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Improving the Economic Status of Teachers: Introduction The very rapid changes occurring in all spheres of life - political, economic, social, science and technology, especially in information and communication technologies, have a significant impact on education and its development process. Such changes have influence on the decision making of various educational policy issues including the process of learning which directly affects the status of teachers. In the International Conference on Partnerships in Teacher Development for a New Asia organized by UNESCO and UNICEF in association with the Office of the National Education Commission (ONEC) and Ministry of Education (MOE) of Thailand during 6-8 December 1995, it was pointed out that the status of teachers in the Asia-Pacific region has deteriorated. It was concluded that the related causes are the quality of entrants to teaching profession, conditions of work, career path, salary structure and lack of both monetary and non-monetary incentives. The working conditions of teachers have worsened, resulting from heavy and increasing work load, worsening student-teacher ratio and unfavorable salary structure. It was, therefore, recommended that the status of teaching profession can only be improved if teachers strive to maintain high standard performance, and if teacher education programs can produce analytical, innovative and creative teachers. In the meantime, monetary and non-monetary incentives should be increased. It should be noted that the economic status of the teachers have an impact on their teaching performance. If the teachers face financial problems, they will lose morale to improve their teaching, which can adversely affect the overall educational quality. To be able to accurately analyze the economic status of teachers, their status in other aspects relating to the economic status which can affect their teaching quality will also have to be taken into account. Limitations 1. Information on the economic status of teachers e.g. their income, expenditures and debts are limited. Very few studies have been conducted on this issue. Thus, this paper will do an analysis based on the limited information acquired. 2. The proposal on the new salary structure for teachers is being scrutinized. A public hearing forum on this matter still needs to be held before submitting the proposal for the approval of the Cabinet and the legislator. As a result, there could be some modification to this proposal. 1. PRESENT SITUATION OF THE STATUS OF TEACHERS Thailand has made substantial progress in expanding access to education at all levels. However, much remains to be done regarding the quality and efficiency of education. The quality of education can be reflected in several major elements of the educational system, but the most important element is the quality of teachers who are accounted for the learning achievement of the students. 1.1 Qualifications of Teachers The quality of teachers or teaching staff is, as mentioned, the most significant element in improving the standard of education. Thus, the qualifications of teaching staff and the quality of their teaching are currently issues of concern for education development in Thailand. The total number of teachers in Thailand in 1998 amounted to 684,638, approximately 85 percent of whom were in public schools, while the remaining 15 percent were in private schools. A nationwide survey conducted in 1998 shows that 84.7 percent of teachers who taught in primary schools held a Bachelor degree or higher, while 95.9 percent of those in secondary schools held the same level of degree. However, disparities in the qualifications of teachers exist among teachers who teach in various parts of the country, both at primary and secondary levels. Office of the National Primary Education Commission (ONPEC) has roughly 50 percent more teachers with less than 14 years of formal schooling teaching in the North and Northeast than those teaching in the Central region. The Northeast also has the lowest percentage of teachers with a Bachelor degree or higher. Compared with the Central region, the Northeast has almost 50 percent more teachers with only diploma level qualifications (Table 1). As for secondary school teachers under the Department of General Education (DGE), the Central region also has an advantage in terms of qualified teachers. The South has the lowest percentage of teachers with Bachelor degree or higher level of education. The Northeast has nearly double percentage of teachers who have only diploma level of education than the Central region (Table 1). Table 1 Allocation
of Teachers under ONPEC and DGE by Educational Qualifications and Region
of Teaching, 1998
Source: Fry, Gerald. Teaching Personnel Strategy in Thailand: A Review and Recommendations, Prepared for UNESCO-Bangkok, 1999 1.2Workload of Teachers According to the standard criteria, the total workload of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school teachers is 35 hours per week which includes teaching load as well as other tasks. A survey on the workload of teachers conducted by ONEC in the first semester of the academic year 1999 reveals that the average workload of teachers at all levels was 28.7 hours per week, which was below the standard. Additionally, the amount of time teachers at all levels actually spent in teaching was less than half of their total workload. The rest of their time was spent in preparing lessons, teaching support and others as shown in Table 2. Table 2 Workload
