school fees

[AlexO]

My thoughts: Thai is Thai. This is what they do. I raised a stepdaughter, Nueng, from age 7. 2014 I relocated back to the USA for health reasons and education for Nueng. Health is better. Nueng graduated from high school within 2 years and is starting her 3rd year of college this semester. All at a very minimal cost to me. I was paying 30k baht a semester in Pattaya for English school. I choose to take responsibility for her education. Now she is a full-blown California Beach Girl. It is amazing what these kids can accomplish with a little help in their education.

Absolutely. "I CHOOSE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY." The threads original poster has been questioning the honesty and integrity of everyone in the Thai education system and complaining about the really small costs involved. DragonZ go back to Europe where you are taxed for schools even if you have no children and you will still pay more than 5/6 pounds/Euros for a football top. Make up your mind, the satisfaction of a kid having the best possible start in life or saving a few baht.

no you just hijacked the thread to hurl abuse . All i asked was anyone else paying for a full term when they had not been to school for 3 months out of 5 . That for all simple except for you . You are an axx if you think its about the money . I see enough gripes on here about 10 baht on a beer or a 100 baht on an entrance fee .If you think i am wrong in complaining about teachers being corrupt by selling uneeded clothes to the pupils then you are wrong . Because it is thailand or any country you name does not make it right. Usa or uk included . i do not ever remember teachers in any of my schools selling anything . Stupidest statement on this topic "this is thai" ie do not complain about road deaths , child deaths child trafficking, child rape abuse as '' THIS IS THAI" stupid thing to say . If nobody ever complains things will never improve.
The integrity in the thai education system is non existent .The schools are just a big shop .My wife is a teacher and i see lots of it . Used to go for a free meal every month with the teachers when i asked where the money came from my wife told me money left over every month from school funds in a school which had no desks and chairs , kids sat on the floor . I paid for my own food that time and do not go anymore.
When vip visit the school they get a big meal with whisky and beer out of school funds . Poorest school i ever seen .
Went on a school trip to rayong with the school took 19 hours with stops . got there teachers had a huge meal with crabs and shrimp and gave the kids a pot noodle each , out of school funds . They could not understand why i sat with the kids and ate a pot noodle . That is integrity . the list is endless after 10 yrs with my wife.
Do not lecture me on the thai school system of which i know a lot more than you .Being thai does not excuse this behaviour.
14650 x38 is over half a million bahts just for 1 class so it is not a small amount
photo is of the school which has lots of money left over every month and money foreee.JPG whisky and meals for vip

I am really, really!! sorry for hijacking your thread and hurling abuse at you while being an axx and being so wrong on how schools are run. The last time I went to buy clothes/books at my daughters school we 'spoke' to her class teacher but had to go to a school run shop for books and clothes. Your grandsons school has quite a good reputation and I find it really difficult to understand why any individual teacher at that school can dictate daily uniform rules and then sell uniforms as a personal benefit. Perhaps he has a store of books as well??. I will certainly bow down to your greater knowledge of the lack of integrity and rank corruption in the private school system in Thailand, my eyes must be shut tight. Here was me thinking that my daughter had at least a fighting chance of being a success in later life.

[mech_401]

i honestly used to wonder where the degradation
in values took place. so many young people here
seemed to have been taught almost nothing about
proper social norms. running off at mouth, right&wrong , responsibility , thieving is not a positive character trait etc. oh sure, you meet nice
kids. but the bulk of them, woefully maladjusted.
havent met business owner yet without staff probs

[Khun Paul]

KP rather than continuously giving out " Oh, Ya thats a problem" or "Oh thats a problem also" Give some solutions . Well then again I can only ask someone who is deeply concerned and would be willing to maybe follow up
So again. just drop it

Noted, while teaching here I saw first hand a senior staff member remind a NEW Thai teacher, this is the way we do things, NOT as they tell you in University but as we say. The poor lass was at a loss wanting to teach but seemingly NOT allowed to.
Now while I applaud your comment, suggest a solution, Thai teachers teach from a book , the book that the school has decided to use for a subject, there is ZERO input from teachers as to personal knowledge or experience, if the book is incorrect then the children get taught incorrectly, by the way I once sat in on a Geography class using maps pre- WW11, countries were wrong as were the names, never did I see the teacher, correct the wrong information and when I asked him about the errors,he seemed confused as to why the map was wrong even after I pointed out the date as being 1935.

