Thailand's educational spending highest in the world

[Alwyn]

I believe they mean it's highest in terms of percentage of government spending, not in terms of actual dollars spent per student.

They say education amounts to 20% of the government spending, which is indeed high. But government spending in TH is less than 20% of GDP, a very very low figure in international comparison:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_spending#As_a_percentage_of_GDP

Here's the thing, the government don't really spend that. Parents spend it which is why do many kids come out of schoolat age 11 or 12. I've just put my son through school - Thai schools and it costs a <deleted> fortune. He's now in officer training college with the Royal Navy and it still costs me!

[Frostyboy]

"Study hours for Thai students are five times more than countries such as the US and Canada where students spend 600-700 hours in classes while Thai students 2,000-3,600 hours."

Lets look:

52 Weeks have a year.

12 weeks are vacation

40 weeks lectures * 5 days a week = 200 days

3600 / 200 = 18 hours per day spend in classes (from 8am morning to 2am after midnight)

2000 / 200 = 10 hours per day spend in classes (from 8am morning to 6pm)

average = 14 hours per day spend in classes (from 8am morning to 10pm)

average = 70 hours per week.

I do not know what they are doing in the classes, but I doubt the data base and the validity of data collection too.

In Ramkhamhaeng (the largest university in Bangkok) and generally in Bangkok,i see every day oodles of students on the streets,

- shopping, in cinemas, in restaurants and in the evening in discos and pubs.-

No way that they study day per day, spending 14 hours in classes.

20% of State Budget for education?

If this is true, than we have here maybe another rice school scam.

Intersetingly enough with 180 days in a school year they are suggesting kids in Canada are only spending between 3.3 and 3.9 hours in the class room per school day, I find that a little bit of a stretch to believe, as well, when I was a kid we did 5 hours, but then I was in NZ maybe, north Americans are just really lazy, or maybe the person doing the maths here is a result of the wonderful education systems available today

[DerringDo]

Unbelievable!

That's a frightening OP. Where does all that money go?

[DerringDo]

Studies are not only 5 days a week. Minimum 6 for very many children, although they are tutor groups or private language schools. Some even study 7 days a week. Competition for the more prestigious schools, not necessarily the best, can be quite strong.

[bunuel]

The obvious question is : where does this money go?

Certainly not to the underpaid teachers.

Suggestion: since the Japanese, Chinese and Korean education systems are superior to the Thai by all international standards, I would recommend paying senior education professionals to make a massive overhaul of the dysfunctional Thai education system, with giving all administrators and bureaucrats duties in other fields where they can do less damage. Have taught students from all four countries and there is no comparison.

The educational system is the problem. By European standards, the Thai system is pre-Enllightenment, which makes it two centuries out of date.

Thailand has an extremely high number of private schools, so this is not just a reflection on the gov't, although the Ministry of Education needs to take a very serious look at it's curriculum and how it is implemented. Especially how it is implemented.

More of the same is not needed.

A major clear-out of the bloated bureaucracy would be a start. Many of them seem to exist to enforce ( or not as the case may be) meaningless rules and policies). Teacher training reform needs to be a priority. Curriculum ...where to start?

[eddie61]

i don't have the energy to comment anymore

2014 hopefully the year of revolution.. bloody if need be.

Please, for my kids...

Does that count as a comment

[atsiii]

Aside from the money, the classroom hours in the article don't seem to add up. USA public school students attend class for 1080 hours per year. That is essentially 9 months of 5 days a week, 6 hours a day. My Thai wife thinks she attended school about 10 months, 5 days a week, maybe 7 hours a day, which would be just 1400 hours. So I'm not sure where they are getting the 700 - 800 for USA, or the 2000 - 3600 hours of class for Thai students. Does anyone understand these classroom hours?

[thhMan]

And the kids go back home and are dumbed down by whats on TV....

Education does not stop at schools, it needs to spread to other parts of society to be effective.... This is where Thailand fails... it has trouble looking at the big picture (perhaps because the soapies are on and thats more important than .... what was the issue?)

[geoman1976]

It shows that there are low standards for passing students, misappropriation of funds, corruption, and an overall general inefficiency that plagues this country in industries across the board. I am a certified project manager and university professor here and I can tell you this from personal experience. It is also important to look at the GDP per household and cost of living. A lower % per household spending torwards education can still equate to much more than a higher % per household in a country with a low GDP meaning the amount of money allocated per household is still lower than other countries.

Edited January 9, 2014 by geoman1976

[orpheus454]

wouldnt be surprized if it is the truth but it just goes to show how much of it is going into peoples pockets/bank accounts as it is certainly not getting through to the schools. Like most financial deals in this country the people suffer as the top dogs get to pocket most of the money, another reason Thailand needs to have honest government and open financial policies so the people can see exactly where akll this money is going..

