Children subsidy plan cheered

[Lite Beer]

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Children subsidy plan cheered
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Bt600 a month will be given to poor families during the first year; no decision yet on whether it should cover all, says yongyuth

Reformers, technocrats and civic groups have backed the proposal to give families a Bt600 subsidy per month for infants to six-year-olds, saying it would "turn the country's future around".

The proposal will be forwarded to the Cabinet this week for approval.

Supporters of the proposal to invest in "the future" are still debating on whether the subsidy should be universal or only for children of the poor.

Thailand Development Research Institute statistics show that of the 5.4 million children in the country, 4.1 million - or 76 per cent - are the children of "informal workers" and were not given appropriate care and education.

At a National Reform Council seminar at Parliament on Friday, supporters of the proposal cited scientific studies and research that showed children aged up to six were in a crucial brain-development stage that greatly influenced future development.

Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Yuthavong, who chaired the seminar, said the proposal was initiated recently and was regarded as "a gift" for children as they were "the future''.

He said supporters of the idea wanted the subsidy provided universally but studies showed that many countries provided the subsidy only to the poor.

"So during a trial period, we may give the subsidy only to the children of the poor in the first year,'' he said.

Somchai Jitsuchon of the TDRI said Thailand had been very progressive with its subsidy for the universal healthcare system but lagged behind countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia in terms of a subsidy for young children.

"If these countries can implement this project, we should be able to. This policy will turn the country's future around because children are our future,'' he said.

Somchai said the subsidy could at least help parents with the food bill.

Women and children's right activist Sunee Chaiyarose said laws designed to project children's rights were well written but were ultimately meaningless because they were not enforced.

She urged Yongyuth not to focus solely on poor families but to make a well-rounded decision after getting figures from related agencies to determine how much money would be needed to subsidise all children.

Silada Rangsikanpum of the Foundation for Slum Child Care said the policy would return happiness to a lot of children and people who work to promote child development.

"We have been spending a huge amount of money on materials - it is time we start a new dawn by giving children an opportunity, as this subsidy would help ensure basic needs for their crucial development," she said.

"This will help prepare their brain, body and mind to be ready for study. This investment is beyond worthwhile."

Arunee Srito, chairman of Informal Worker Network, said she hoped that the government would start with Bt600 per month and increas the amount based on the cost of living.

"It should not be like social security where welfare is fixed for 24 years. Do not be stingy with children. We must invest in our children,'' she said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Children-subsidy-plan-cheered-30251660.html

-- The Nation 2015-01-11

[willyumiii]

600 / month?

That'a a dozen more pints of Lao Kao for Pa!

I think vouchers for food and clothing would have a better impact on the children's well being

[ExPratt]

Good idea to help the needy . Below statement surprised me a bit

"Thailand Development Research Institute statistics show that of the 5.4 million children in the country, 4.1 million - or 76 per cent - are the children of "informal workers" and were not given appropriate care and education."

[mikemac]

What is an "informal worker" ? Is it someone who does not wear a tux to work ?

[WhamBam]

600 / month?

That'a a dozen more pints of Lao Kao for Pa!

I think vouchers for food and clothing would have a better impact on the children's well being

+ 1 my initial thought too.

[Bluespunk]

"Women and children's right activist Sunee Chaiyarose said laws designed to project children's rights were well written but were ultimately meaningless because they were not enforced."

So consistent with a vast swathe of other laws and regulations.

[ThePlant]

How about providing decent schools free from nonsense about 'citizenship' and '12 values'. Of far better value to the future of the country than pointlessly throwing a scabby pittance at people, encouraging irresponsible population booms.

[Bluespunk]

"Thailand Development Research Institute statistics show that of the 5.4 million children in the country, 4.1 million - or 76 per cent - are the children of "informal workers" and were not given appropriate care and education."

So set up green spaces and safe areas for children to play.

Provide a better education system.

