Autonomous varsities face HR problems

Prasert Treevijitsil, an assistant to the president of Chulalongkorn University, told a seminar at Thammasat University that the problems that developed after going autonomous involved human resource management and the welfare entitled to those 34 per cent of civil servants who decided to become university employees.

Kriengsak Buranapattama, another assistant, said HR problems arose because the university had to run two systems of administration. The civil servants in support departments also had more problems than those on the academic side, as they had to change the way they work for more effectiveness amid pressure from the faculty's expectations for them to be professional and service minded.

Sommai Lakkhananurak, director of the Education Ministry's budget division, said that while seven autonomous universities received a 40percent pay raise, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi got 60 per cent because the officials there were low paid and then PM's Office minister Abhisit Vejjajiva asked for the higher hike.

He urged the seven institutions not to be discouraged because they might also get 60 per cent after the new Cabinet takes up the budget proposal.

Nopporn Leepreechanont, president of Thammasat's teachers council, said many personnel and lecturers still wondered about the changes that university autonomy will bring. There was no public hearing held yet but only the rector's instruction for deans to make faculty staff understand. He said the opinions of staff were listened to but discreetly, so there was rather low awareness of autonomy among the staff.

As the Thammasat autonomy draft bill was finalised for Parliament's consideration soon, a public hearing should be called and organic laws reviewed because some supplementary laws were not thorough and clear enough on employees' confidence, welfare and payments, he said.

A regulation was also needed to stop the rector from automatically holding the position of deputy president of the university council, in order to promote transparency and prevent a decisionmaking monopoly, he added.