I think so many of us find it easy to lay much blame with government. But, I think we fail to acknowledge that the core problem is with the entire society. The politicians are but a reflection of the nation's character.

When one puts all the big stats together, a rather embarrassing and grim picture of Thai society becomes clear.

It's a complete mess.

Bigoted, deluded rubbish.

[MJP]

And the kids go back home and are dumbed down by whats on TV....

Education does not stop at schools, it needs to spread to other parts of society to be effective.... This is where Thailand fails... it has trouble looking at the big picture (perhaps because the soapies are on and thats more important than .... what was the issue?)

Easy fix. Throw out the telly,

It works.

[cmiuc]

If you look at what the teachers drive, and the houses they live in, how many parties they always have... and how many international trips they take... you can see where the money is going.... if its the most spent in the world... and you look at the schools and their conditions.... you really think they are not getting enough money... most schools have very little aircon, windows, and look a 1000 years old inside... I am an ICT teacher in Yasothon for 1st year MEP(45 students all crammed into a room where you can't even walk around).. and they wouldn't budget us computers... they gave me the old computers from the ICT(Thai) dept that were 9 years old... try to do something with that... the classroom still looked no different than the thai rooms and they gave old broken down aircons which obviously other dept got the new ones and they gave the MEP the hand me downs, and yet charge the parents 40,000 up per semester.(as i was told), by 2nd in command...

So Mr. Suriyadev Tripati, institute director, time to do some house cleaning, time to issue some warrants and search and seizures... reform will not do anything at this point... fire-dismissed, tear down, rebuild is the only good thing at this point... and with ASEAN around the corner.... time to act fast and stop sending these teachers and administration to Cambodia, Singapore for useless conferences...

what in TV, they posted that Thailand had slipped from 80th position to 102nd? and students are less and less interested in learning International subjects and languages... and if you visit FB of your students, they are taking photos of themselves while they are in classess and exams... so the article is good, hope it yields results and not just talk as it has been happening for a very long time.

[PaullyW]

wouldnt be surprized if it is the truth but it just goes to show how much of it is going into peoples pockets/bank accounts as it is certainly not getting through to the schools. Like most financial deals in this country the people suffer as the top dogs get to pocket most of the money, another reason Thailand needs to have honest government and open financial policies so the people can see exactly where akll this money is going..

I think so many of us find it easy to lay much blame with government. But, I think we fail to acknowledge that the core problem is with the entire society. The politicians are but a reflection of the nation's character.

When one puts all the big stats together, a rather embarrassing and grim picture of Thai society becomes clear.

It's a complete mess.

Bigoted, deluded rubbish.

Then, let's have your take on it? Or is it too difficult to take the time to make an argument?

What accounts for the woeful education outcomes in Thailand? Or would you also call that into question?

[diehard60]

This is good to know. Now that they have all this so called hight tech, when are they going to get the staff that can teach properly?

[gp2002]

Well.....the students at the International School I work at could care less about studying and their rich parents could care less about their lack of effort. They then come to the office to see if "something " can be done about their poor grades.

[NBD]

If you include spending on tablets, flowers and fruit carving instruction it's probably true.

Just proves what I've said for years - you can put as much money as you like into education, but the outcomes will be poor unless and until you focus on the core skills.

I have hired graduates both here and in the UK, and I really don't give a toss if they can use an iPad (or Outlook, a few years ago...), make a case for anthropogenic global warming or talk knowledgably on the history of feminsm. Give me numeracy and a decent grasp of the English language any day. These can be taught with a black board, pen and paper as they were 30 years ago. After that it's nice to have a grasp of history, geography and the sciences are nice to have. This requires books and some basic lab equipment. A second language is a bonus.

[darren84310]

wouldnt be surprized if it is the truth but it just goes to show how much of it is going into peoples pockets/bank accounts as it is certainly not getting through to the schools. Like most financial deals in this country the people suffer as the top dogs get to pocket most of the money, another reason Thailand needs to have honest government and open financial policies so the people can see exactly where akll this money is going..

I think so many of us find it easy to lay much blame with government. But, I think we fail to acknowledge that the core problem is with the entire society. The politicians are but a reflection of the nation's character.

When one puts all the big stats together, a rather embarrassing and grim picture of Thai society becomes clear.

It's a complete mess.

Example: A school bus crashed last week killing one child and injuring many others. Apparently because of faulty brakes.

What will happen?

Probably compensation in a brown envelope for the families and that will be the end of it.

Whereas, they should be demonstrating outside the Education Ministry, the Transport Ministry and any other ministry for safety..... that's what would happen in the west and that's how things get changed. BUT here they just don't care.

