SCB links up with tutoring schools to offer easier payment methods

Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) has launched a real-time booking and course-payment service via its website ATMs and the bank's counters.

The tutoring schools include Ajarn Ping's Da'Vance, Smart English, Ideal Physic Academy Centre, Abacus Tutor School and Ajarn Poomtep's Pratabong Academy.

Results of applications for positions in tutoring courses will be shown immediately and a Bt15 fee charged.

With stronger competition among Thai students, the tutoring-school industry has grown rapidly, especially the popular schools. Demand has outstripped supply, so that when reservations open, students or their parents must rush to queue up in hopes of obtaining a position. Sometimes they wait in vain, because the most popular courses fill quickly.

Using the bank's service, customers can book and pay for tutoring courses through SCB's Internet banking website or one of its 5,200 ATMs around the country, as well as across the counter at any one branch. They must first have an SCB account.

All customers need is the precise number of the course they are seeking, so they can fill out an application form.

Charamporn Jotikasthira, the bank's senior executive vice president and chief information officer, said the bank had surveyed the needs of the tutoring schools and developed a solution. The system is in real time, so customers learn the result of their application immediately.

If a course is limited to 200 seats, the first 200 applicants who pay for the course will get the seats, while others will be told the course is already full.

At present, 10 tutoring schools have joined the SCB service: Great Science Centre, Genius Science Math Centre, Mathematics Training Centre, Ideal Physics Academy Centre, Genius Maths, Da'Vance, Smart English, Pratabong Academy, KDC Tutorial School and Abacus Tutor School.

These schools represent a 30-per-cent share of the market, or a value of about Bt2.1 billion out of a total market value of Bt7 billion. SCB stands to earn Bt15 million in fee income this year.

The bank plans to expand its alliances to 30 schools, representing combined revenue of more than Bt5 billion.

About 300,000 students take the entrance examination each year. Of these, 30 per cent, or 100,000 students, take five tutoring courses a year. The trend of taking tutoring classes is increasingly popular among younger students.

Other banks, including Krung Thai Bank, TMB Bank, Kasikornbank and Bank of Ayudhya, offer a similar service. However, the first two take only counter applications, and all four require customers to check later with the tutoring school to learn the application results.