of Teachers by Level of Education They Teach and their Activities,
Source: Education Survey and Research Centre, ONEC The amount of time teachers spent in each activity varies depending on the subject areas they teach. Mathematics teachers seemed to have the highest workload, on average of 31.4 hours per week, while Thai language teachers had only 21.4 hours of workload per week as shown in Table 3. However, it should be noted that a teacher may teach in more than one subject area. Table 3 Workload
of Teachers by Subject Areas They Teach and their Activities,
Source: Education Survey and Research Centre, ONEC 1.3 Student-Teacher Ratio Student-teacher ratio is one major indicator of the internal efficiency of an educational system. In Thailand, at the pre-primary level of education, the student-teacher ratio lowered from 26:1 in 1997 to 20:1 in 1998 which was below the standard of 23:1 set by the Teachers Civil Service Commission (TCSC). The student-teacher ratio at the primary level of education was only 21:1 in 1997 and 18:1 in 1998 which was below the standard of 25:1. Table 4
Student-Teacher Ratio by Level of Education, 1997-1998
Source: Education Information Centre, ONEC 1.4 Teacher-Classroom Ratio Teacher-classroom ratio is important in terms of educational quality. If the teacher-classroom ratio is less than one, it means that there are not enough teachers to cover every classroom, which can adversely affect the quality of teaching and learning. The overall teacher-classroom ratio in primary and secondary schools in Thailand from 1996-1998 was higher than one, indicating adequate teaching staff, as shown in Table 5. Table 5
Teacher-Classroom Ratio at Primary and Secondary Levels of Education,
Source: Education Information Centre, ONEC 1.5 Career Path In Thailand, the Teachers Civil Service Commission takes charge of the issuance and amendment of laws, regulations, criteria and procedures for the administration of civil service teachers under the Ministry of Education. The teachers are promoted on the basis of merit, seniority and educational qualifications. When the merit system is used as a basis for promotion, teaching performance and professional service are taken into account. The teachers can be promoted from teaching positions to administrative and supervising positions (e.g. school principal). The relocation of teachers across different levels of education i.e. from primary to secondary school is quite rare. However, in exceptional cases, the relocation across levels is possible. 1.6 Economic Status 1.6.1 Salary Like all other professions within the public sector, the salary of teachers is basically determined by their educational qualifications when first entering the teaching profession. The salary of teachers is fairly low when compared with that of employees in the private sector who have similar qualifications. The teachers' salary scale is the same as other civil servants. The annual increment depends upon teaching performance, professional service and higher educational qualifications acquired. The salary scale of teachers is revised occasionally but the frequency of revision is not consistent. The salary of teachers in public and private schools also differs. Although some private schools provide higher salary for teachers, others pay less than public schools. The average salary of Thai teachers in public schools is roughly 150,000 baht per year or 12,500 baht per month. Approximately 37 percent of Thai teachers are on the salary of under average. 1.6.2 Other Monetary Incentives Public school teachers are provided with some fringe benefits such as free medical care and subsidized child education. Some benefits like medical care cover not only the teachers themselves but also their family members including their parents. Apart from the mentioned benefits, free or subsidized housing and hardship allowance are provided for teachers who are assigned to teach in remote and difficult areas. In addition, housing loans and loans for motor-cycle or car purchase are also available. Travel allowance is provided for teachers who teach in remote areas and for those who travel on official trips. The average retirement age for teachers is 60 year of age, for both male and female teachers. After retirement, the teachers are entitled to pension. The amount of pension fund is calculated based on the years of service and the last month's salary. In order to be qualified for retirement pension, the teachers must complete at least 25 years of service. 1.6.3 Non-monetary Incentives The teachers are entitled to take sick leave, annual leave as well as a leave for religious purposes. The allowed length of time for each leave varies. Buddhist male teachers are allowed to take 3 month leave with full pay to be ordained as a monk, while Muslim teachers are permitted to take leave to Mecca with full pay. Female teachers are allowed to take maternity leave for up to 60 days with full pay and up to 90 days without pay for the last 30 days. Additionally, the teachers are also permitted to take study leave for up to 5 years with full pay. 1.6.4 Teachers' Debt Situation A large number of teachers in Thailand have had financial difficulties due to the minimal salary received which cannot match their living expenses. A survey on debt situation of teachers under the Ministry of Education conducted in September 1996 shows that 507,607 teachers (86.1% of total teachers) were in debt for many types of loans. The total teachers' debts in the formal system amounted to 81,162 million baht. The sources of their loans were such as Teachers Savings Union, commercial banks, financial institutions and other financial service institutions. The two major causes of teachers' debts were, firstly, to buy cars or electrical appliances (30.6%), and secondly, to pay for daily living expenses (24.4%). Details on causes and amount of debts are shown in Table 7. Table 7 Causes and Amount of Teachers' Debts
