Schools asks for too big budgets for joining competitions: Obec
Supinda na Mahachai
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) yesterday affirmed that the agency was willing to support schools in joining marching band competitions and provide some funds - but schools asked for big budgets.

Somkiat Boonrod, assistant to the Obec chief, said that last year schools asked for Bt100 million in total but Obec could provide them only Bt47 million.

The explanation came after Satriwitthaya 2 School students posted on Facebook complaining about the delay in getting a budget from Education Ministry in order for them to join a drum line competition in the United States from March 26-April 18.

The students rallied outside Ichitan Group chairman Tan Passakornnatee's property calling for supports, so the drinks company executive provided the team Bt3 million to cover their expenses.

Somkiat yesterday said that the school had on February 20 submitted a letter asking for a permission to join the contest and stating that the expenses would be covered by a personal budget.

He said the school later submitted an additional letter asking for Bt9.4 million to fund the team's expenses.

Somkiat said that yesterday afternoon he signed an urgent approval for the request for Satriwitthaya 2 School's seven teachers and 17 students to attend the competition without being considered as leave.

He said that Obec didn't ignore the school's budget request but was in process of acquiring a budget.

He said Obec's own budget could partially cover the requested amount while the rest was pending the Cabinet's approval of the central budget for 2014.

Obec secretary-general Apichart Jeerawuth had released a policy this year for the Obec Bureau of Student Activities Development to formulate a criteria to consider giving financial aid to marching band contest proposals, Somkiat said.


-- The Nation 2014-03-25

The students should be getting off their lazy asses and earn money instead of always asking. How about a car wash or some other fund raiser to earn money.

Tone down the rage there Grandpa. A lot of them do a great deal of find raising to make these trips happen. And frankly - most trip support is external 47 million over an entire nation isn't a lot of money

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Drumming competition on the other side of the world, basic education ???

Giving students a chance to see another place is never a bad thing - and Thailand's marching bands are some of the best in the world.

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Thailands marching bands are famous in western countries. They won many competitions against western bands.

This is the way to export Thai-ness.

Tone down the rage there Grandpa. A lot of them do a great deal of find raising to make these trips happen. And frankly - most trip support is external 47 million over an entire nation isn't a lot of money

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My sister in law is employed as a teacher at a government school in Kananchaburi. Every year the entire staff go on a one week all expenses paid holiday. This year they are off to Phuket and last year they were in Chiangmai. This all comes out of the school budget, why can't some of the schools use this money instead of spending it on staff perks?

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Tone down the rage there Grandpa. A lot of them do a great deal of find raising to make these trips happen. And frankly - most trip support is external 47 million over an entire nation isn't a lot of money


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My sister in law is employed as a teacher at a government school in Kananchaburi. Every year the entire staff go on a one week all expenses paid holiday. This year they are off to Phuket and last year they were in Chiangmai. This all comes out of the school budget, why can't some of the schools use this money instead of spending it on staff perks?

Why don't you ask them? Frankly, taking staff on team development, in service training, etc is a fairly standard practice across most sectors. Did you think they were spending all their time at the beach? Probably most of the day was spent in the conference room in group seminars.

For 17 students they need 7 teachers to accompany them. That's something you never see when they are teaching in these schools. It's more like 35 students, 1 teacher. I'm sure all of these 7 teachers had an urgent reason why they suddenly needed to accompany these students.

Lets not be naive - most of these teachers are underpaid by our standards, and a trip like this for them is not a regular occurrence. It might only happen once or twice in a period of 20 years. All of you have traveled abroad know the benefits it brings, and if there is funding to allow Thais to do so, and showcase students who have talent on the world stage, no harm done.

47 million for the entire country isn't a lot but over 9 million for one competition is.

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47 million for the entire country isn't a lot but over 9 million for one competition is.

True, but the government system is built so that you ask for 10 million, you get 1. When you know that, you work within the system to get what you can. A request for 9 million would never have had the expectation of receiving that amount.

I'm English teacher in a forgotten Hilltribe school. (Hmomg, Karen, Lisu and Thai).

We have a good musical group.

I bought some traditional drums.

