Concern over 'inefficient' education spending

THAILAND needs to look further into national spending on education as studies have revealed that huge sums are being spent while efficiency is falling, Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Yuthavong said.

Research conducted by Chaiyuth Punyasavatsut, chief of Thailand’s national education accounts project, showed that of the Bt805 billion spent in 2013, the government provided Bt640 billion or 80 per cent in subsidies. 

“This amount accounted for 20 per cent of the national budget, but the resulting effectiveness was not in proportion. We need to see where the money went,” the minister said. 

The study also showed that over 80 per cent of the budget was spent on administrative expenses and only 5 per cent on improvement of education. 

The five-year study looked closely at national education expenses from 2008 to 2013, and learnt that total spending was 6 per cent above gross domestic product during that period. The Bt805 billion spent in 2013 accounted for 6.4 per cent of GDP, and was mostly spent on salaries (69 per cent); administrative expenses and utilities (12 per cent); student loans (5.5 per cent); research and development (6 per cent); and classroom activities (5 per cent). 

Of the total, 71 per cent was spent on basic education. Also, expenses rose 7.4 per cent year-on-year during that period, while the number of students dropped from 13.1 million in 2008 to 12.4 million in 2013. 

“Thailand has enough resources for education, but it has failed to achieve the desired quality and effectiveness,” the researcher said. 

“Inequality in opportunities and students graduating in fields with little or no demand reflects a failure of the fresh round of education reforms in 2009. Financial resources for education should be restructured, in order to ensure more funding in needy areas that directly boost quality. Teachers’ salaries should also be linked to students’ achievements,” Chaiyuth said. 

This information was revealed at the regional workshop in the National Education Account (NEA), which was attended by representatives from Vietnam, Laos and Nepal and supported by Unesco Institute for Statistics (UIS). 

Gwang-Jo Kim, director of Unesco Bangkok’s Regional Bureau for Education, noted that NEA aimed to ensure more effective budgeting. The information on sources of funds, budgeting and beneficiaries would show what the money should be spent on. 

Representatives from four other countries – Uganda, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Ghana – also joined the NEA project, agreeing to exchange data to improve their budgeting on education.