.

''So the students needed to seek loans from other sources, which caused loan duplication and troubled students and their parents,'' Mr Pavich said. The commission has held talks with caretaker Education Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng.

The minister will take serious action against universities which break the rule, according to the official. The ICL fund recipients can pay back the loans after they graduate and find jobs.

The new loan scheme is part of educational reform undertaken by the Thaksin Shinawatra government. Its forerunner, the state Student Loan Programme, had been limited only to needy students from low-income families. However, many students were worried the ICL would lead to ''educational exploitation'' as the government also had a plan to raise tuition fees in state universities.

So far students have had to pay only around a quarter of the fees, with the rest being subsidised by the government. Under the ICL, students would be responsible for an equal share of the fee.

- BP

[Thaising]

Free education policies are all bullshits from toxin to mislead the poor and underprivileged. No wondered some student parent has to pawn their belonging and end-up seeing some government pawnshops run out of money.

Edited May 15, 2006 by Thaising

[Rhys]

Products of the new generations of Thai Leaders.. The future of Thailand, the future Thai leaders..Funny..Funny they are not home grown.. but foreign feed..

YADA..

[sriracha john]

Free education policies are all bullshits from toxin to mislead the poor and underprivileged. No wondered some student parent has to pawn their belonging and end-up seeing some government pawnshops run out of money.

Under the guise of helping the poor, like so many other Thaksin's programs... it denegrates into just a reward system for those who do his bidding.

His great promises ring hollow... his efforts are misleading and manipulative.

Thailand can't get rid of him fast enough.

[GuestHouse]

The old British University Grant system was no different, a free hand out to the middle classes.

[womble]

The old British University Grant system was no different, a free hand out to the middle classes.

Unconditionally yes. But with this reward system only those who help the government recieve the perk, I doubt many the marchers at the Rallies will be seeing these scholarships.

The two are completely different and cannot be compared.

[sriracha john]

400,000 scholarships

A total of 400,000 Education Ministry scholarships will be made available this year for students whose parents don't earn much money. ...or if they do, then they are "connected"

Deputy permanent secretary Jaruayphorn Thorranin yesterday said the annual-household-income limit for applicants had been raised, from Bt50,000 to Bt60,000 this year. ...or even higher, if they are "connected"

The number of scholarships being offered had also been increased this year, she said, with 340,000 new places this year.

The 340,000 scholarships will be open to all, excluding those who automatically qualify for assistance, such as the children of government officials, blood donors or people who have received royal honours, she said.

- TN

[jdinasia]

How could this happen .... this is one of the oft lauded TRT programs to help poor farmers ... no?

[bulmercke]

The well-to-do and the well connected, again, looking after themselves and their families.

Thailand....it's a question of who you know that counts more often than not!

If this scheme was properly monitored with grants being awarded on merit, then thousands of truly deserving chidren wouldn't go wanting for finance which ultimately must affect their education and it's continuance to university or college.

Another balls-up....just like the 'one million per village' project.

No accountability or reckoning.

Edited May 17, 2006 by bulmercke

[ColPyat]

I don't doubt that there are serious corruption issues.

One of my nieces, ten years old, is under such a scholarship. She is from an extremely poor backgrond (parents don't own land, or the house the live in), and her parents are not TRT connected in any way. At least one scholarship there goes to a kid who deserves it.

[stumonster]

She is from an extremely poor backgrond (parents don't own land, or the house the live in), and her parents are not TRT connected in any way. At least one scholarship there goes to a kid who deserves it.

but do they know she is your niece? from some of your previous posts it sounds like 'they' know who you are.

[jdinasia]

well since obviously TRT can do no wrong ... and some people claim that the scholarship program is THEIR baby ...

Ispso facto ... there IS NO CORRUPTION

[samran]

Actually, you have to give Dear Leader credit for the new income contingent loans scheme.

He mentioned it once a few years back during one of the first live on-air ministerial cabinet meetings. Remember those one? The ones we though that were a bit of a PR stunt?

Well, during that on-air stunt he told his education minister at the time (Sudarat I believe) to get her department to investigate the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) used in Australia. Basically the system is that your university fees are paid up front by the government, and you only start paying them back only when you join the work force and start earning over a certain income threshold. The balance owing is indexed for inflation, so in real terms, it stays the same.

For Australian universities at least, it has been successful in increasing the funding available to universities, and, more importantly, because the loans are income contingent, if you can't afford to pay them back, then you don't. This has opened up university education for students from poorer backgrounds, and has helped ensure that universtity entry in Australia is based on academic merit, not ability to pay.

So anyway, Dear Leader actually kept his word. A HECS like system has been introduced in Thailand, and I am guessing, it will help change the state of play immensely, providing much needed extra funding to universities, and helping to ensure that more university places are opened up because of this.

[sriracha john]

ICL scheme gets a B3bn cash injection

An extra three billion baht has been approved for the Income Contingent Loans (ICL) scheme to meet the needs of incoming university freshmen _ with applications expected to surge by up to 90% in the coming semester.

The additional funding significantly boosts the previously approved budget of 4.8 billion baht.

