1.1. General Background—Government and Administrative Structure

As education is the most important factor for the restructuring of the economy and society for sustainable development, it is widely accepted that education reform is now National agenda. All groups of Thai people share the same objective that education should provide necessary skills and knowledge that prepare all individuals to become productive members of a knowledge-based society. The Office of the National Education Commission (ONEC) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of University Affairs (MUA), will therefore continue to encourage public participation from all sectors in moving towards the success of educational reform in line with the 1999 National Education Act. Thai Sangha^[1] is a part of Thai society, helping in developing Thai people mentally and/or spiritually. Thus, its education system plays an important role and worthy to be studied. Before going to the detail of Thai Sangha system of education, let us first review the education system in Thailand.

The general background^[2] of education in Thailand presented in this section includes the following aspects: (i) government and administrative structure and (ii) society and economy.

Although the governmental structure of Thailand has undergone gradual and practical evolution following the change from absolutely to a constitutional monarchy, the basic concepts of constitutional government and monarchy laid down in the 1932 constitution have remained unchanged.

The first concept is the status of the monarchy as Head of State, Head of Armed Forces and Upholder of the Buddhist Religion and all other religions. The second concept concerns the legislative branch. A bicameral^[3] National Assembly has been created with two categories of members: Members of Parliament and Senators. The third concept concerns the executive branch. The Prime Minister is head of the government and chief executive. The Council of Ministers is responsible for the administration of 14 ministries, as well as the Office of the Prime Minister.

The democratic system in Thailand, however, has recently undergone refinement in response to the specific needs of the nation. The 1997 Constitution has greatly increased the rights of the people in political participation and also the rights to voice public opinion on major problems as provided in Section 76:

"The State shall promote and encourage public participation in laying down policies, making decision on political issues, preparing economic, social and political development plans and inspecting the exercise of State power at all levels"^[4]

For effective implementation of the Constitution, the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) was established on 20 December 2000, as mandated in Section 89 of the Constitution, to give advice recommendations to the Council of Ministers on economic and social problems. Among 100 members of the Council, 40 members are representatives of all country areas; another 40 members are representatives of occupations and enterprises; and 20 members represent different fields of knowledge. The national economic and social development plan and other plans are required to obtain the opinions of the National Economic and Social Council before they can be adopted.

The country is divided into 75 provinces, excluding Bangkok Metropolis. Each province, which is administered by an appointed governor, is sub-divided into districts, sub-districts or tambons (groups of villages) and villages. Only the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), which is divided into 50 districts, is administered by an elected governor.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The meaning and significance of Sangha. The Sangha forms the third component of the Triple Gem. Sangha members represent the embodiment of the Dhamma and they have been, by and large, responsible for the preservation and promotion of the religion, both during and after the time of the Buddha. Litterally, Sangha means community. In its broadest sense, the term covers both the lay and the monastic communities. From the doctrinal perspective, it refers to those who have achieved any of the four stages of transcendent spiritual attainment. Such Sangha members are known as ‘noble disciple’ (ariyasangha). Technically, these are called Sotapanna (Stream Enterer), etc.

However, because the role of the monks is so distinct and prominent, the term Sangha is often used exclusively in reference to the community of monks and does not cover the laity as in its broader sense. In the Theravada tradition, especially, this term is never used in connection with the lay community.

[2]:

Thailand, Government of n.d.. Education in Thailand 2001/2002. Bangkok, Thailand: Amrin Printing Group, pp. 1-7.

[3]:

(technical) A Parliament having two main parts, such as the Senate and the House of Representative in the US, and the House of Commons and the House of Lord in Britain. See Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, p.133.

[4]:

Björn Dressel, “Judicallization of Politics or Politicization o the Judiciary? Concideration from Recent Events in Thailand, The Pacific Review,2010, vol.23, pp.671-691; Eugenie Merieau, “The Deep State and Judicialization of Politics in Thailand”, Jounal of Contemporary Asia, forthcoming, Teerayuth Boonmee.