To help alleviating the teachers' debt problem, the Teachers Civil Service Commission has set up a revolving fund with a purpose to promote debt relief for teachers under the Ministry of Education. The fund provides loans with low interest rates which can help the teachers to pay for their previous debts with higher interest rates. This fund is expected to help boost the morale of teachers so that they can perform more efficiently, resulting in more effective teaching and learning. In 1999, the number of teachers who were in debt was decreased. There were 378,058 teachers (78% of total teachers) in the formal debt system. However, the total amount of debts was increased to 95,361 million baht. Although surveys on teachers' debt in the informal sector were very limited due mainly to limited information revealed by the teachers themselves, it was estimated that in 1999, teachers' debts in the informal sector was totaled to 6,280 million baht. 2. GUIDELINES TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF TEACHERS In order to improve the economic status of teachers, several measures have been proposed, mainly, to increase teachers' salary, remuneration, welfare, and other benefits, including to set up teacher promotion and development funds. As for Thailand, it is considered an urgency to implement all the mentioned measures to raise the morale of teachers and to motivate them to perform efficiently. However, in order to be entitled to all the increased remuneration and benefits, the teachers should be required to continuously improve both themselves and their teaching quality. In addition, they should be evaluated according to the professional standards which are to be set and they should also hold an appropriate license to teach. In this connection, Chapter 7 of the National Education Act B.E. 2542 (1999)lays out guidelines for a fully integrated Teaching Profession Reform to upgrade the standard of teaching profession. The followings are the identified guidelines: 2.1 A professional body is to be established with the objective of supervising the quality of personnel in the teaching profession to maintain the professional standards and ethics. 2.2 Teachers must hold a professional license. 2.3 Teachers have to improve themselves constantly to maintain the standard of a highly respected profession. 2.4 Teachers must be evaluated by both their parent institutions and external agencies. 2.5 A new salary scheme including additional remuneration, welfare and other benefits is to be worked out. 2.6 Two funds will be established, which are the Fund for the Development of Teachers, Faculty Staff and Education Personnel and the Fund for the Promotion and Development of Teachers, Faculty Staff and Education Personnel. The purpose of the later fund is to provide grants for innovations, outstanding achievements and honorary awards for teachers, faculty staff and education personnel. 3. GUIDELINES TO SET TEACHERS' EMOLUMENT PACKAGE 3.1 Principles for Setting Teachers' Emolument Package 3.1.1 Merit Teachers' emolument package should be determined based on the nature of their work and their performance. 3.1.2 Sufficiency Teachers' emolument package should be commensurate with the actual costs of living and enable them to maintain the status of highly respected profession. In other words, the emolument should be sufficient for them to live a decent life without having to do extra work to meet the living expenses. As a result, they will be able to perform their teaching duty efficiently. 3.1.3 Equity Emolument package for teachers should be determined taking into consideration the equity with other highly respected professions. Within the teaching profession itself, all teachers should be treated equally. Emolument should be determined based on the level of difficulty of their work, level of responsibility, experience, work performance, training and other criteria required to obtain a professional license. 3.2 Framework for Setting Teachers' and Education Personnel's Salary Scale 3.2.1 Teachers' salary should be sufficient for them to maintain their social and professional status and make them feel confident in and proud of this profession. 3.2.2 The starting salary for licensed teachers should be comparatively high enough for them to build a good career, but the annual increment can be proportionately lowered later in the career path. 3.2.3 Teachers' salary should be adjusted in line with their acquired education. 3.2.4 Annual increment should be in compliance with the individual's work performance and the quality of teaching, but can be dependent upon the overall economic situation of the country. 3.2.5 Teachers' salary scale should be favorable for their progress in the career path i.e. their salary should be able to be raised annually. Professional development should be taken into account when evaluated for annual increment. 