So oft times I found glaring mistakes in English books used by all of the schools I taught in , but was told not to interfere, so I adopted the my solution. The books paid for by the parents were given lip service to appease the Head of English and the parents, I taught the subject to allow the students to think and find out the answers utilising the subject matter mentioned in the paid for book, but going outside the books often strict and useless guidelines.

We forget that regarding English, reading is hardly ever taught neither is writing of English as in composition etc`. Plus Thai teachers make money by holding extra after school classes to teach what they are paid to do in school time but seem unable to I have seen students who could not string two words together progress up the ladder from P4/5 to M2/3 but amazingly their English scores are adequate for the Ministry of Education ...go figure, so my comments are made with experience and knowledge, yours are made by using what exactly ?

[mech_401]

they've got a huge untapped resource in pensioners willing to be english coaches. who else would work for peanuts or free. true for yrs

[samster]

they've got a huge untapped resource in pensioners willing to be english coaches. who else would work for peanuts or free. true for yrs

Good idea. The Thai kids would be far better off learning from pensioners who are incapable of forming a simple paragraph without grammar and spelling errors. Even better if its taught by someone for whom English is a second language.

[mech_401]

have you ever put time in at english camps or volunteered or been talked into part-time speaking
at a local school. the last thing they want are grammar lessons. over and over you will hear they
want speaking practice. even if it's just listening to
someone prattle on. that's why i said " coach" not
professor. the thai teachers of english can't even
speak it in classroom. students graduate from uni
with degrees in hospitality& tourism and can't put
a sentence together. let's start with basics please

[noosard]

Now while I applaud your comment, suggest a solution, Thai teachers teach from a book , the book that the school has decided to use for a subject, there is ZERO input from teachers as to personal knowledge or experience, if the book is incorrect then the children get taught incorrectly, by the way I once sat in on a Geography class using maps pre- WW11, countries were wrong as were the names, never did I see the teacher, correct the wrong information and when I asked him about the errors,he seemed confused as to why the map was wrong even after I pointed out the date as being 1935.

Seems that teacher would have trouble locating Thailand on that 1935 map

[Khun Paul]

Yes I agree there is I am sure many who would gladly in some cases offer time just to talk to the school kids, however with recent ( last 2 years ) efforts by the RTP ( Immigration ) to arrest or deter anyone NOT in possession of a Valid work permit to even entertain the notion of helping out even for free, then that solution is a non-starter .
Work is considered work even if no cash is paid to the helper but possibly a small payment in kind ( which I am told also includes a meal ) .
There are many who do, I am told assist at their local out of the way Village school , that is to be commended but not advertised .

Solution is surely in the hands of the Regimes outdated and useless restrictions regarding teaching and help from NATIVE Engl;ish speakers which if I am correct means those from the UK, USA, NZ and Australia , the rest are not according to the Ministry of Education, but they seem to think that Philipinos speak native English , why well that is the 64000 dollar question, they are cheaper to hire though, maybe that is the incentive .

[AlexO]

Yes I agree there is I am sure many who would gladly in some cases offer time just to talk to the school kids, however with recent ( last 2 years ) efforts by the RTP ( Immigration ) to arrest or deter anyone NOT in possession of a Valid work permit to even entertain the notion of helping out even for free, then that solution is a non-starter .
Work is considered work even if no cash is paid to the helper but possibly a small payment in kind ( which I am told also includes a meal ) .
There are many who do, I am told assist at their local out of the way Village school , that is to be commended but not advertised .

