Somtawin ejecting kids with late paying parents

[Roxy]

Procyon no children have been excluded, suspended or sent home because parents have not paid school fees this semester.

Excuse me Terry,but last week on tuesday my son was sent home beacuse of late school fee payment along with other kids even though we made an arrangement with the school.
and my son was witness that one of his friends was told not to come back to school the next day if he would not pay the remainder of the fees.

During the past 2 1/2 years no Farrang parent has asked for our help.

Mr. Chairman, this could happen to be a little difficult as everyone received a letter stating that if you havent payed the full amount of outstanding school fees, the students would be ejected from the school, without any arrangements of payment being offered or mentioned. And then there was even a blacklist supposed to be attached listing all parents who havent fully paid the school fees, this is defamation.

to the next PTC meeting, find out how many parents have not paid and the reasons for not paying we can then discuss how we can do more to help those in need

I hope those are not just empty words and to come up in the next PTC newsletter instead of the actions you have been implying.
I agree with all the arguments that poosmate has said, i believe he said everything there is to say.
and one more question i would like to ask is why you are involved with the student council, isn't it up to them to create their own ideas and present them?

Regards
Roxy

[dozer]

The priority for help must be with the Thai families first and foremost.
The Farang/Thai families have the alternative of returning to his/her home land and obtaining a state funded education for his/her kids.

[E-Dork]

Roxy moaned...

Quote:
Procyon no children have been excluded, suspended or sent home because parents have not paid school fees this semester.


Excuse me Terry,but last week on tuesday my son was sent home beacuse of late school fee payment along with other kids even though we made an arrangement with the school.
and my son was witness that one of his friends was told not to come back to school the next day if he would not pay the remainder of the fees.


Quote:
During the past 2 1/2 years no Farrang parent has asked for our help.

Mr. Chairman, this could happen to be a little difficult as everyone received a letter stating that if you havent payed the full amount of outstanding school fees, the students would be ejected from the school, without any arrangements of payment being offered or mentioned. And then there was even a blacklist supposed to be attached listing all parents who havent fully paid the school fees, this is defamation.


Quote:
to the next PTC meeting, find out how many parents have not paid and the reasons for not paying we can then discuss how we can do more to help those in need


I hope those are not just empty words and to come up in the next PTC newsletter instead of the actions you have been implying.
I agree with all the arguments that poosmate has said, i believe he said everything there is to say.
and one more question i would like to ask is why you are involved with the student council, isn't it up to them to create their own ideas and present them?

Regards
Roxy

Here's an idea Roxy How about paying the school fees instead of trying to abuse the system. Your kid got chucked out.... quite right. If ya can't cobble together a measly sum of less than 2000 pounds a year (a bin man could get this amount together quite easy) then how can the school admin trust that you will pay when you have the money. Sorry but as I have posted before it pisses me off with people bringing kids over here but can't afford to educate them. Only thinkng about yourselves I'm afraid.

[nanyang]

Why should a farang be allowed to send their kids to an international and not pay fees

For a school to be successful in Thailand in my opinion, it should be run as many private schools in the Uk - non profit .

A business, by definition, is an activity designed to make money.

Your assertion suggests that the school becomes a charity.

An interesting concept requiring a lot of imagination in Thailand.

[Frank Hovis]

New to HHAD, so hello everyone.

All my children go to Somtawin and I'm pleased that the PTA have supported the school in recovering unpaid fees.
Yes, the school is a business, I guess they don't *have* to make a profit but no business survives for long when it's making a loss.

Someone suggested that the PTA should be trying to help the parents who can't or won't pay. I would suggest that the PTA is helping the majority of parents (and pupils) who can & do pay by preventing them financially supporting the minority. I also think the PTA *should* be interested in the schools financial position. They should be encouraging the school to invest profits in the school and in this instance prevent financial losses which in the long run will affect all pupils if it is allowed to continue. If the school wish to run as a charity that is up to them, I would hope that the PTA did not decide to become a charity for people who won't pay. Those who can't pay do have alternatives, not of the same quality perhaps but then as the saying goes 'beggars can't be choosers'.

Regarding the expulsion, sending home or whatever. I have the fee reminder letter in front of me, from Sept. 20th and it clearly states...
"[The school] would like to kindly remind parents and guardians about the requirement [to] register your child and make full payment of the tutition fees for the second semester in 2010-2011 as per the dates and times below"
The last date for payment is 12th October.
It's not possible to 'expel' an unregistered child and to be registered you must have paid the fees. An unregistered child might as well be the child that sells flowers at the traffic lights, would anyone expect a school to provide tuition to any Tom, Dick or Noi that just appears in class (or as the numbers suggest, five per class) ? No. It doesn't even happen in state funded schools in Europe.

Anyone who would suggest that it's acceptable for some 20% or thereabouts of customers not to pay for a service should start up a business and let me know what it is; I'll happily be one of the 20% that uses their service and doesn't pay for it.

[terry+carmen]

Roxy looks like my information is wrong. I will be meeting the school principle on Monday, we are discussing an exchange program with a school in Australia, following the successful exchange with Austria, and the introducing the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme for the senior grades. I will clarify the situation with him.