Provide welfare services that benefit the parents as well as the children.

Support the provision of decent housing.

Raise the minimum wage and enforce it everywhere.

Or just give everyone 600 baht and hope all goes well.

I know which a govt that is serious about the welfare of it's citizens would do.

[Costas2008]

600 / month?

That'a a dozen more pints of Lao Kao for Pa!

I think vouchers for food and clothing would have a better impact on the children's well being

I agree with you, knowing the way life goes on in Thailand.

But lets give this government some respect for thinking and acting for the benefit of families in need.

Even 600Baht is a great help for some people out there.

[seajae]

what will happen is the poor will breed like rabbits to get all the extra money, instead of helping it will cause major problems as the poor/uneducated produce as many kids as possible thinking it will make them better off. If they are going to subsidize the kids they should do so in the form of food.clothing etc but then they would probably sell that anyway

[halloween]

Children really become expensive when they start school. What is needed is a subsidy for uniforms and texts, expenses felt most by the poorest Thais. Oh wait, we had one of those, but it was cancelled to fund the hugely successful One Very Few Child(ren) One (overpriced crap) Tablet scam.

Note to Prayuth, back to school is a great time to hold an election, when people fondly remember that missing subsidy.

[jpeg]

"Thailand Development Research Institute statistics show that of the 5.4 million children in the country, 4.1 million - or 76 per cent - are the children of "informal workers" and were not given appropriate care and education."

So set up green spaces and safe areas for children to play.

Provide a better education system.

Provide welfare services that benefit the parents as well as the children.

Support the provision of decent housing.

Raise the minimum wage and enforce it everywhere.

Or just give everyone 600 baht and hope all goes well.

I know which a govt that is serious about the welfare of it's citizens would do.

1. So set up green spaces and safe areas for children to play.

Agree. A Thai neighbour here on relatively wealthy Phuket lamented the lack of parks here in Thailand. He said 'There's no quality of life here'.

2 Provide a better education system.

They've head decades to do that but it seems not to be a priority with those running the show of any stripe to educate the population. Also, the education budgest is huge but most of it goes down the corruption hole.

3. Provide welfare services that benefit the parents as well as the children.

They won't so long as the majority don't pay tax to support it and the disgustingly wealthy 0.01% who own 50% of this country's land and resources cling to their wealth.

4. Support the provision of decent housing.

See 3. above.

5. Raise the minimum wage and enforce it everywhere.

They did that but it is far from being enforced anywhere. So don't expect that to change.

6. Or just give everyone 600 baht and hope all goes well.

Appears to be only option, despite the usual meanspirited remarks from posters here. I remember a poorly dressed man taking his young daughter around a local market seeking out the cheapest he had to get by. Another shabbily dressed man taking his daughter to a local vet to 'wash' her kitten as had an eye infection. (S'okay, the vet suggested an alternative treatment ).

I remember some years ago a news item concerning a local German nun and her charity supplying babies' milk and nappies to the poor. She gestured toward a local shrimp processing plant and said 'They don't pay them enough to feed their families, it's not right'.

No, it isn't.

Edited January 11, 2015 by jpeg

[Somtamnication]

Great, Thailand on its way to become a nanny state like Britain.

[WitawatWatawit]

One plan to help poor children: kick out the patronising Yongyuth and replace him with Sunee.

[fishingforsquid]

It hasn't actually happened yet, it had a nice ring to it around children's day, 1 policy per day keeps *#*% at bay...

[NeilSA1]

600 / month?

That'a a dozen more pints of Lao Kao for Pa!

I think vouchers for food and clothing would have a better impact on the children's well being

Provided vouchers for food and clothing are not then exchanged for cash by the suppliers (at a premium of course).

[djjamie]

What a wonderful initiative.

600 baht means nothing to most westerners, but having seen kids of rice farmers (yes the rice farmers are still poor) go to school in Soi Dao, Chanthaburi wearing ripped shorts and shirts with buttons missing it means the world to the poor.

