World-Class Standard School Excellence or Inequality: An Analysis of Quality Award Criteria through a Framework of Policy Implementation and Evidence-Based Internal School Budget Allocation Plans

Abstract

This research article aims to analyze the structural mechanisms of the World-Class Standard School (WCSS) policy and the Office of the Basic Education Commission Quality Award (OBECQA) criteria that contribute to intra-institutional resource allocation inequality. Employing documentary research, the study integrates the policy implementation framework, street-level bureaucracy theory, and the concept of goal displacement to analyze primary data from the fiscal year 2025 action plans of two extra-large secondary schools in Pathum Thani province. The findings reveal that under the pressure of excellence-driven indicators and the constraints of the flat-rate per-capita subsidy system, schools have developed coping mechanisms through cream-skimming strategies. This is manifested in two primary forms: (1) the hyper-concentration of budgets in special classroom programs, and (2) the targeted injection of resources into strategic subjects for competitive purposes (e.g., Arts, and Science and Technology learning areas). Consequently, resources for core subjects serving mainstream students are severely diluted. These findings confirm a state of goal displacement, where excellence indicators compel schools to reproduce structural inequalities. The study recommends revising the OBECQA criteria by prioritizing equity indicators and reforming the budget allocation system toward need-based funding to restore educational justice.