From: kamol@ipied.tu.ac.TH (Kamol Hengkietisak)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Bangkok Post Dec 29: Primary school teachers rally
Date: 5 Jan 1993 19:26:53 +1100
Organization: Mail/News gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: munnari.oz.au

 
PRIMARY school teachers from the Northeast yesterday threatened to 
stop work if the Government continued to ignore their demand for a 
ministerial level bureau for primary education independent of the 
Education Ministry.
 
The school teachers also expressed dissatisfaction over Prime 
Minister Chuan Leekpai's response to their demand.
 
About 1,000 primary teachers from 17 northeastern provinces 
yesterday morning rallied in front of Government House for about 
30 minutes.
 
Ten representatives of the teachers later met Mr Chuan.
 
The teachers demanded that the education administrative system be 
restructured and an independent bureau be established to be 
directly responsible for primary education.
 
They also called for more say in running primary education.
 
The primary education bureau is to decentralise its power to 
provincial primary education offices which are to be a juristic 
person.
 
The teachers demanded that a primary school be given more power to 
make a decision by itself in co-ordination with such local 
administrative bodies as tambon councils. They also called for 
better work conditions and allocation of funds.
 
In addition, the teachers demanded improvement in conditions at 
teachers' institutes and amendments to the Teachers Act (1945) so 
as to enable the Teachers Council to become a prestigious 
occupational institution.
 
However, Mr Chuan told the teachers that he needed to look at the 
national budget and the Government's policy on education before 
considering their proposal for an independent bureau.
 
The Prime Minister urged the teachers to be "reasonable" and 
democratic in order to set a good example for other people.
 
Preeda Boonphloeng, president of the Northeastern Teachers 
Association said teachers nationwide would take turns to rally to 
demand the setting-up of theprimary education bureau.
 
He said the association would collect signatures from primary 
school teachers nationwide and forward them to Parliament during 
the next parliamentary session.
 
Mr Preeda added: "Primary school teachers nationwide will stop 
teaching, if our demand is ignored."
 
The teachers oppose the Education Ministry's proposal to set up 
provincial education councils, arguing that the move would be 
tantamount to bringing the primary education management under a 
provincial governor, who, by position, will be the chairman of the 
education council in each province.
 
Nakhon Phanom Primary Teachers Association president, Phanung 
Siridamrong, said the provincial education council, if set up, 
would take away their right to participate in the country's 
education administration.
 
He said the teachers were demanding a primary education bureau 
because the existing National Primary Education Commission under 
the Education Ministry had many budgetary problems.
 
Education Minister Samphan Thongsamak is opposed to the 
establishment of an independent bureau.
 
Niphon Chinta, president of the Primary Education Teachers 
Association of Thailand said the Prime Minister told him that the 
Government's policy was to support the establishment of provincial 
education councils.
 
He quoted Mr Chuan as telling the teachers' representatives that 
the Government currently had no policy to change the educ  aon 
system because their immediate goal was to establish the Ministry 
of Labour Affairs.
 
Vacharin Sonphud, one of the representatives, said the teachers 
were careful in making the demand because they did not want the 
opposition parties to use them as a tool to destabilise the 
Government.
 
However, he warned that the Government's stability would certainly 
be affected if the provincial education councils were set up as 
proposed by the Education Ministry.
 
Yasothon Primary School Teachers Association president Vichan 
Phrasopha said a bill calling for the establishment of the primary 
education bureau had been forwarded to Parl JM nt by New 
Aspiration Party's Kalasin MP Chingchai Mongkholtham.