Usually money is offered to the poor when an election is forthcoming. What a refreshing change to see social security measures being introduced especially when there is no sign of an election.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

What is an "informal worker" ? Is it someone who does not wear a tux to work ?

Someone who doesn't pay tax and is not part of the SS system.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Raise the minimum wage and enforce it everywhere.

80% of the population work 'of the books'.

How would an increased minimum wage help anyone?

My gf earns 100-150bht for a 10-12 hour day.

Entirely normal in CM.

[bangon04]

What a wonderful initiative.

600 baht means nothing to most westerners, but having seen kids of rice farmers (yes the rice farmers are still poor) go to school in Soi Dao, Chanthaburi wearing ripped shorts and shirts with buttons missing it means the world to the poor.

Usually money is offered to the poor when an election is forthcoming. What a refreshing change to see social security measures being introduced especially when there is no sign of an election.

Do the rice farmers really need a financial incentive to have more babies? . Aren't they quite efficient at having large uneducated families already? Surely this subsidy is a longterm boost for the Redshirt electoral power...

[rickirs]

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What a wonderful initiative.

600 baht means nothing to most westerners, but having seen kids of rice farmers (yes the rice farmers are still poor) go to school in Soi Dao, Chanthaburi wearing ripped shorts and shirts with buttons missing it means the world to the poor.

Usually money is offered to the poor when an election is forthcoming. What a refreshing change to see social security measures being introduced especially when there is no sign of an election.

"Usually money is offered to the poor when an election is forthcoming"

There's no election forthcoming? Yes, sad to say you are correct.

[Bob12345]

600 / month?

That'a a dozen more pints of Lao Kao for Pa!

I think vouchers for food and clothing would have a better impact on the children's well being

Provided vouchers for food and clothing are not then exchanged for cash by the suppliers (at a premium of course).

And that is the big risk; mum and dad seeing it as an opportunity to get some extra cash.

Why not do it much simpler: give the kids a free meal at school in the canteen and a new uniform and books at the start of the school year?

This is done all over the world and seems to work pretty well (besides, you can make sure they get high quality food instead of fast food).

[Bob12345]

What a wonderful initiative.

...

Usually money is offered to the poor when an election is forthcoming. What a refreshing change to see social security measures being introduced especially when there is no sign of an election.

Right, giving money to the poor to secure their votes is often referred to as "bribing" and "buying votes" by you and your green buddies.

But giving money to the poor to keep them quiet and not demand an election is "refreshing" and "wonderful".

Double standard?

[emilymat]

How will they 'means test' to ensure only those eligible receive the money? That is why child allowance in the UK has been universal until recently. You need a whole army of civil servants to decide on applications.

I'm with those posters who would rather see the cash used directly for school meals, uniforms etc etc.

Oh yes, and why do they have to spoil an initiative of this sort (even though I think it's flawed) by saying it's a 'gift' to children. To invest properly in the education of a country's children is not a 'gift', but a responsibility of government (elected or not) .

[djjamie]

What a wonderful initiative.

...

Usually money is offered to the poor when an election is forthcoming. What a refreshing change to see social security measures being introduced especially when there is no sign of an election.

Right, giving money to the poor to secure their votes is often referred to as "bribing" and "buying votes" by you and your green buddies.

But giving money to the poor to keep them quiet and not demand an election is "refreshing" and "wonderful".

Double standard?

Keep them quite?

I didn't realize they were making any noise.

When the Junta do not introduce social security like most Western countries have done they are a bad insincere Junta that do not care about the poor. When they do introduce social security measures it is to keep them quite.

You seem to have all bases covered no matter what the Junta do.

It reminds me of the rice payment logic by red apologists. When the didn't pay the famers the Junta were described as insincere and not empathetic to the plight of the farmers. When they do pay the farmers they are described as a populist Junta.