[cmiuc]

*Deleted post edited out*

I think it is good to read these things... it is exactly what most of the foriegners do in this country for a living...(teach)... and our salaries are pretty low compared to other countries for this job... and the conditions of the classrooms are 3rd world(or economically stressed) ... so to hear and read, gives us hope that someone will do something about the problem... if we teachers are unhappy how can you imagine the teaching quality is... and i am sure everyone agrees that something needs to be done... most of us are not on retirement salaries, working stiffs in a poor industry. this forum is for us to voice our agreements or dissagreements... and hopefully important people in these services or industries can know the mutual feeling of all of us in this nice country we like to live in... you can never say what you say here to a thai person... you might as well get back on the plane and go back home, as they are very sensitive to any kind of suggestions from the "falang" sector.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Scott

[hotrod4098]

got sick of saying mai bphen lai every day in the village...nothing mattered at all.....they just dont care..parent dont care whever kids learn or not

[gp2002]

I find it very hard to believe that the Thais spend more on education than the Koreans. I've worked in both countries and the Korean kids go to school and then attend private academies until very late in the evening. I felt very bad for them because they worked their butts off.

[Carl64]

If they have the highest spend why are they so st....! Bite my tongue.

[MJP]

I find it very hard to believe that the Thais spend more on education than the Koreans. I've worked in both countries and the Korean kids go to school and then attend private academies until very late in the evening. I felt very bad for them because they worked their butts off.

It's a stupid way to do things. It'll backfire too. Children can't develop into well balanced people growing up like this.

[nong38]

As with several other big spending govt schemes they are not getting value for many. For all the hours that are put in the end product is not fit for purpose, throwing money at it does not work and with ASEAN now less than 1 year away Thais will be found wanting in relation to their new found group of chums, the difference will be all to obvious when the border is crossed. Tradition and culture clashes with the new order, a time for the quick or the dead.

[gabruce]

Personally I find anachronistic (and expensive!) the need of 3 different uniforms (gym, scout/army and normal day) with cleaned spare and the relative expensive and low quality shoes..

How a poor family can afford this expense?

And, IMHO, but just mine, uniforms at school are so much North Korea style...

School uniforms are found all around the world. In North America, it's only private schools (as far as I know). Here in Thailand while it's all schools, it's also a different uniform every day. Yes, a bit of expense and it doesn't directly affect their education, and they do have to wear something to school. Speaking from experience here.

[marcusd]

wouldnt be surprized if it is the truth but it just goes to show how much of it is going into peoples pockets/bank accounts as it is certainly not getting through to the schools. Like most financial deals in this country the people suffer as the top dogs get to pocket most of the money, another reason Thailand needs to have honest government and open financial policies so the people can see exactly where akll this money is going..

why does this country have some of the richest people.... In one if the poorest nations?, you have the answers here

Sent from my RM-892_apac_laos_thailand_219 using Tapatalk

[Jeffrey346]

You can spin the numbers any way you want but a simple Google search tells a different story.

Thailand # 49 @ 5.2% and Cuba # 1 @ 18.1%

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/edu_edu_spe-education-spending-of-gdp

[marcusd]

Thailand has an extremely high number of private schools, so this is not just a reflection on the gov't, although the Ministry of Education needs to take a very serious look at it's curriculum and how it is implemented. Especially how it is implemented.

More of the same is not needed.

A major clear-out of the bloated bureaucracy would be a start. Many of them seem to exist to enforce ( or not as the case may be) meaningless rules and policies). Teacher training reform needs to be a priority. Curriculum ...where to start?

I have a teacher in my employ. OMG... dumb teaching dumber. Sorry but this as Scitt says.. The curriculum

Sent from my RM-892_apac_laos_thailand_219 using Tapatalk

[Thait Spot]

If they have the highest spend why are they so st....! Bite my tongue.

The word "ignorant" is more appropriate

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[hotrod4098]

take a look in some of the schools in the villages...teachers can not teach,,pupils are so unruly..they call it free issan..meaning

parents do not tell the children right and wrong.. so they take this in to the classroom..

this can never change..so you get a very low level of education...

around 13 on wards a lot of kids drop out of school..as the parent is just to lazy to make the child go to school...

a 13 year old kid leaving school, has the education of a 8 year old westerner...they are so far behind...

the whole set up needs sorting out...

[Travelman868]

wouldnt be surprized if it is the truth but it just goes to show how much of it is going into peoples pockets/bank accounts as it is certainly not getting through to the schools. Like most financial deals in this country the people suffer as the top dogs get to pocket most of the money, another reason Thailand needs to have honest government and open financial policies so the people can see exactly where akll this money is going..

I don't understand the figures. They say that parents have to contribute 35000 baht per child per year. Someone

earning 300 baht per day would not be able to afford the cost.