The payments are on top of their salaries, with authorities believing for a long time that these teachers have attained a level of expertise.

But Deputy Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin has refused to swallow such an assumption as the criteria for granting academic rankings to teachers.

“How can the country put up with such system? Academic-rank accreditation is based on papers,” he said. “Those who have assessed the papers don’t even know the teacher. They don’t know the school where the teacher is based either.”

He suspects this criteria is party responsible for the student quality in Thailand remaining poor despite increases resources devoted for the cause of improving the situation.

Recent studies showed Thailand has adequate funds and resources for its education system. But the educational quality rising is dependent on how the country manages those resources.

Thailand spends Bt21 billion a year on special allowances to teachers certified as experts, special experts, specialists, and special specialists. Of the some 400,000 teachers in the country, about 300,000 have gained such academic ranks.

The more than 110,000 expert-level teachers get a Bt3,500 special allowance each month, while the more than 227,000 special-expert teachers receive Bt5,600. Some 1,000 specialist-level teachers get Bt9,900 and the special specialists receive up to Bt15,600.

Teerakiat has thrown his full support behind changing the criteria used to grant these academic ranks.

“I don’t trust what papers show. We had better focus on tangible performance like how their students have fared academically,” he said.

Teerakiat has recommended that the new criteria should be based on overtime worked, participation in skill-based training, and engagement in weekly discussions designed to improve a teacher’s performance.

“When the new criteria takes effect, I trust that teachers will be eager to work overtime teaching their students,” he said. “At the grand rounds [weekly dicussions], teachers will gather information and comment on how they can improve their teaching techniques. Together they can explore new solutions and approaches to increase their work efficiency.”

The Office of the Welfare Promotion for Teachers and Education Personnel (Otep) secretary general, Pinijsak Suwannarong, disclosed that the new criteria was expected to take effect in April and lead to improved student quality.

“We are planning the change because with the existing criteria, many teachers have focused on writing academic papers to claim awards and bolster their own credentials in a way that gives no benefits to their schools or students,” he said.

He said when the new criteria took effect teachers wanting to improve their rank must have at least eight years of experience – two years as assistant teachers and six years as fully qualified teachers.

“Before they can apply for an academic rank, they must also sign a performance agreement with their school directors,” Teerakiat explained.

He said school executives, the directors of educational service areas and provincial education committees would handle applications for expert and special expert rankings. But for specialists and special specialists, applications will be reviewed by school executives, the directors of educational service areas and Otep.

A 40-year-old teacher said she did not mind the change in the criteria if relevant authorities would take into consideration the fact that small and big schools were in greatly different situation.

“If they introduce a blanket criteria, teachers who teach at a small school will be at a disadvantage,” she said.

In a related development, Education Ministry permanent secretary Dr Kamjorn Tatiyakavee disclosed that the criteria for promoting teachers and education officials promoted to the posts of deputy directors and directors at schools would be changed based on Otep’s proposed guideline.

“For school directors, they must work for at least 10 years before they can be considered for such a promotion,” he said, “For deputy directors, school directors will choose them among teachers who have had more than six years of teaching experiences.”