Edited January 11, 2015 by djjamie

[Bob12345]

What a wonderful initiative.

...

Usually money is offered to the poor when an election is forthcoming. What a refreshing change to see social security measures being introduced especially when there is no sign of an election.

Right, giving money to the poor to secure their votes is often referred to as "bribing" and "buying votes" by you and your green buddies.

But giving money to the poor to keep them quiet and not demand an election is "refreshing" and "wonderful".

Double standard?

Keep them quite?

I didn't realize they were making any noise.

When the Junta do not introduce social security like most Western countries have done they are a bad insincere Junta that do not care about the poor. When they do introduce social security measures it is to keep them quite.

You seem to have all bases covered no matter what the Junta do.

It reminds me of the rice payment logic by red apologists. When the didn't pay the famers the Junta were described as insincere and not empathetic to the plight of the farmers. When they do pay the farmers they are described as a populist Junta.

Agree with the first part you wrote, its the same story with many things here (2 points of view).

My refernce to vote buying came from you as you mentioned elections and the previous government. If you had only refered to "social security" back there and left out your elections comparison, i wouldnt have reacted and just agreed with you.

Too bad you added the rice scheme comparison here, it colors your opinion and doesnt add to the valid point you just made.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Bob12345

[rubl]

600 / month?

That'a a dozen more pints of Lao Kao for Pa!

I think vouchers for food and clothing would have a better impact on the children's well being

Provided vouchers for food and clothing are not then exchanged for cash by the suppliers (at a premium of course).

And that is the big risk; mum and dad seeing it as an opportunity to get some extra cash.

Why not do it much simpler: give the kids a free meal at school in the canteen and a new uniform and books at the start of the school year?

This is done all over the world and seems to work pretty well (besides, you can make sure they get high quality food instead of fast food).

A free meal at school sound nice, but as schools are in Thailand you need some watchdog organisation to make sure the meal is as prescribed.

Same with new school uniforms. If left to schools the quality might not be as prescribed.

Sad, but true.

Still, with sufficient safeguards I would also prefer hand-outs in kind at school rather than money to parents. It might even help to get more children to get to school in the poorer regions of Thailand.

[BirdsandBooze]

600 / month?

That'a a dozen more pints of Lao Kao for Pa!

I think vouchers for food and clothing would have a better impact on the children's well being

Exactly. I remember when the Albanians pretending to be Kosovans started arriving in the UK and there was a call to change their cash handouts to food vouchers as they were spending all the money on drink, cigarettes and lottery tickets.

[casualbiker]

What a wonderful initiative.

600 baht means nothing to most westerners, but having seen kids of rice farmers (yes the rice farmers are still poor) go to school in Soi Dao, Chanthaburi wearing ripped shorts and shirts with buttons missing it means the world to the poor.

Usually money is offered to the poor when an election is forthcoming. What a refreshing change to see social security measures being introduced especially when there is no sign of an election.

When the Democrats were in power, they provided a uniform subsidy. It wasn't huge but it would buy the basics, as another poster mentioned the champions of the poor Phua Thai canceled it to help pay for the fabulous computer tablet scheme (failure)

The biggest problem for the Democrats was getting the information out to the parents, in Phua Thai area's the village heads etc just didn't pass it on.

Similar to what happened when the 30baht medical scheme became free.. some actually said there was NO 30b scheme anymore, the Democrats have canceled it. They didn't mention it was replaced by a similar free one!!

Edited January 11, 2015 by casualbiker

[halloween]

And that is the big risk; mum and dad seeing it as an opportunity to get some extra cash.

Why not do it much simpler: give the kids a free meal at school in the canteen and a new uniform and books at the start of the school year?

This is done all over the world and seems to work pretty well (besides, you can make sure they get high quality food instead of fast food).

You are coming perilously close to endorsing a Democrat policy cancelled by PTP, if for no other reason, because it was a Democrat policy, and a popular one to boot..