Improving Secondary Education Preparation for the Implementation of the 10th National Economic and Social Development Plan October 27, 2006 Bangkok, Thailand

Addressing Next Generation of Challenges Overview Access and Equity Quality Efficiency Addressing Next Generation of Challenges

Secondary Education: Potential Roles Overview Secondary Education: Potential Roles Bridging basic education, tertiary education and labor market A key tool for alleviating poverty in Thailand, bringing broader income equality and social equity Contributing to higher social returns (e.g. in health) Contributing to non-market public benefits (e.g. voting rates, association with crime)

Historical Background Overview Historical Background 1999 NEA “Equal right to receive 12 years of basic education of quality without charge” Major reforms in all aspects, especially learning reform  learner-centered, curriculum teacher reform  teacher training, professional standardization education quality assurance  internal and external quality monitoring mechanisms 1997 Constitution Local administration organization participation in provision of education

Education Transition Patterns Overview Education Transition Patterns

Education Attainment Access Consistent gradual rise of average years of education attainment overtime For population ages 15-21, average years of education attainment is nearly 10 years, suggesting successful compulsory education

Education Attainment Access 95% of 16-19 population completed primary education and 80% completed secondary education in 2002 In 1994, only 50% of 16-19 population had completed secondary education Repetition is slight (1-2%) and most dropout occurs between levels

Access Gender Equity Gender gap has grown larger, and to the benefit of girls In 1994, NER for girls was 63% and 61% for boys In 2002, NER for girls was 72% and 64% for boys

Rural-Urban Equity Access Coverage expanded to rural areas. Urban-rural gap for grade completion has decreased from 25% in 1994 to 8% in 2002.

GER: International Comparison Access GER: International Comparison

Reaching out to the Excluded Access Reaching out to the Excluded Limited information on out-of-school children Migrants, children with disabilities and ethnic minorities are under-represented in secondary education In 2004, 175,000 children with disabilities enrolled in pre-primary to upper secondary level (1.27% of population ages 3-17). Financial constraints are often identified as the main obstacle keeping students out of schools

Measuring Quality Comparatively… Thailand trails significantly behind Japan, Hong Kong SAR and Korea on international assessments. Compared to other lower middle income countries, Thailand performs better than its peers both in terms of mean test scores and proficiency level distribution. However, very few Thai children score in top proficiency levels (e.g. 40% at or below PISA level one in literacy and over 50% in Mathematics)

Factors Affecting Student Achievement Quality Factors Affecting Student Achievement Teacher 87% of OBEC secondary school teachers earned a bachelor’s degree. Higher levels of teacher confidence associated with superior student scores (TIMSS 1999) … 55% of students taught by instructors who felt less than adequately prepared in math and 58% in science. Front-style lecture format. Limited opportunities to apply knowledge to new situations or exercise creative thinking during school days.

Factors Affecting Student Achievement Quality Factors Affecting Student Achievement School Class sizes in Asia tend to be large, but do not appear to have a negative impact on student test scores in Thailand. However, the relationship between class size and student achievement is difficult to extricate. Quality of school physical infrastructure rated around OECD country mean, but availability of educational resources is rated much lower (-0.82) and inequitably distributed. Less than 40% of students have access to a calculator.

Factors Affecting Student Achievement Quality Factors Affecting Student Achievement Household/ Individual The distribution of knowledge across income groups is fairly equitable. Socioeconomic status is not influential in shaping student aspirations for tertiary education. Higher income families willing to pay more for children’s education (Q5: 7,878 Bht vs Q1: 840 Bht per year)

Public Spending on Education Efficiency Public Spending on Education 20% of total Government budget allocated to education (4% of GDP) Secondary education received 28% of total education budget (1.13% of GDP)

Public Spending across Income Quintile Efficiency Public Spending across Income Quintile Pro-poor allocation of resources at primary level Quintile distribution for secondary education is relatively equitable Spending for tertiary education is clearly regressive

Public Spending on Secondary Education Efficiency Public Spending on Secondary Education Comparatively, Thailand under-spends in secondary education (1.13% of GDP): OECD countries spend 2.1% of GDP Lower middle income countries spend 1.86% of GDP Per student public spending on secondary education is 24% lower than for primary education EAP: Unit cost for 2ry education was 74% greater than for 1ry education OECD: Unit cost for 2ry education was 39% greater than for 1ry education Share of local government resources spent on education still low. Much reliance on central government

Household Education Expenditure Efficiency Household Education Expenditure Only 5% share of private resources in secondary education. Average household spending varies significantly across regions and income quintiles.

Raising Efficiency of Secondary Education Financing Does financing make a difference in schooling outcomes? “The greater the socio-economic advantage, the greater the advantage it has in terms of student performance” (OECD 2004) Quality improvements are costlier at secondary level than at primary level. Need to assess inter-sectoral allocative efficiency and benefit-incidence of public investments Could there be savings from rationalizing student-teacher ratio/school merging?  delicate balance Teachers/student and time spent at school analysis suggests inefficiencies in teacher deployment Lowering cost VS individualized attention to students School location within a reasonable distance

Increasing Access and Equity Challenges Increasing Access and Equity Improving data collection and analysis to better target the currently excluded. Alternative education service modalities can be strengthened. Greater flexibility in terms of learning sites, class schedule and curriculum. Financial disparities between provinces and income groups could be minimized through the use of a funding formula that factors in conditions and different needs across provinces and income groups.

Challenges Improving Quality Enhancing pre-service and in-service teacher development Developing criteria and methods to upgrade teacher standards and quality. Capacity building for both teachers and principals Further strengthening quality assurance mechanisms. Relevance and follow up need to be guaranteed Strengthening accountability of schools to communities as an incentive to improve educational quality Reinforcing step-by-step implementation plan for decentralization of education provision and management

Challenges Assuring Efficiency Explore reallocation of resources from other educational levels to secondary schooling Careful review of student-teacher ratio/class size Encourage higher level of private spending on education