Three-year biggest spending growth for new school term in Thailand

BANGKOK, May 10 (TNA) - Parents' spending on the new school term in Thailand grows at the fastest pace in three years in 2016, to over 49 billion baht. According to a latest survey conducted by Bangkok-based University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), parents paid up to about 49.15 billion baht for their children to go to school in this new term, a 2.3 per cent year-on-year increase and the largest increment in three years. Thanavath Phonvichai, Director of the UTCC's Center for Economic and Business Forecasting, told journalists on Tuesday the survey, conducted during May 1-6, showed that the spending grew by 1.9 per cent in 2015 and 2.21 per cent in 2014. The survey also found that 51.3 per cent of parents did not have enough money for the new school term spending but 48.7 per cent did. Besides, 42.3 per cent of the respondents said the prices of goods remained unchanged, 33.4 per cent viewed they were more expensive and 24.3 per cent thought they were cheaper. The survey also showed that 34.9 per cent of the respondents thought Thai education has improved over the past decade, 22.8 per cent considered it has been worse, 15.9 per cent viewed it has remained the same and 12.7 per cent opined the Thai education has improved by its highest extent. Most of the respondents, or 62.4 per cent, viewed that the quality of education at Thailand's schools is of the same standard but 37.6 per cent considered the quality is different between schools. (TNA)