The Evolution of Educational Reform in Thailand : Factors Contributing to Effective Implementation

Gerald W. Fry
United States of America

In analyzing and studying contemporary policy issues, important historical and political context is often ignored. Actually, there have been four major periods of educational reform in Thailand, the evolution of which are analyzed in this paper :

King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) (late 1800s/early 1900s was a great and visionary reformer whose policies transformed Siamese education into a modern secular system. Key elements of the reforms of King Rama V are described.
A student revolution in October, 1973, ushered in an era of educational reform characterized by an emphasis on equity, unity, and freedom of expression. The abrupt termination of this era is discussed.

In the early and mid-90s, another attempt at educational reform emphasized Thailand's need to adapt to the challenges of globalization and internationalization. The persisting elements of this reform period are noted, including the current "international education boom" in Thailand.

Thailand's current educational reform initiatives stem from the shock of the Asian economic crisis and subsequent political reforms such as the nev. October 1997 Constitution, which mandated educational reform and decentralization. Thus, Thailand as part of its strategic path to economic recovery, initiated new education sector reforms, which are currently being implemented. Major elements of the reform are described. The situation in Thailand can be characterized as reform energy, not reform fatigue. Various initiatives and pilot projects are summarized. Major persisting obstacles are discussed. The complex relationship between education and other reforms are also considered.

This paper is based on having had the experience of working on educational issues in Thailand over the past five decades, with direct involvement in reform activities during the second and fourth phases described above. The paper includes an analysis of educational reform during each of these four historical periods, with the primary emphasis being on the current period of reform, inspired by the 1997 Constitution and the 1999 National Education Act.

The methodology for the paper involves the used of multiple research methods, drawing upon extensive and diverse research resources in both Thai and English concerning the evolution of education and educational reform in Thailand and participation observation by the researcher during his more than 10 years of doing fieldwork in Thailand. Both qualitative and quantitative data are utilized in assessing the status of reform program progress.

The paper is interdisciplinary in its approach focusing on the complex relationships among economics, politics, culture and implementation of educational reform. A recent symposium at Harvard University, Synthesized in the book, Culture Matters : How Values Shape Human Progress postulates the importance of culture in promoting progress and reform. Both Thai culture in general and political culture in particular are assessed in terms of their impact on the implementation of educational reform in Thailand. In terms of the cultural analysis, positive and negative aspects of Thai culture affecting the implementation of educational reform are considered. Special attention is directed to the relationship between Buddhist philosophy and educational reform.

The paper concludes with an assessment of the future prospects for continued implementation of the current educational reform initiative in Thailand, emphasizing Thailand's remarkable capability of being eclectic and selective in its attempt to balance the global with the local. Major human resource development issues facing Thailand are summarized and current challenges facing educational reform in Thailand are identified.