As you are new to the forum would like to publish your name? PM me if your want to remain anonymous.

[hhfarang]

This is the problem with nanny states. People get used to free services such as "the dole", free health care, and free education and then when they move to a different country they expect the same level of socialism which, for the most part, does not exist outside Europe, Britain and some of it's former colonies.

[poosmate]

It doesn't cost the school anything to continue to teach children ( already settled ) who's parents are having hopefully temporary financial problems. The school is and has been for several years under subscribed.
By excluding these pupils they have ensured their fees will now never be paid and will only create bad feeling and negativity towards a already under performing school.
My point has never been about business sense but child welfare.
I would consider this to be the most important factor in this issue.
As for the Parent teacher club advising the owners of Somtawin (who also own other local schools and businesses) why should this be? The PARENT TEACHER CLUB is surely there to help parents and not try to be unpaid business gurus?

[Frank Hovis]

It doesn't cost the school anything to continue to teach children ( already settled ) who's parents are having hopefully temporary financial problems.

Yes it does. It costs teachers time in class, homework marking, personal development, problem resolution, transport, administration, etc, etc ... infact everything a paying pupil pays for.

You are surely not suggesting that once the school recruits a single pupil into a class then because the school must now fund that class all other pupils can join for free? No I thought not. So what would be your freeloading cut-off level? 1 non-paying student for each 5 paying students perhaps? Who would decide who gets to go to school for free? The school? The parents? The children? The PTA? A lottery system?
Please explain...perhaps the school might take on your idea.
Your definition of 'temporary financial problems' might help to back up your argument; In the school fees letter the school did ask anyone who need to make alternative arrangements to pay the fees should contact the school. I have no idea if anyone did but it sounds like most of the late/non payers did not hence the action from the school.

Child welfare is first & foremost the responsibility of the parent, not something to be palmed off on a school.

[poosmate]

I think you are totally missing my point here.
I do not think any pupil should be a free-loader and I firmly believe that as a business it is the school owners aim to make a profit.
I do not however think that a voluntary club for parents by parents and teachers should be assisting in the administration of a in my opinion badly run business.
A good school would contact a parent privately and discuss problems they might have and not just announce generally that fees were due in a badly distributed leaflet.
Yes I could suggest many ways this school could be improved and probably make a profit. However I am not in the habit of offering a free advise service to an already successful and wealthy business family

[Frank Hovis]

I think you are totally missing my point here.

Not totally missing your point but your point(s) seem to put the onus on the school not the parents

I do not think any pupil should be a free-loader and I firmly believe that as a business it is the school owners aim to make a profit.

Agreed.

I do not however think that a voluntary club for parents by parents and teachers should be assisting in the administration of a in my opinion badly run business.

I don't know how much assistance the PTA gives in running the business, very little I would imagine, but I do know that they supported the schools determination to recover unpaid fees for the benefit of the majority of parents and to prevent the school suffering unsustainable losses which would ultimately lead to either large increases in fees for the paying parents or the closure of the school which is beneficial to no-one.

A good school would contact a parent privately and discuss problems they might have and not just announce generally that fees were due in a badly distributed leaflet.

A good parent would already know they have to pay school fees at the start of each term and if they felt that they couldn't meet the deadline for payment they would contact the school long before the school is financially forced to contact the parent, wouldn't they?.

Yes I could suggest many ways this school could be improved and probably make a profit. However I am not in the habit of offering a free advise service to an already successful and wealthy business family

But you are happy to suggest ways they could do things differently in this instance, but only here on this forum. I don't mean that statement to be antagonistic but most parents want their children to get a good education and if the PTA are assisting the school by giving them suggestions on how to improve the educational standards that has to be worthwhile.

[E-Dork]

I read this in disbelief..... Why are/should people try to assist those that are coming short of the money to educate their children. It's quite simple.... pay the fecking money or find an alternative. There are many temple schools around for those idiots that have brought children here and can't afford them to be educated.

[poosmate]

if the PTA are assisting the school by giving them suggestions on how to improve the educational standards that has to be worthwhile.

Agreed but:

This has not been part of issues discussed here as the topic was the school excluding non paying pupils.

I have not suggested ways this school should be run as many before me have tried and failed ( read some of the older threads going back over the last 7 years or so).
Maybe a separate thread should be started listing faults in Somtawin and suggestions on how it might be improved ?
My whole point has been the stance taken by the parent teacher club helping the school by encouraging exclusion for existing pupils.
A club obviously run by single minded individuals who do not appear to care that some PARENTS may have problems.

There are many temple schools around for those idiots that have brought children here and can't afford them to be educated.

Compassion towards someone who's circumstances may have altered but is trying to maintain an education for their children..Nice
Why are you presuming that all non payers are parents who have brought children here?

[hulltoon]

I agree with E-dork,pay up or go some place that you can afford,easy as that.Stay with in your means.

[hhfarang]

Poosmate, as you seem to have so much compassion, why don't you find out who the non-payers are and help them personally out of your pocket. That kind of charity makes more sense than laying it on the school. If the school does not collect fees, they can't pay their bills and will go out of business. Whose kids will that be beneficial for?