Changes urged in education budgeting

[Lite Beer]

Changes urged in education budgeting
Chularat Saengpassa
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- How schools are funded is key to implementing reforms, seminar hears

A change in Thailand's budgeting approach will help bring real reforms to the education sector, the Thailand Development Research Institute says.

"The current budgeting method does not encourage schools to improve their quality," TDRI president Somkiat Tangkitvanich said at a recent seminar.

He was speaking at a TDRI-led seminar on "Educational Resources Management for the Better Educational Quality" on Wednesday. It was held in collaboration with the Education Ministry, the World Bank and the Quality Learning Foundation.

Somkiat said some schools were being granted the same amount of funding or sometimes even more despite their drop in quality. Hence, he said, a change in the budgeting format as recommended by World Bank researchers would prove to be a crucial tool in implementing proper reform.

In the new approach, schools' educational results, students' financial and social status, as well as the size of schools would be taken into account when calculating budgets.

"With this approach, small schools in remote areas would be granted a bigger budget than a school in town," Somkiat said.

Dilaka Lathapipat from the World Bank said a study on the cost of education and calculation of government subsidies showed that the size of a class significantly affected the cost.

"Smaller classrooms are usually more costly," he said, explaining that the smaller a school is, the lower its quality and higher the cost.

At present, there are about 13,000 small schools across the country and only about 44 per cent of them are under the supervision of the Office of the Basic Education Commission.

To improve the quality of these schools, Dilaka recommended that a network be created so small schools in the same neighbourhood can organise classes.

"This way, they can share resources and have specialised teachers for all subjects," he said, adding that each network should ensure they have between 20 and 29 students per class.

Dilaka cited the Kangjan Model, under which four local schools about 3 to 4 kilometres apart in Loei's Pak Chom district created a network to improve the quality of their classes. Under the new set-up, each school is assigned specific grades starting from kindergarten to Prathom 6. For instance, the Ban Khok Wao School is responsible for Grades 3 and 4, while the Pal Mang Sorn School oversees Kindergarten 1 and 2.

Since this network was set up, the Prathom 6 students in the district have been achieving higher O-Net (Ordinary National Education Test) scores. For instance, their O-Net score in Thai language have risen from 29.76 in 2010 to 49.15 in 2011, while their O-Net score in mathematics have increased from 26.15 in 2010 to 53.92 in 2011.

Dilaka also recommended that schools be allowed to manage themselves and seek funding based on their needs. "Schools need independence when it comes to human-resource management," he said.

Somkiat agreed, saying schools really should be able to hire their own teaching staff.

Budget (excluding funds for facilities)

2010

From Office of Basic Education Commission Bt196,496 million

Needed based on World Bank calculation Bt266,902 million

Recommended by the World Bank if students' average O-Net scores are to be higher Bt285,801 million

2014

Allocated by Office of Basic Education Commission Bt282,881 million

Needed based on the World Bank calculation Bt269,526 million

Recommended by the World Bank if students' average O-Net scores are to be higher Bt288,549 million

Source: World Bank

-- The Nation 2014-05-03

[Tatsujin]

If they are basing the amount of budget received on "results", will they now be stopping the country-wide "no fail" policy where students get a good grade regardless of their academic prowess?

[chotthee]

More should be allocated to Farang teacher.

They are the only hope for Thai student. Really.

[chainarong]

Whether changes in the budget will bring about dramatic changes to the education system is doubtful , one needs top quality Teachers, administrators and most of all a willingness to improve the standard on education , what I mean, do the establishment want top educated students at the same level as the west, therein lies the problem, a lack of skilled teachers on good pay , recruited from o/sea/s/ ,specialist in fields of education, that Thai's only dream about ,a dramatic improvement in class room design and fit out, the shopping list is endless, until there is a genuine program /plan from the government and a desire to implement structural changes, everything else is cosmetic

[Roadman]

The problem for the Thailand Development Research Institute and other well meaning organisations that can see what is needed most is that sitting above them with control of the budget strings is the politician criminals. How can anything be changed for the better in thai education when the education portfolio is used to feed the political soi dogs. This miserable and pathetic excuse for a government and a pathetic clueless puppet PM alone have had four...count them...four...4 soi dogs as Education Minister feeding off the purse strings as their payback from the peoples court convicted Dubai fugitive criminal in the less than 3 year period that this latest Shinawatra family mafia party they have been mismanaging the country.

Edited May 3, 2014 by Roadman

[FangFerang]

The "no fail" policy and the allocation of subsidized funds to private schools are the major obstacles to education reform, and NO ONE is talking about those two white elephants in the room (except some TBF posters, anyway).

Thailand allocates more money to private school students than public school students -- a dreary fact. Private schools get over 30,000 baht per student per semester.

Swallow that and you will have projectile vomiting and diarrhea simultaneously.

[expat888]

They know how to talk about their problems but don't understand what they are saying.

The same as the existing politics. Same same

[NongKhaiKid]

More should be allocated to Farang teacher.

They are the only hope for Thai student. Really.

I know what you mean but it's too simplistic.

I, and others like me, can go on forever about the system so it's not just about teachers but the conditions under which they operate.

i do not want to bore so will simply use on example as an illustration - i once worked at a rural university where at the end of a semester all exam results were handed in and never seen again. The ' finalised ' list was never published and made available for certification by the teachers as it was all happening behind the scenes.

[issanaus]

Money in its self is not the answer because we all know that adding to the pot will not of itself add to educational outcomes.

Education has been describes as the doorway out of poverty and if Thailand is to resolve some of its difficulties then there need to be more equality of opportunity. Education is a tool that can, and should, advance both the individual and the country; Thailand's growth has been fuelled by being in the centre of the highest growth area in the world coupled with relative stability and cheap labour. Most of the surrounding countries have seen a growth in their relative stability and still have a lower level of labour costs. Improvements in education will achieve both more equality as well as providing the potential for growth enhancing social harmony and political stability.

If the purpose of education is to provide an educated workforce that meets the needs of the country and economy, business needs to be involved in the identification of needs as well as the development of programs. There is little advantage in increase supply without consideration of the market - which is employment by the public and private sectors. One of the ways that this can be achieved is creating a movement of teaching staff between the business sector and education system.

Funding needs to be designed in the context of both needs based and outcome based analysis. As FredFarang clearly stated there is a situation where there is more public funding made available to (non government) fee paying schools. At the very least there need to be equality achieved but there is also a logical advantage for special needs funding, Considerations that need to go into special needs not only should consider the current social and economic situation but should also take into account the intergenerational effect that comes from a lack educational opportunity that the parents generation had.

[sirchai]

"With this approach, small schools in remote areas would be granted a bigger budget than a school in town," Somkiat said.

"The current budgeting method does not encourage schools to improve their quality," TDRI president Somkiat Tangkitvanich said at a recent seminar.

Recommended by the World Bank if students' average O-Net scores are to be higher Bt288,549 million

Theory and reality don't always match. -

[belg]

what they should do is, test the teachers & the quality how & what they teach ... there lays the fault... what do you expect those children to learn ?

[Maroon Watcher]

I suggested to grade tests mid-term etc (A, B, C, C- ("Fail"))

The staff just looked at me like Rabbits in headlights - total silence.

I had to change the subject!

[selftaopath]

IMO: Those in control of the country DO NOT want to improve education etc. If there are more feeding from the "pie" then there would be less for the hungry pigs who have grown fat.

[Mentors]

As long as the kids get brainwashed, nothing will change

[Neeranam]

More should be allocated to Farang teacher.

They are the only hope for Thai student. Really.

I worked as an English teacher for 13 years here and can assure you this is total nonsense.