It was agreed on yesterday at a meeting of caretaker Education Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng, caretaker Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya, representatives of the ICL, the Budget Bureau and the Office of the Higher Education Commission.

The money will be drawn from the Budget Bureau's central budget of 27 billion baht.

Mr Chaturon said the ICL needs a bigger cash injection because student demand for the loans is expected to rise sharply given that they can obtain loans from the ICL regardless of their financial status.

The loans will be introduced at the beginning of the new semester, starting next month for freshmen.

The panel overseeing the ICL was considering measures to deter unnecessary requests for loans from students of wealthy families. hmm... taking definitive action there, eh??

There will be measures to convince parents of these students to meet the cost of their children's tuition themselves, said Mr Chaturon. ...such as? appealing to their sense of duty or their humbleness?

"We don't want the ICL to end up like the People's Bank. Those who have no urgent needs should not take out the loans," said Mr Chaturon. ..."should not" SHOULD be "could not"...

Prempracha Supasamut, manager of the ICL, said some students had already been admitted by some state and private universities and the loan agency found that these students' demands for the ICL had spiked by up to 90%.

When the remaining students succeeded in entering universities this year, their demand for loans was expected to surge by 90% as well, he said.

Mr Prempracha said the three billion additional budget was necessary because the current budget of 4.8 billion baht could only serve 60% of all freshmen.

Moreover, students pursuing higher vocational education certificatesweare increasingly requesting loans as their tuition fees had been hiked by the Education Ministry from 20,000 baht to 30,000 baht per head per year, said Mr Prempracha.

The ICL also extends to extra-curricular students such as those taking international courses who need loans too.

He said the ICL should no longer be seen as a low-interest student loan fund. Measures will be in place to make sure that the borrowers really need the loans and will not misuse the money.

The calculation of the ICL loan interest rate will be based on the annual inflation rate. Interest will be charged from the day the loan contract is sealed. Borrowers will pay the money back automatically once their monthly income reaches 10,000 baht.

For example, if a borrower takes out a loan of 200,000 baht, he or she may end up paying back double the amount, or 400,000 baht - which combines the principal amount and interest charged, said Mr Prempracha.

- BP

[sriracha john]

Seems that Khun Somkiat agrees with my comments on the post above :

EDUCATION STUDENT LOANS FIASCO

Govt warned against ICL 'point-scoring'

Scheme should target 'the poor, not the rich'

Critics have warned the Income Contingent Loans (ICL) scheme should be arranged exclusively for needy students and not be abused by the government as a populist policy to score political gain.

Somkiat Tangkitvanich, a researcher at Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), suggested yesterday that the government review regulations for approving the loans in the face of its current budgetary constraints.

Only poor applicants should be entitled to the loans while requests for loans from students in wealthy families should be rejected, he told a seminar on the ICL and Student Loan Fund (SLF) held by the Thai Journalists Association and the Health Foundation of Thailand.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/26May2006_news15.php

[ovenman]

One of my nieces, ten years old, is under such a scholarship. She is from an extremely poor backgrond (parents don't own land, or the house the live in), and her parents are not TRT connected in any way. At least one scholarship there goes to a kid who deserves it.

Never hurts to let one of the marks win every now and again at a rigged wheel. Good PR for the game.

[sriracha john]

UPDATED

As a follow-up to the disaster that is Thaksin's feeble attempts to improve Thai educational system, the news is not good. As with most of his programs and ideas, corruption and extremely poor planning and implementation have ended up with the not unexpected results:

Students not properly selected

One-fifth of the recipients not from needy families: the main criterion for the grant

The haste of the One-District-One-Scholarship (Odos) project has begun to take its toll on the first batch of scholarship recipients. Thirty-one students returned home after being unable to weather the challenges of overseas undergraduate study, due to an inability to master a new language and their poor academic backgrounds. One-fifth of scholarship recipients are not from needy families_ the main criterion for the grant. One family earned as much as 1.68 million baht annually, a study by Mahidol University and the National Institute for Development Administration (Nida) revealed.

Odos in 2004 awarded scholarships to 921 students, funded by the sale of two- and three-digit lottery tickets. Of these, 195 students chose to enter local universities, while 726 others went abroad.

Of the 31 who came home, nine returned from Italy, seven each from Germany and France, six from the Netherlands and one each from China and India. Given the average annual spending of one million baht a student, the change of heart means Odos spent no less than 30 million baht for their brief cultural and language experiences.

The Nida researchers and Mahidol University's Population and Social Research Institute said the project was rushed and poorly run.

Under a lax screening process, only the signature of a district chief or school director was required to verify whether an applicant came from a family that earned less than 100,000 baht a year.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/23Jul2006_news04.php

Edited July 23, 2006 by sriracha john

[chownah]

80% were from needy families....not perfect but for Thailand I'd say pretty good.

Only 31 out of 726 returned prematurely...I'd say that given the uncertainty of going overseas to study in a foreign language and foreign culture that this is spectacularly good.

Clearly the program could be improved but it doesn't really seem like a total failure either.