By
Professor Dr.Somwung  Pitiyanuwat

                     It has been recognised that the education reform will never meet with success without the reform of teachers and educational personnel. By teachers, we mean professional personnel whose main responsibilities are teaching and learning and encouraging learners to learn through various methods in both public and private educational institutions.  Educational personnel  means educational institution administrators who are professionals responsible for administering educational institutions of both the public and private sectors. Educational administrators are professional personnel responsible for administration outside educational institutions 
at the level of educational service area and above. They also include providers of educational support, who offer services or whose responsibilities include organization of the teaching - learning process, supervision and administration of the various educational bodies. With such important roles of teachers and educational personnel in development of education, particularly in the education reform, they are required to have professional licences as stipulated in Section 53, paragraph 2 of the 1999 National Education Act. Teachers, educational institution administrators, educational administrators and other educational personnel of both the public and private sectors must have professional licences as provided by the law. Such requirement, however, does not apply to educational personnel providing informal education, educational institutions serving as learning centres referred to in Section 18 (3), administrators at the level above the educational service area, and specialized educational resource persons, and faculty staff, educational institution administrators, and administrators of higher education at degree level.

                    Following are recommendations on salient features of the licences for educational administrators, including both educational institution administrators and educational administrators. Administrators are educational personnel of high importance, as they play a prominent role and have major responsibilities for implementation of the educational policies and realisation fo the objectives of the 1999 National Education Act, leading to the development and reform of education. They also provide support, encouragement and services to teachers, so that the latter can contribute in no small measures to the education reform. This will undoubtedly enable the learners to be good and competent persons, who enjoy learning. They will be able to compete and co-operate and, at the same time, transmit the Thai identity through a universal outlook. Assurance of the quality of education as well as educational administration is hence called for, requiring both educational institution administrators and educational administrators to have professional licences, which will guarantee the competence of professional administrators in carrying out the reform.

Objectives

1. To raise the standard of administrators' profession to that of a highly respected one;
2. To develop the Thai people to be good, competent and happy people, dedicated to sustainable development of the country;
3. To protect the interest of those benefitting from educational services;
4. To attain educational quality assurance through enhancement of the quality of administrators; and
5. To stimulate development of professional administrators for the education reform.

Methods of work

                      The ONEC provided support for preparation of information on the salient features of administrators' licences through the following three processes, namely : 

• Documentary research   by means of a study of available documents in Thailand and abroad to collect and learn about information in the past regarding the concepts and main aspects of administrators' licences both within and outside of the country. The information gained was synthesised to form  a body of knowledge on the main issues regarding the administrators' licences in accord with Section 53 of the National Education Act 1999.
• Public hearing of the views of the general public and those involved   regarding the initial recommendations on the main points synthesised in the first process. The public hearings were conducted in four regions, namely : central region at Cholburi; the south at Songkhla; the north - east at Khon Kaen; the north at Chiangmai as well as the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. It was originally expected that approximately 1,000 people would attend the hearings. In actual fact, more than 2,500 people from more than 30 provinces participated, which was an indication of the keen interest and enthusiasm of the general public and those involved in the reform of national education.
• Polling   through the Suan Dusit Poll, which sampled opinions of not less than 2,000 people engaged in all types of occupation regarding the main aspects of the administrators' licences.

Survey results of sample groups at the public hearings and from ONEC network

1. Status of respondents
                     1.1 Sample groups of respondents to questionnaires at public hearings, totalling 832 in number, 69% of whom are male.

