4. Education Administration in Thailand

On April 1, 1892, the Department of Education became a full-fledged Ministry of Education, which brought about expansion in the educational system.

At present, the responsibility for administration of education in Thailand is divided among four main governmental authorities^[1] :

1. The first governmental authority is the office of the Prime minister. It is entrusted with the task of planning education, which is undertaken by the following agencies:

i. The National Economic and Social Development Board entrusted with the task of the overall policy in all areas of national development.

ii. The National Education Commission: This commission is concerned with the overall policy for all types of education administered and separate government agencies.

iii. The Budget Bureau and the Civil Service Commission are responsible for financial and personnel support respectively.

2. The Ministry of Interior: the Ministry shoulders the responsibility for the management of primary education in the municipality of each province for Local Education. Whereas the Ministry of Interior is responsible for the supervision and to assist financially the Bangkok Metropolitan Area, the Ministry of Interior was transferred to the Ministry of Education on October 1, 1980.

3. The Ministry of University Affairs: Higher education in government and private universities in Thailand is placed under the administration and supervision of the Ministry of University Affairs. This Ministry also supervises the management of higher education private colleges.

4. The Ministry of Education: This Ministry carries out the major bulk of educational administration in the country: from pre-primary education to secondary and some post secondary, for instance, teacher education, technical and vocational education. In addition to this, the Ministry also supervises private schools at all levels except the degree level. Besides the four main governmental agencies, other government agencies are also involved in the management of education in specialized fields, both in the formal and non-formal systems. For instance, the Ministry of Defense is responsible for the management of military education, and police education and the Ministry of Health is entrusted with the task of management of health education. Management of education in professional skills is under the local Administration Department. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is responsible for organizing for training entrepreneurial skills, etc.

The country is divided into 12 regions for the purpose of local education administration. "In each region, there is a Regional Education Office, headed by a Regional Education Officer. In addition, each of the 76^[2] provinces has a Provincial Education Office, headed by a Provincial Education Officer. Each district also has District Education Office, headed by District Education Office" Both at the regional, provincial or district levels, all education officers are appointed by the office of the Permanent Secretary of Education and Supervised by its Inspector-General.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Sivaraksa, Philosophy of Education: Science and Technique of Learning Reform., p.102.

[2]:

Thailand is a unitary state that is subdivided into 76 provinces (Thai: changwat;) and one special administrative area representing the capital Bangkok. The provinces are part of the provincial government, while Bangkok is part of the local government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_Thailand