# **4. Benchmarking Policy Intent and Implementation**

In 2011, the SABER School Autonomy and Accountability Scale (SAAS) – which measures policy _intent_ – was applied in Thailand to benchmark the existing framework of policies in this domain, and the results were discussed and validated with several institutions in the education sector. In 2012, a modified SAAS was applied in the 226 schools that participated in PISA 2009. The modified scale benchmarked the _implementation_ of school autonomy and accountability policies, with the objective of comparing policy _intent_ with policy _implementation_ in schoolbased management. The results of the assessment of **_policy intent_** are summarized in Table 1 and discussed in more detail in their respective subsections. Clearly, the key issue for policy dialogue is the gap that may exist between the policy intent outlined in Table 1 and the implementation of these policies at the school level.

|**Table 1: Thailand: Indicators of Policy****_Intent_ in School Autonomy and Accountab**<br>**1. School Autonomy in Budget Planning and Approval**|**ility 2011**|
|---|---|
|Schools have autonomy over non-salary expenditures, and their budget management plans<br>feed up to the Educational Service Area (ESA) level; education budgets are decentralized<br>at the ESA and to continue to the Local Administrative Organization level; administrative<br>systems are in place and well established at the ESA level.|Emerging<br>|
|**2. School Autonomy in Personnel Management**||
|Teachers are hired at the ESA level under the Teacher’s Civil Service Commission rules;<br>the selection process is bureaucratic and schools have little influence over their personnel<br>choices; there is limited scope for implementing a system for managing teacher incentives|Latent<br>|
|**3. Participation of the School Council in School Finance**||
|Parents participate in school board committees and play an advisory role at the local level,<br>and also contribute in fundraising activities; parents contribute up to 30% of total per<br>student expenditure in public schools, and the private sector another 10%; parent and<br>private donations are not registered in the school budget|Emerging<br>|
|**4. Assessment of School and Student Performance**||
|Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA) is an<br>independently run public organization that manages the periodic evaluations of school<br>performance; National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS) is responsible for<br>standardized testing in basic and secondary education; national test scores and rankings<br>are publicized and used in education policy and private results are available to students<br>and parents<br>**5. School Accountability**<br>School boards can request the office of the Auditor General to perform financial audits;<br>school performance and learning outcomes are regularly made public; still, school<br>accountability is hampered by the lack of power of parents over school personnel and for<br>the weak linkages between student performance and teacher and school accountability|Advanced<br><br>Established<br>|

Source: World Bank 2013 10