According to Thai media news, on May 12, Mr. Chanin, deputy secretary general of the Democratic Party of Thailand, said that it is currently the beginning of the school season for students, and preparing for the child's enrollment is a necessary expense for parents and guardians, usually including many types, such as tuition, book fees, school uniforms and other miscellaneous expenses.
He further said that according to the results of the survey conducted by the Center for Economic and Business Forecasting of the University of Commerce of Thailand on the consumption behavior and impact of parents in the back-to-school season, the related expenditure is expected to reach 60,322.62 million baht, an increase of 4.21% from 57,885.63 million baht in 2023, and the highest recorded since the survey began in 2010 or in the past 15 years.
Among them, as many as 46% of parents said that they maintained their original spending levels because of more expensive prices, the need to save more, as well as a lack of confidence in the economic situation, reduced income, debt, etc. This year, Thai parents and guardians will still buy the above school supplies as needed, with as many as 45.6 percent of parents saying they do not have enough money at their disposal during the school season, up from 36.5 percent in 2023, Channing said.
As a result, some parents have to borrow money and even have to take out of school. Chanin said that he would like to call on the government to pay attention to the importance of education as it is the key to solving long-term problems, and also wanted to make several suggestions to Prime Minister Saita: 1. Bring forward the 10,000 baht digital wallet policy, now is the right time, 2. Find low-interest or interest-free loans for parents, and 3. Provide high-quality and affordable educational products during the school season.