The jam sessions with drums, singers and guitar players are wonderful.

We develop it, no need to go to America. We are happy together with our music.

The students should be getting off their lazy asses and earn money instead of always asking. How about a car wash or some other fund raiser to earn money.

They don't really have the time for such things, as chatting on facebook seems to be THE disease nowadays.

A marching band from Thailand, wearing fancy boy scout clothes. That's what America needs.

Tone down the rage there Grandpa. A lot of them do a great deal of find raising to make these trips happen. And frankly - most trip support is external 47 million over an entire nation isn't a lot of money

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My sister in law is employed as a teacher at a government school in Kananchaburi. Every year the entire staff go on a one week all expenses paid holiday. This year they are off to Phuket and last year they were in Chiangmai. This all comes out of the school budget, why can't some of the schools use this money instead of spending it on staff perks?

It's the way how they see the money must be spend. When our son had won a final competition in Bangkok ,just recently, almost the whole staff went on a holiday at the beach.

Useless to say that the money they;d won disappeared in their pockets, none of the students who made it happen was invited. The teachers seem to have won.

One of our PE teachers at a primary school drives a 560 Benz, but that's just his third car. Only the gasoline would eat up his salary, but......guess what.

Drumming competition on the other side of the world, basic education ???

7 teachers - 3 weeks all expenses paid holiday in the States - very basic ...hardly worth questioning....

What people "think" they know, and or what they "heard" could fill an ocean. The truth is not the gloom and doom, keep the natives in their place scenario many of our fine board patrons would have. Nothing wrong with giving children an opportunity to see something new, and showcase skills in a forum that appreciates it.

I come from a small country town. I was a member of their band for 15years, scouts for 12 years. If we needed funds, we put on our uniform, rolled up our sleeves and got to it to make them. We would do playouts on the streets of a weekend, old folks home concerts, marches, parades, you name it. With the help of parents, the community and businesses we never were short of what we needed. If you can not teach the younger generation to get off their butts, and work for something, you are dooming them to handouts and robbing them of vital pride. If they are that good, money will always follow talent. Staging some sort of protest to guilt a billionaire into footing the bill is disgusting.

Keep telling yourself that the government/education system owes you a living, see how far that gets you....

Oz

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I come from a small country town. I was a member of their band for 15years, scouts for 12 years. If we needed funds, we put on our uniform, rolled up our sleeves and got to it to make them. We would do playouts on the streets of a weekend, old folks home concerts, marches, parades, you name it. With the help of parents, the community and businesses we never were short of what we needed. If you can not teach the younger generation to get off their butts, and work for something, you are dooming them to handouts and robbing them of vital pride. If they are that good, money will always follow talent. Staging some sort of protest to guilt a billionaire into footing the bill is disgusting.

Keep telling yourself that the government/education system owes you a living, see how far that gets you....

Oz

Time for another cup of coffee. I think the kids are playing on your lawn. Go get em!

Drumming competition on the other side of the world, basic education ???

7 teachers - 3 weeks all expenses paid holiday in the States - very basic ...hardly worth questioning....

Plus free Jack Daniels, Kanomm for the kids and a visit in the real Disneyland.

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I come from a small country town. I was a member of their band for 15years, scouts for 12 years. If we needed funds, we put on our uniform, rolled up our sleeves and got to it to make them. We would do playouts on the streets of a weekend, old folks home concerts, marches, parades, you name it. With the help of parents, the community and businesses we never were short of what we needed. If you can not teach the younger generation to get off their butts, and work for something, you are dooming them to handouts and robbing them of vital pride. If they are that good, money will always follow talent. Staging some sort of protest to guilt a billionaire into footing the bill is disgusting.

Keep telling yourself that the government/education system owes you a living, see how far that gets you....

Oz

Time for another cup of coffee. I think the kids are playing on your lawn. Go get em!

If they were out on my lawn playing, I'd throw some money their way... what's your point?? Do you have any valid reasoning, other than sniping at my coffee intake schedule? Thought not!

