2.1. History of Education in Thailand

In the early days of Thai history, the religious and royal institutions played a primary role in providing education. Buddhist monks gave basic education to boys in classes set up within the compounds of monasteries. Children of the royal household and from families of the nobility were educated in order to serve in the court and govern the provinces.

During the reign of King Rama V (1863-1910) there was increased recognition of the need for educated people to staff the growing bureaucracy.^[1] As a result, the Thai education system was modernized and made more accessible to the general public. This began with the 1898 Education Proclamation, which was strongly influenced by the British system and in which two educational paths were stipulated: the academic and the vocational. The policy of educational modernization was further pursued by King Rama V. Recognizing the need for better-trained personnel in royal and governmental services, he opened a school in the palace to educate young princes and the sons of nobles during his reign. This was the first Thai school in the modern sense, as it had its own school building, appointed teachers and a school timetable. The Command Declaration on Schooling was issued for this purpose. Although, it is interesting to note that the Command Declaration on Schooling signifies the advent of a formal education in the reign of King Rama V, the fact remains that education system at that time was essentially for the elite. However soon after, King Rama V set up an English school in the palace to prepare prince and court children for further studies abroad, as well as a number of schools outside the palace for the education of common children. In 1887, King Rama V established the Department of Education to oversee the Kingdom’s education and religious affairs. At the time of its inception, the Department had under its jurisdiction, 34 schools in the metropolitan and provincial areas, 81 teachers and 1,994 students, including 4 other advanced schools in the metropolis. It is worth noting that the implicit significance of the establishment of the department of Education lies not in the scope of its responsibilities but in the fact that education in Thailand was on its way towards being a planned enterprise, more systematic than ever before. And that education also had its own spokesman to speak for its worthy cause.^[2]

As the above discussion points out, education in Thailand has developed from traditional education offered in the temple, the palace and the family between 1220 and1868 to the foundation of formal education between 1868 and 1932. The era of modern education for national development began when Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932. During the 1950’s the government became much more concerned with the development of education, Thus it became a part of the national reconstruction and modernization process in the post-war period.^[3] Education in Thailand has long been divided into three broad levels, primary, secondary and tertiary. But the number of years required to complete each level, the availability and emphasis on vocational education and other educational policies have changed periodically. Between 1935 and 1960, primary education consisted of four years of schooling and was in principle, compulsory. During that period, educational policy emphasized the extension of public primary education to all children. With the accomplishment of that goal in 1978, six years of primary-level schooling was made compulsory.^[4]

Primary education is the most crucial stage of education, spanning between 6 and 8 years of schooling. It lays the foundation for the personality, attitudes, social confidence, habit, learning skill and communicating capabilities of students. The basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic are acquired at this stage and values are internalized and environmental consciousness sharpened.

Many studies have shown that in the field of education, investments in primary education yields the highest rate of return and has a significant impact on productivity and general well being of the masses. Thus, primary education plays a crucial role in strengthening the fabric of the democratic system, by passing through the provision of equal opportunities to all, for the development of inherent individual potential. According to the National Scheme of Education 1992,^[5] the structure of the Thai education system comprises of three years of pre-primary education, six years of primary education, three years of lowersecondary education, and three years of upper-secondary education (in the field of both general and vocational education) as detail given in chapter III.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

King Rama V or King Chulalongkorn he was contributed the education and proved of great significance to modern Thailand. During this reign “public instruction” became more secular than ever before in Thai history. Secular schools were established in the 1880s aimed at producing the educated men necessary for the smooth functioning of a centralized administration.

[2]:

Office of the Prime Minister: Thailand into the 2000’s, p. 114.

[3]:

Office of the National Education Commission: Education in Thailand 2002/2003, p. 9.

[4]:

Buenham O. Campbell, Andrew Mason and Emesto M. Pernia: The Economic Impact of Demographic Change in Thailand, 1980-2015; , p.88.

[5]:

Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment,Thailand’s Initial National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, pp.75-76.