Education tea money part of bribes system

Paying tea money is a bribe, no matter how it's dressed up or explained away. If Family A can get its not-so-bright son enrolled because it's able to pay more, then it's a disadvantage to the brighter kid from Family B, which may be poorer, or may just not want to feed in to the culture of bribery that Thailand has become.

If the cost of providing an education at a school is greater than the tuition fee, then the fee should be raised. It shouldn't rely on some underhanded, ill-defined bribery system to meet costs.

Of course, the basic costs for education aren't the real issue. The real issue is self-enrichment for those on the upper rungs of the education system.

Case in point: One of the richest men in a northern city is the head regent for two universities. He didn't get rich from his salaries. He got rich from consistently taking money under the table - from prospective students and from teachers wanting promotions.

He's just one of tens of thousands at top levels of the education (and police and military and banking and political) totem pole, who see taking bribes as a natural part of doing business.

Mr Woravat appears to fit right in with that mould.

Kip Keino

bangkok