Solution is surely in the hands of the Regimes outdated and useless restrictions regarding teaching and help from NATIVE Engl;ish speakers which if I am correct means those from the UK, USA, NZ and Australia , the rest are not according to the Ministry of Education, but they seem to think that Philipinos speak native English , why well that is the 64000 dollar question, they are cheaper to hire though, maybe that is the incentive .

Not withstanding that you have just written the longest sentence the in native Engl:sh speaking world, your observation about hiring costs are not too far off the mark. Now 4 Philo, 'English' teachers at daughters school. Speak better Engerish that medo.

[GT93]

You forgot Canada KP. You won't be making friends with and influencing Canadians if you do that.

[samster]

have you ever put time in at english camps or volunteered or been talked into part-time speaking
at a local school. the last thing they want are grammar lessons. over and over you will hear they
want speaking practice. even if it's just listening to
someone prattle on. that's why i said " coach" not
professor. the thai teachers of english can't even
speak it in classroom. students graduate from uni
with degrees in hospitality& tourism and can't put
a sentence together. let's start with basics please

Yes, I have.

But I have also seen kids that have been coached by expats who should never been let near kids and, not just for their lack of English skills.

I, for one, applaud Thailand for screening everyone who is allowed near their kids both from an educational and safety viewpoint.

[Khun Paul]

Agree wholeheadly, THERE ARE ENOUGH PROBLEMS HERE WITHOUT KIDDIE FIDDLERS COMING HERE

[Doodoo]

KP wholeheadly??? Did you mean "wholeheartedly"

[mech_401]

Yes, I have.

But I have also seen kids that have been coached by expats who should never been let near kids and, not just for their lack of English skills.

I, for one, applaud Thailand for screening everyone who is allowed near their kids both from an educational and safety viewpoint.

i can't speak to that . i've never met one of those
" types" . and with all the risks the kids are exposed to, i would' ve thought pensioners helping
3hrs/week with a conversation class were lowrisk

but it's a changing world , and with the insinuations combined with threat of being rousted by police. i guess that's why no-one does
it anymore. it's a pity lose - lose for everyone

[AlexO]

Last week the daughter gave a printed note to the wife. This morning we had to drive to the school for my wife to receive 300 baht. Asked her why this was and answer was "Government give back".
Just imagine if Dragons claims about lack of integrity and total corruption in the school system were correct and the evil teachers could have kept this money, they would not have to sell dodgy school clothes afterwards.

[GT93]

Any update on the school fees dragonz?

[Khun Paul]

Going back to the OP, apart from AlexO , has anyone else noticed a reduction or a remuneration for fees already paid , since the schools have re-opened

[Brian Davis]

Last week the daughter gave a printed note to the wife. This morning we had to drive to the school for my wife to receive 300 baht. Asked her why this was and answer was "Government give back".
Just imagine if Dragons claims about lack of integrity and total corruption in the school system were correct and the evil teachers could have kept this money, they would not have to sell dodgy school clothes afterwards.

I would expect this was the normal refund for clothing (possibly books), for which you have to present the local purchase receipt. I'd be surprised if anything to do with tuition fees.

[ajsp9]

Just by way of a comparison, my Sons school here in Bristol, England did not and will not be refunding any school fees paid and they provided remote learning which is ok but I do get that folk feel a bit miffed for paying for something but not receiving it but I rationalise this by reminding myself that these times are hopefully a one off and at present, everyone is suffering - id committed the fees anyway so they would have been spent and the school does still have to function. In summary, I’m not too unhappy with the situation.

[AlexO]

Last week the daughter gave a printed note to the wife. This morning we had to drive to the school for my wife to receive 300 baht. Asked her why this was and answer was "Government give back".
Just imagine if Dragons claims about lack of integrity and total corruption in the school system were correct and the evil teachers could have kept this money, they would not have to sell dodgy school clothes afterwards.

I would expect this was the normal refund for clothing (possibly books), for which you have to present the local purchase receipt. I'd be surprised if anything to do with tuition fees.

Who pays for the refund, the corrupt teachers, the schools with the total lack of integrity, or the Government? Just saying.