By: Harold P. ADAMS. (PhD).
Agency for International Development (Dept of State), Washington, D.C. Nov 1970

 

This historical sketch of educational development in Thailand is presented in three parts: 


  •   the historical background of education in Thailand from 1257 to 1970; 

  •   the major educational developments of the past 20 years in elementary, secondary, adult, higher, vocational, and teacher education; 

  •   the significant contributions which the United States Operations Mission (USOM) has made to the educational development of the country since 1950.

A selected bibliography and some educational data covering the 20-year span are included.



TABLE OF CONTENTS




Background of Education in Thailand
Major Educational Developments During the 1950's to 1970




Selected Bibliography




Appendic:es3


Appendix A: Educational History Time Line


Appendix B: Ministry of Education Organization


Appendix C: Streams of Education Appendix D: Educational Pyramid


EDUCATION IN THAILAND




The present educational system in Thailand is the product of many forces and influences which have been forged and tempered over many centuries. The first educational system in Thailand was quite similar to that of the monastic and cathedral schools of Medieval Europe, i.e., it had a religious orientation and it was centered in the temples. Historical evidence shows that. The system was quite informal and offered only limited subject, matter . "The primary purpose was to provide moral and religious instruction and, for all practical purposes, was designed to train only the male members of the society. Vocational training was carried on in the family units (young boys were taught how to farm, hunt, fight, and develop some of the basic skills in handicrafts; girls were also given training in farming as well as domestic skills. Only the children of the aristocracy could expect to receive training in the arts and other areas associated with "higher education."
The history of education in Thailand may be logically divided into three periods; 
• traditional education, from 1257 to 1868; 
• educational expansion, from 1868 to 1931; and 
• the present period, from 1932 to this day,


The Period of Traditional Education. 1257-1868


In 1283 King Ram Khamhaeng, the third king of the Sukhothai period, introduced the alphabet that has been used continuously to the present time. This alphabet was modified from time to time until the present system of waiting was formed. Literature of the Sukhothai period indicates that ever. a fey, women were given the opportunity to become literate but, generally, this privilege was extended primarily to men in the court and temples.


The monastic, or temple, education continued for at least six centu¬ries. During this eta there were few significant changes in the educational system. The government did not take an active role in education because it was felt that this was primarily the responsibility of religious leaders. Hence, the Buddhist priests (monks) assumed the major responsibility for "public" instruction.


During the Ayutttaya period (1377-1767), Thai people were brought into contact with the Western world for the first time. Records show that some Portuguese came to Thailand in 1511. Later, in 1662, French missionaries arrived in Thailand. They brought with them many skills and ideas which helped the educational program to progress. They set up private schools to teach Christian and Western culture to the nationals. King Narai, who suspected the motives of the French missionaries, maintained a tight control over the private schools.


Dating King Narai's reign, increasing attention was given to the development of reading and writing skills. New textbooks were compiled and were widely used until the early Ratanakosin period. The impact of this emphasis is shown in the quantity and quality of literary works that were produced in this age.
With the beginning of the present dynasty (Chakri), in 1782, new emphasis was placed on improving education and encouraging cultural development in Thailand. King Rama I (1782-1809) wrote several books and urged others to follow his example. During the reign of King Rama II (1809-1824) many poets, including the King himself, produced a great number of literary masterpieces. Ramakian, the Thai version of Ramayana, was written during the reign of King Rama II.


Thailand was brought into contact with Western countries again during the reign of King Rama TI. Presbyterian missionaries came to Thailand and started schools to teach religion. American missions contributed greatly to the improvement of Thai education, especially after one of their leaders, Dr. Bradley, set up a printing press in 1837 to print Thai books.


King Rama 111, during his reign from 1824-1851, was one of the first monarchs to show great interest in public education. He urged the learned men of Thailand to record their knowledge in written texts so that informa¬tion cold he made available to all literate people. When Rama III rebuilt: Wat Prachetupon, he had many of these texts inscribed on the stones around the temple and this is why Wat Prachetupon is sometimes called "the first public university of Thailand".


As Thailand established closer relations with the Western countries, greater interest developed in learning foreign languages. King Rama IV (1851-1868) studied English in order to understand better Western culture and politics. He, along with his children and some courtiers, was taught by the English woman, Mrs. Anna Leonowens. He laid the foundation for a period of educational reform and expansion in the reign of his successor, Rama V.




The Period of Educational Expansion 1F68 - 1931


A modern school was established by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) on the palace grounds in 1.871. The school was the first of its kind in Thailand and its primary purpose was to train boys for office work or civil service. It differed from other schools of the time because the latter were dedicated simply to bringing up boys to be "well-read men of good behavior". The Royal Command School or Palace School had regular hours for learning and employed laymen as teachers. It taught not only reading, writing, and arithmetic Jut other subjects which would be required in government offices.
 
The growing need for government officials, as the government expanded its =cere o f work, and the demand to set up a common standard for public institutions  prompted the establishment of more of these schools in 1884.


Some Public instruction was extended into the provinces but the lessons were taught in the Buddhist Temples or Wats. The promotion of such instruction is an example of the administrative wisdom of King Rama V. On one hand, he was preserving the old custom of Wat learning and, on the other, he was curtailing the great expense that would hay been involved in the construction of new schools. King Chulalongkorn's reign (1868 - 1910) initiated a new era in the history of the nation. Through his encouragement of education many government schools were opened.