• Age
- Between 41 - 45 : 32%
- Between 46 - 50 : 22%
- Over 50 : 22%
- Between 36 - 40 : 13%
• Occupation
- Educational institution administrators : 49%
- Teachers/faculty staff : 21%
- Educational administrators : 18%
• Academic qualifications
- Bachelor's degree : 64%
- Master's degree : 31%
• Residence   in different regions :
- North - east  : 31%
- North  : 27%
- East  : 15%
- South  : 12%
- Bangkok Metropolitan Area : 8%

• Age
- Over 50 : 26%
- Between 41 - 45 : 23%
- Between 46 - 50 : 16%
- Between 36 - 40 : 11%
• Occupation
- Teachers/faculty staff : 37%
- Educational institution administrators : 22%
- Academics/students : 8%
- Educational administrators : 7%
• Academic qualifications
- Bachelor's degree : 61%
- Master's degree : 25%
- High school graduates in general or vocational stream : 6%
• Residence   in different regions :
- North - east  : 25%
- North  : 18%
- East  : 18%
- South  : 15%
- Bangkok Metropolitan Area : 10%

3. Outstanding characteristics of professional administrators of educational institutions
 

 4. Professional organizations which should be entrusted with the responsibility of issuing professional licences for administrators
 

5. Licence issuing should be at the following levels :
 

 6. Criteria for creating fairness in issuing professional licence for administrators
               Top five priorities for which opinions of the two categories tally.
 

Salient features of professional licences for administrators 

1. Vision for future administrators

               In 10 years' time, licensed administrators will be professionals with quality and efficiency in management and administration of education through the learner- centred approach. The main objective is to develop learners to be good and competent members of society as aimed at in the school goals. Future administrators shall have academic qualifications of not less than a master's degree in educational administration or equivalent. They are endowed with a wide vision, leadership and ability to work efficiently with all parties concerned, especially in co-operation with teachers, parents and communities to develop learners. They will ensure quality of education, which, in turn, will result in raising the status of the teaching profession. They will be able to  develop, evaluate and improve themselves on a continuous basis, and, at the same time, adhere to their professional ethics. The administrators are teachers of teachers, learners and parents as well as serve as desirable examples for teachers and personnel concerned in order to develop education and society as a whole for sustainable peace and security.

2. Major principles

2.1 Attributes of a high profession;

2.1.1 Distinctive characteristics of a social service;
2.1.2 Intellectual work or path of wisdom;
2.1.3 Having received sufficient education for intellectual work;
2.1.4 Professional ethics;
2.1.5 Professional organizations; and
2.1.6 Freedom in practising the profession.

           2.2 Principle of  authority
           The power for issuing a professional licence is the authority entrusted by the state to a professional organization, hence the necessity for supervision of state representatives to ensure that the licence issuing follows the principles and standard 
of the profession.

          2.3 Principle based on the law
         The provision in Section 53 paragraph 2 will have to be enacted. In other words, as of August 20,2002, all educational institution administrators and educational administrators shall be licensed. In this connection, only the top administrators are required to have a licence, while their assistants need not have one. This, in fact, is
one way of encouraging assistant administrators with qualifications and diversified experiences to contribute more to educational administration.

          2.4 Principle of feasibility based on actual situations
          Among the approximately 60,000 administrators, the majority have qualifications at a bachelor's degree level. They have a keen interest and expertise in administration of general affairs, finance and premises, but with limitations in administration of academic affairs.

          2.5 Principle of relationship among professional organizations
          A smooth  relationship among professional organizations, institutions for administrator production, and those utilising the professional standard of administrators are the joint responsibility of these three categories concerned.

          2.6 Principle of development
          The criteria for issuing and renewal of professional licences for administrators provide an opportunity for career development so as to become true professionals.

3. Professional Council

          There shall be a single professional council i.e. Professional Council of Teachers and Educational Personnel, so as to attain unity in policy and professional standard. 

4. Powers and duties of the Professional Council

4.1 Setting professional standard ;
4.2 Prescribing professional codes of ethics;
4.3 Supervision and monitoring observation of the professional codes of ethics;
4.4 Issuing of licences;
4.5 Suspension and revocation of licences;
4.6 Recognition of curriculum of the teacher production institutions; and
4.7 Professional development.

          Section 53 requires establishment of a Professional Council which will henceforth be called Professional Council of Teachers and Educational Personnel. From the public hearings and extensive polling of opinions, establishment of a Professional Council of Teachers and Educational Personnel has been recommended. The Council should assume professional functions, while the Teachers' Council of Thailand (Kurusapa) should continue with its responsibilities regarding teachers' welfare, protection of their rights as well as the Business Organization of Kurusapa.

