Education in Thailand: Past, Present and ASEAN Integration

Abstract

This paper analyzed educational growth in Thailand and studied the internal and external factors affecting the educational management of the country, covering the long history of Thai education, which started with the founding of the country 700 years ago. The monarchy and centralized governments in the past have played an important role in improving the education of the Thai people. Education in Thailand has traditionally reflected the need of the local people, whose life is surrounded by a changing mixture of development in agriculture, tourism, industry, and business. Strong cultural values also played a significant role in providing education in the past, with country leaders continuing to value integrating local wisdom and Buddhism into the educational system of the present. Despite being criticized for failure in education quality, Thailand still sees economic growth and has confidence in developing the country in its own style. Moreover, more international students, especially from ASEAN, still want to come to study in Thailand, which aims to be the education hub in this region. In general, there are positive signs that indicate a trend of educational growth in the near future, for both Thailand specifically and ASEAN generally.