In 1887, the Department of Education was established and five years later it became a Ministry. The new ministry was assigned the responsibility for cultural and religious affairs as well as educational administration. The Ministry of Education laid the foundation for educational expansion and better administration. New textbooks were written for teaching the Thai language in the schools and a nation-wide system of examinations was put into practice.


Although the character of education at the end of the nineteenth century may seem to have been parochial, there was a tendency toward establishing a broader national scheme. In 1898 such a scheme was formulated and dealt with all the provinces of the Kingdom. This national scheme of education. Outlined curricular content and established grade levels within the total system of education; a specific" reference to girls' education was included.


Another scheme of education was put into effect in 1909 which divided education into two streams: academic and vocational. It was agreed at that time that higher educational institutions would be established later. A revised plan was announced in 1913 by King Rama VI; a 3-3-3-2 plan of education was adopted instead of the former 3-3-3 plan. Since that time, all general educational plans have been formulated on a national basis.


The first Private School Act was passed in 1918. It dealt with the registration and government supervision of private schools. It was followed in 1921 by the first Compulsory Education Act which stipulated that all children, ', both boys and girls, were to go to school from the age of seven to fourteen years. Advanced studies were offered at Chulalongkorn University which was founded in 1916 and a system of national education was underway.




The Present Period


The year 1932 marks the beginning of the third and present period of Thai educational history. The new revolutionary government made many efforts to improve the educational system. Increased emphasis was placed on meeting the needs of the individual even though it was still emphasized that education should meet social needs that were in harmony with the economic and political systems of the country. A new national scheme of education (a 4-4-4 plan) was devised the year the revolutionary government came into power. To help implement the plan, an educational council was appointed as an advisory body. Three years later a new Compulsory Education Act was passed. The following year 1936, the National Scheme of Education was amended in the form 4-3-3-2 which remains as the basic organizational scheme. A new Private School Act was adopted which provided for financial assistance to private schools. The Act also provided for school inspectors from the Ministry of Education to visit the schools.


Several things happened in 1936 which affected the educational system. The revolutionary government wanted to expand elementary education as fast as possible, spurred by certain "provisional articles" in the Constitution. The Constitution stated that the Parliament was to be composed of two types of members: elected and appointed. It also stipulated that the provinces in which more than half of the adult population were literate would have full representation. This brought a rapid expansion of elementary education throughout the Kingdom. A considerable amount of the budget was spent on a literacy campaign and little was left for develop¬ing secondary education. Secondary school programs were cut down to six years (Grades 5-10). A few pre-university schools (Grades 11-12) were established to educate a selected group of tenth graders who would enter the university. Those who could not enter the pre-university schools could go to higher vocational schools. Vocational schools on lower levels (Grades 5-7 and 8-10) were established because the government wanted to discourage the students from academic study and to encourage them to train for some vocation. In order to save expenditures on academic secondary schools, the government proclaimed that it would maintain only a limited number of government secondary schools as examples for private schools. This meant that the majority of high school students had to be taught in private schools. The result of all of these things was the concentration of educational resources in the Bangkok area and the rapid expansion of private secondary schools.


From the beginning, vocational schools at the lower levels were not popular. It was believed that only the weaker students went to vocational schools. Poor achievement in academic subjects, lack of proper facilities, and untrained teachers gave support to this popular belief and the enroll¬ment in the vocational schools declined. A sudden change came when the Ministry of Education adopted a policy of employing the graduates of vocational schools as teachers in the elementary schools. Almost immediately all lower vocational schools in the provinces were filled to capacity. The enrollment dropped drastically again a few years later when the Ministry stopped recruit¬ing graduates to teach in the elementary schools.
During the Second World War, the organization of secondary schools appeared to remain intact but actually the activities and the functions of the schools were greatly disrupted. Children were evacuated and most schools were closed. Some students studied at home and were permitted to sit for various examinations. Academic standards in the schools continued to decline after the war ended even though industrial development and the standard of living began to rise.


 
In 1951, another scheme of education was adopted but it was essentially the same as its predecessor with only some slight modifications and additions. It organized the school system into 4 years of elementary education, 3 years of lower secondary school, 3 years of upper secondary school and 2 years of pre-university classes. The lower secondary grades were divided into three streams: an academic stream for the children who wanted to prepare for higher learning; a vocational stream for those who wanted to seek employment earlier; and a general stream for those who did not want to go beyond Grade 7. It was hoped that fewer students would go on to the academic stream and that a great number of them would take vocational and general courses. Perhaps it was because opportunities for work in the fields of industry and commerce were so limited and the prestige of white-collar jobs was so high that few went into the vocational stream. But whatever the reasons were, the majority of secondary school students still strive to enter the academic stream, especially on the lower secondary level.


In 1960, a new National Scheme of Education came into being and is still it, effect. It put particular stress upon meeting the needs of the individual and of society. It reaffirmed the goal of the Karachi Plan (compulsory education through grade seven) and introduced some significant curricular experimentation at the secondary level. The most novel change in the secondary schools was the experimental comprehensive-type high school. The curriculum for these schools combined both academic and pre-vocational subjects. It was intended to meet the needs mainly of those who would not be continuing their education in a college or university, but it was not a barrier to such higher education.

Administrative changes in the national educational system have been made over the past several years in order to facilitate the various new plans and curricular changes. For example, the Kingdom has been divided into twelve regions, each with a regional educational officer in charge and supervisory centers. In every region as well as every Changwat (province) there is an advisory committee which considers problems related to education. An agency which legally has the right to coordinate all aspects of education is the National Educational Council created in 1959. In practice, however, it has limited itself primarily to matters pertaining to higher education.  
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