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I come from a small country town. I was a member of their band for 15years, scouts for 12 years. If we needed funds, we put on our uniform, rolled up our sleeves and got to it to make them. We would do playouts on the streets of a weekend, old folks home concerts, marches, parades, you name it. With the help of parents, the community and businesses we never were short of what we needed. If you can not teach the younger generation to get off their butts, and work for something, you are dooming them to handouts and robbing them of vital pride. If they are that good, money will always follow talent. Staging some sort of protest to guilt a billionaire into footing the bill is disgusting.

Keep telling yourself that the government/education system owes you a living, see how far that gets you....

Oz

Time for another cup of coffee. I think the kids are playing on your lawn. Go get em!

If they were out on my lawn playing, I'd throw some money their way... what's your point?? Do you have any valid reasoning, other than sniping at my coffee intake schedule? Thought not!

The comment was about your negative and grumpy comment, early in the morning, before you've had enough coffee to temper the "grumpy old man" mask you are wearing. You don't know that these students AREN'T out earning money. You just assumed that. You don't know the context behind the protest of the billionaire, you just assumed that you do. Your assumptions are coloring your comments without all the facts in, your comments are negative, you need coffee. Go drink it outside, and for once, let the kids play on your yard without growling at them.

Then its best you provide all the relevant information since you seem intimately involved with the cause, for as it stands, these kids are NOT making any supporters. How about you clear the air with facts then, instead of insinuating foul play or poor treatment. I would love to read it..

Tone down the rage there Grandpa. A lot of them do a great deal of find raising to make these trips happen. And frankly - most trip support is external 47 million over an entire nation isn't a lot of money

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My sister in law is employed as a teacher at a government school in Kananchaburi. Every year the entire staff go on a one week all expenses paid holiday. This year they are off to Phuket and last year they were in Chiangmai. This all comes out of the school budget, why can't some of the schools use this money instead of spending it on staff perks?

Why don't you ask them? Frankly, taking staff on team development, in service training, etc is a fairly standard practice across most sectors. Did you think they were spending all their time at the beach? Probably most of the day was spent in the conference room in group seminars.

Wishful thinking.

Thirty minutes in a seminar + 4.5 days on the beach and pigging-out at the hotel buffet.

Personal experience.

.

I am not sure where this topic is going, but it seems to be drifting in a number of directions. Keep your comments civil and as close to the topic as is reasonable.

Thailand's attitude toward work and earning money is a little different than in the West. Students aren't encouraged to work to earn money and have some sense of independence and responsibility. It is seen as demeaning and it is for poor people.

If students were to informally perform or do, it should be done for merit rather than money.

This not always the case. It is a generalization, but the attitude is different.

9.6M THB..... Ok that's for 24 people, and taking 7 teachers is fair enough, as taking students to another country does require more supervision than usual.

But that's also almost 400,000 per person..... If I had 400,000 and managed it well I could probably live for 6+ months in a Farang country. So how long is their trip for? As if they need 400k per person, then they're obviously not making much of an effort to cut costs.

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A marching band competition.

A marching band competition.

A marching band competition.

There's jus no way to say it that sounds right.

Thailands marching bands are famous in western countries. They won many competitions against western bands.

This is the way to export Thai-ness.

Yes and sureley NOT to import anything at all as always...

Glegolo

9.6M THB..... Ok that's for 24 people, and taking 7 teachers is fair enough, as taking students to another country does require more supervision than usual.

But that's also almost 400,000 per person..... If I had 400,000 and managed it well I could probably live for 6+ months in a Farang country. So how long is their trip for? As if they need 400k per person, then they're obviously not making much of an effort to cut costs.

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A huge amount of that money ends up in different pockets, steal from schoolchildren. no problem, shame on them as usual....

Glegolo

9.6M THB..... Ok that's for 24 people, and taking 7 teachers is fair enough, as taking students to another country does require more supervision than usual.

But that's also almost 400,000 per person..... If I had 400,000 and managed it well I could probably live for 6+ months in a Farang country. So how long is their trip for? As if they need 400k per person, then they're obviously not making much of an effort to cut costs.

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A huge amount of that money ends up in different pockets, steal from schoolchildren. no problem, shame on them as usual....

Glegolo

No, they don't take that from schoolchildren. The parents and tax payers have to pay for it.