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Published on October 30, 2007

The regulation will decree that cooperatives or welfare funds that lend to teachers will need to make separate arrangements and they cannot deduct teachers' salaries for payments of those debts. 

Welfare Promotion for Teachers and Educational Personnel (WPTEP) deputy secretary-general Bamrer Panuwong said the regulations would control deductions from official salaries and help teachers avoid debts.

The rules were aimed at solving teachers' debt problems and preventing their salaries from being totally depleted by repayments.

"Government officials who want to lend money from their teachers' cooperative or official welfare fund have to request that their director issue all documents certifying salary payment, salary deduction and retroactive salary deduction for three months," Bamrer said.

"By October 2008, they must have at least 10 per cent of their salary remaining after debt and tax deduction. The amount will be increased 5 per cent per year until October 2012, so every teacher will be left with not less than 30 per cent of the salary.

"If any cooperatives or welfare funds don't obey the rules, they will not be paid back for teachers' debts until they've corrected their loans," he added.   

The WPTEP and the Federation of Savings and Credit Cooperatives of Thailand Limited will propose the regulations to Deputy Education Minister Varakorn Samkoses to consider before they are submitted to the Education Minister Vijit Sri-saarn to sign.

Kesinee Wangkhamhang a teacher from Udon Thani says the rules will force teachers to save more money and to be disciplined in their spending.

"Some funds have a no-minimum-remaining-salary rate for teachers who want to borrow money at present and I think this makes them borrow too much, even though they don't have enough money to pay back the loan," Kesinee said. Phuangphen Sawatdee-mongkol a Chon Buri teacher, also agrees with the regulations. She said if teachers' salaries were guaranteed at 30 per cent, it would be unnecessary for them to borrow more.

Phuangphen added that the teachers' cooperative in her province had decided that teachers wanting to borrow money from it must have at least 20 per cent of their salary remaining after debt and tax deduction.

Therefore, there would be no problem following the regulations in the province.     

Supinda Na Mahachai

 Wannapa Phetdee

 The Nation