3.2.6 Teachers' salary scale should be correlated with their academic ranking and be described as salary bars. 3.2.7 Classification of teachers and education personnel should be done in accordance with the level of difficulty of each specialized area. 3.3 Professional Standards To become a teacher, one must go through a five-year degree study program. This longer-than standard program aims to provide extensive training in the subject area chosen and to inculcate teaching spirit into the teacher-to-be. In addition, the graduates from this five-year program will be required to undertake a one-year internship in an educational institution certified by the professional body in order to be eligible to apply for a professional license. A license as well as other qualifications as required by the professional body are needed to be able to teach in educational institutions. These professional standards are set to assure the quality of teachers and standard of education. 3.4 Teachers' Salary Scale and Remuneration Teachers' salary and remuneration package should be determined in harmony with the prospective progress in their career path. That is, teachers' rank and salary should be promoted in commensurate with their educational background, ability, seniority, and specialization. In addition, their salary should also be sufficient for them to maintain their social status and comparable to that of other highly respected professions e.g. medical and engineering professions. 3.4.1 Teacher Academic Ranking To be in line with the nature of teachers' work which requires ability, experience and specialization, an Academic Rank Classification (ARC) is to be established. According to the ARC system, teachers' academic ranking is classified into four categories: (1) Teacher A teacher performs accordingly to the rules and orders given to achieve the objective of executing the teaching work effectively. A teacher teaches in a subject area assigned as part of the curriculum. (2) Senior Teacher A senior teacher performs independently and can make his/her own decision with advice from supervisors. He/she is able to do research and develop his/her teaching to become more effective and can be exemplified for others. (3) Specialist Teacher A specialist teacher performs systematically and is able to initiate new activities that serve the needs of learners and communities. Such newly initiated activities can be widely practiced in a beneficial manner elsewhere. A specialist teacher can also provide advice to other teachers. (4) Senior Specialist Teacher A senior specialist teacher is not only able to perform systematically but also able to develop the working system using new innovations in research and development of teaching and learning which can be applied in other arenas in the education system. A senior specialist teacher can give advice to other teachers and can also evaluate other teachers' work. His/her work can significantly contribute to the development of teaching profession as well as to the development of the educational institutions, the communities and society as a whole. 3.4.2 Teacher Salary Scale The teacher salary scale will be determined in line with their academic ranking. Thus, the salary scale is divided into 4 salary bars, based on the salary scale of civil servants. In each salary bar, minimum to maximum salary steps are included as well as an efficiency bar. Details are as appeared in the following table and figure.
Figure 1 Teachers' Salary Bars
Bar 1is the salary bar for teachers with the rank of Teacher. There are 22 steps in this salary bar, with the starting salary of 8,190 baht and maximum salary of 21,320 baht. Bar 2 is the salary bar for teachers with the rank of Senior Teacher. There are 23 steps in this salary bar, with the starting salary of 11,120 baht and maximum salary of 29,810 baht. Bar 3is the salary bar for teachers with the rank of Specialist Teacher. There are 23 steps in this salary bar, with the starting salary of 16,800 baht and maximum salary of 44,900 baht. Bar 4 is the salary bar for teachers with the rank of Senior Specialist Teacher. There are 19 steps in this salary bar, with the starting salary of 25,370 baht and maximum salary of 59,090 baht. 3.4.3 Teacher Starting Salary As the new bachelor's degree program in education (five-year program) requires an additional one-year internship in an educational institution certified by the professional body, the starting salary for teachers who first enter the teaching profession will have to be adjusted to be commensurate with the longer duration required by the study programs in education, both at bachelor and master's as well as doctoral degrees. 3.4.4 Efficiency Bar Efficiency bar is the range of salary steps during which teachers are to be evaluated for promotion to a higher academic rank. The efficiency bar is designated at the last three steps of a salary bar. A teacher who can pass the evaluation during the efficiency bar will continue to progress on the salary steps in the same salary bar until he/she reaches the maximum step before being promoted to a higher salary bar, while a teacher who cannot pass the evaluation once he/she reaches the efficiency bar will be on the same salary step until he/she can pass the evaluation. 3.4.5 Teacher Remuneration Teacher remuneration comprises three main types of supplementary allowances and benefits, which are academic rank allowance, honorary award allowance and other benefits. (1) Academic Rank Allowance
Academic rank allowance is granted to qualified teachers in correspond
with the quantity and quality of work performed by them. Teachers
who are qualified for academic rank allowance are teachers who have passed
the evaluation at the Teacher rank, at the minimum, and are promoted to
the ranks of senior teachers, specialist teachers and senior specialist
teachers respectively. The academic rank allowance is an addition
to basic salary and will not be taken into account when calculating pension.
