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Date: August 23rd, 2001, Bangkok Post

Cosmetics being sold in the classrooms

Sirikul Bunnag

The demand for bribes and use of classroom hours by teachers to sell cosmetics and other products were common in many schools, a seminar was told yesterday.

Problems plaguing secondary schools were raised by 300 student representatives during a forum on education reform held by the General Education Department, which was attended by 3,000 school administrators and chaired by Deputy Education Minister Sirikorn Maneerin.

During the seminar, students sang a song specially composed to air problems in their schools. A skit was also staged ridiculing teachers who used office hours to sell beauty products and electrical appliances, and administrators who demanded ``donations'' from parents seeking to admit their children.

Athisil na Pomphet, a student representative from Rattanathibet School in Nonthaburi, said most students were worried about corruption involving school administrators.

Many schools also failed to tackle problems affecting students, particularly illegal drugs, he said.

On the reform plan, he said many small schools, particularly those in the provinces and remote areas, were not ready for child-centred learning, which was at the heart of the education reform plan.

He said students, who were the ``main actors in the reform plan'', were left with no information about education projects.

Mr Athisil said many student leaders nationwide were planning to set up a students' organisation to serve as their mouthpiece to bring opinions of students about education management and reform projects to the attention of relevant agencies.

Waraporn Bua-ngarm, a student from Benjamathep-uthit School in Phetchaburi, said efforts were under way to set up students' councils in all secondary schools. These councils would monitor budget use in their schools to prevent administrative corruption.