Heavy traffic at pawn shops
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A pawn shop in Min Buri, Bangkok, was crowded on May 6, following the long holiday period.
Pawn shops are usually busy ahead of the new school semester.
Kasikorn Research Centre estimated that in Bangkok alone, parents would spend up to Bt25 billion for tuition fees, up by 4.6 per cent from last year. Tuition fees for private schools and extra courses account for 70 per cent of the spending.
Many parents, especially those earning less than Bt30,000 a month, rely on pawn shops, which are expected to contribute 12 per cent of the needed sum. Other sources of funds include a privately-organised loan scheme (12 per cent) and borrowing from financial institutions (11 per cent).