The rates of academic rank allowance are shown in the following table.
(2) Honorary Award Allowance Honorary award allowance is granted to teachers who have been awarded with significant honorary awards which are to be specified, regardless of the academic rank that they currently hold. Honorary award allowance is a one-time payment at a fixed rate and will not be taken into account when calculating pension. (3) Other Benefits Teachers who take study leave according to the needs of their educational institutions are considered working full-time and will be entitled to a special one-step increment annually during the study program period. After the completion of study, these teachers can use the acquired degrees to adjust their salary step if the current salary is not commensurate with the acquired degree. Conclusion The above-discussed guidelines and principles for Teaching Profession Reform Process are a fully integrated approach aiming at upgrading the teaching profession to become a highly respected profession. The reform process should start from the production of teaching personnel by implementing the five-year teacher education program which also requires an additional one-year internship. Teacher development programs should also be continuously implemented to increase the efficiency of in-service teachers. Furthermore, teachers' quality and professional standards should be assured by a professional body which should also be authorized to issue professional licenses for teachers. Additionally, teacher promotion and development funds should be established to assist teachers financially. Similarly, teachers' emolument package should be adjusted in order to provide the teachers with sufficient income to maintain the social and economic status of a highly respected profession. It is highly hoped that if all these reform guidelines are implemented successfully, the quality of teachers will be improved as their morale will be raised. Eventually, they will be motivated to work more efficiently and will have determination to develop the teaching and learning system under their part of responsibility, thereby Thailand's overall educational system will be developed. Annex 1: Action Plan to Improve the Economic Status of Teachers 1. Issue a law on a new scheme of salary, remuneration and other benefits for teachers (in line with Section 55 of the National Education Act B.E. 2542) Current Situation Teachers' income is not commensurate with their living expenses, resulting in teachers' debt problem. They are eventually demotivated, and even forced to earn extra income by way of extra tutoring or having a supplementary occupation. Objective To issue a law on a new scheme of salary, remuneration and other benefits for teachers to allow them to earn sufficient income commensurate with their social and professional status. Steps to be taken (1) Conduct a study to lay out guidelines for a new scheme of salary, remuneration and other benefits for teachers. May-October 2000 (2) Organize a pubic hearing forum to obtain opinions from all involved as well as the public. November-December 2000 (3) Modify the guidelines. January 2001 (4) Submit the new scheme to the Cabinet February 2001 (5) Process the issuance of the law (submit to the Office of the Council of the State, the House of Representatives, and the House of Senate) March 2001-August 2002 (6) Coordinate with concerned agencies for necessary preparation e.g. the Budget Bureau, institutions employing teachers. March 2001-August 2001 (7) Enforce the new teacher salary scheme nation-wide 20 August 2002 2. Improve the efficiency of in-service teachers to enable them to obtain appropriate professional licenses and to prepare them to be transferred to a new salary scheme Current Situation (1) Approximately 18 percent of all in-service teachers hold a degree lower than a bachelor degree which will soon be the minimum degree required for acquiring a teaching profession license. (2) Some teachers still have not applied the new teaching approach introduced by the Teaching Reform Process of the National Education Act B.E. 2542 (1999). Their current approach still focuses on teachers instead of students as the center of learning. (3) Some teachers do not improve themselves and their teaching performance. Objective All teachers hold a bachelor degree in education and improve themselves continuously to be able to obtain a professional license which, according to the National Education Act B.E. 2542 (1999), is a requirement for teachers to be transferred to the new salary scheme. Steps to be taken (1) Work out a policy and plan in the production of teachers, development of in-service teachers, development of institutions responsible for production of teachers and improvement of faculty staff in the Faculty of Education of colleges and universities. September-November 2000 (2) Submit the plan to the Cabinet December 2000 (3) Coordinate with institutions responsible for production of teachers and institutions employing teachers to work out plans for the production and development of teachers to serve the appropriate needs in teaching personnel, both in terms of quantity and quality. December 2000-February 2001
(4) Support institutions responsible for production of teachers to conduct
a research and experimentation project (in accordance with the ability
of each institution) on the production and development of teachers, development
of institutions responsible for production of teachers and faculty staff
development.