6. Committee of the Professional Council of Teachers and Educational Personnel

6.1 Number of committee members
Approximately 40-60, as Section 53 requires the Professional Council to be executive in nature.
6.2 Composition
6.2.1 Ex officio members;
6.2.2 Scholar members;
6.2.3 Representatives of teacher production institutions of the public and private sectors;
6.2.4 Representatives of utilisers; and
6.2.5 Members who are professional representatives numbering not less than 50%, and the teacher to educational personnel ratio shall be 2 to 1.

1. The Council;
2. The Committees; and
3. The Secretariat of the Council as shown in the chart below.

7. There are two categories of professional licences for administrators, namely :

7.1 Three - year temporary licence (for newly appointed administrators and special cases); and
7.2  Standard licence, renewable every five years.

8.1 For pre-service administrators : three - year temporary licence

8.1.1 Having received a teaching licence for not less than  five years; and
8.1.2 Having academic qualifications of not less than a master's degree in educational administration or related subjects in courses recognised by professional organizations; or
8.1.3 Having academic qualifications of not less than a master's degree and having passed the assessment in accord with the criteria and methods set by professional organizations.

8.2 For pre-service administrators : standard licence, renewable every five years 

8.2.1 Having received a temporary licence for administrators and having passed the assessment for administrative efficiency in accord with the criteria and methods set by professional organizations;
8.2.2 Having completed the training course recognised by professional organizations (one-year course);
8.2.3 Renewal of a standard licence every five years based on development in accord with the criteria and methods set by professional organizations. Such measure shall be in line with the administrators' career path in accord with their professional standard. Those who have passed the assessment of administrative efficiency in accord with their professional standard set by professional organizations shall also have their licence renewed.

8.3 For in - service administrators

8.3.1 All administrators shall receive a three - year temporary licence;
8.3.2 Administrators with academic qualifications of not less than a diploma in educational administration or related subjects (not less than 24 two - semester credits) and with not less than three-year experience shall receive a standard licence for administrators, renewable every five years. The criteria and methods of renewal shall follow those in 8.2.3;
8.3.3 Outstanding administrators at the national level and administrators at level 9 shall receive a standard licence, renewable every five years;
8.3.4 Administrators who do not meet the criteria in 8.3.2 and 8.3.3 can request for an assessment in administrative efficiency in accord with their professional standard in order to receive a standard licence, renewable every five years.

9. Link between a professional licence and salary and remuneration system

               Administrators who have been awarded a standard licence, renewable every five years, shall receive the salary, remuneration and other benefits in accord with the new system (Section 55).

10. Code of ethics of administrators

               In principle, we shall present only the framework of the administrators' code of ethics, which is the responsibility of administrators and governs their functioning
vis - a - vis the society and the nation, their profession, learners, professional colleagues and employers. Details of the code of ethics shall be under the powers and duties of the Professional Council to prescribe, with the objectives of providing administrators with a sense of responsibility as well as guidelines for their performance in keeping with the age of education reform, which will yield effective results. In the code of ethics, an emphasis shall be placed on importance of learners; in other words, administration through a learner - centred approach. In their functioning, therefore, it is incumbent upon the administrators to contribute to the creation of learners' wisdom, enabling them to be competent and good persons, who enjoy  learning and enjoy life in the society at present and in the future.

11. Suspension and revocation of licences

11.1 Suspension of licences

11.1.1 Not functioning in accord with the professional criteria set by the Teaching Profession Organization; or
11.1.2 Minor breach of the professional code of ethics.

11.2.1 Development work not in accord with the professional 
standard criteria on a continuous basis, resulting in serious damage to the  professional practice;
11.2.2 Serious breach of the professional code of ethics.

12.1 The Minister of Education, Religion and Culture;
12.2 The Committee for Monitoring, Inspection and Evaluation of the Professional Organizations, appointed by the Professional Council;
12.3 Holders of teaching licences and those for administrators.