(5) Introduce successful research and experimentation results to more institutions responsible for production of teachers for further implementation. Form August 2001 onward (6) Monitor the implementation process and evaluate the result periodically From February 2001 3. Set up a fund for the development of teachers, faculty staff and education personnel and a fund for the promotion and development of teachers, faculty staff and education personnel (in line with Section 52 and Section 55 of the National Education Act B.E. 2542) Current Situation (1) In the past, most of the budget for teacher development was allocated to institutions employing teachers. As a result, teacher development was done unsystematically and discontinuously depending upon the budget allocated each year and the policy of each institution. (2) Very little has been done with regard to providing incentives to encourage teachers' innovations, outstanding achievements or to providing honorary awards to highly respected teachers. The major constraint was budgetary reason. Objectives (1) To establish sufficient funds for the development of teachers, faculty staff and educational personnel to allow teachers to select a competent institution to develop their expertise in the field directly relating to their current responsibility. Teachers will then be able to apply the acquired knowledge to develop their teaching quality effectively. (2) To establish a fund for the promotion and development for teachers, Faculty staff and educational personnel to provide incentives in the form of rewards for outstanding innovations and honorary awards for highly respected teachers. Steps to be taken (1) Conduct a study on the establishment of the two funds September-November 2000 (2) Hold a public hearing forum December 2000 (3) Modify the study result January 2001 (4) Submit it to the Cabinet February 2001 (5) Process the Issuance of the law March 2001 onward (6) Prepare to set up the funds (coordinate with the Budget Bureau and other concerned agencies) March 2001-August 2002 (7) Set up the funds August 2002 Conditions for success The success in implementing the above planned actions depends on the following factors: (1) strong and genuine support from the government especially in providing financial support,
(2) full cooperation from concerned agencies, and
National Education Act of B.E. 2542 (1999) Chapter 7 Teachers, Faculty Staff and Educational Personnel
1. Office of Education Reform, Draft Policy Paper on Salary and Compensation For Teachers and Education Personnel. 2. Office of the National Education Commission, Office of the Prime Minister, National Education Act BE 2542 (1999). 3. Office of the National Education Commission, Office of the Prime Minister, Education in Thailand 1999. 4. Office of the National Education Commission, Office of the Prime Minister, Draft Report on Education in Thailand 2000/2001. 5. Office of the National Education Commission, Office of the Prime Minister, Draft Report on Academic Coupons. 6. Office of the Teachers Civil Service Commission, Ministry of Education, The Solution of Teachers' Financial Problems, working paper. 7. Office of the Teachers Civil Service Commission, Personnel Management Technology Division, Statistics on Teacher and Education Personnel, working paper. 8. UNESCO, Principle Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Partnerships in Teacher Development for a New Asia ; Report of an International Conference organized by UNESCO-ACEID and UNICEF in association with the Office of the National Education Commission, Thailand, held in Bangkok, 6-8 December 1995. 9. Uthai Dulykasem, The Status of Teachers in Some Pacific and Southeast Asian Countries, the paper presented at the International Conference, Partnership in Teacher Development For A New Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, 6-8 December 1995
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