A well-educated population is critical to the current and future economic, intellectual and social development of a country. Societies, therefore, have a vested interest in providing a wide variety of educational opportunities to both children and adults and in ensuring broad access to learning opportunities.
In Thailand, there has recently been a growing demand for educational reform to keep up with changes in the globalization era. The economic crisis which has affected Thai society adversely since 1997 has underlined the urgent need for reform of education since it is recognized that Thailand's weak human resource base has been one of the major contributors to the economic downturn. It not only reflected macro-economic mismanagement of the country but also exposed the weaknesses of the social sector, including education, in its ability to cope with the impacts of the crisis.
In order to meet the challenges in education for the restructuring of the Thai economy and society for sustainable development, there is an urgent call for the radical reform of Thai education. Fortunately, the new constitution promulgated in October 1997 provides challenging guidelines for educational reform in several provisions.
In accord with the requirement of section 81 of the Constitution, the first National Education Act has been promulgated and came into effect on 20 August 1999. The National Education Act 1999 serves as master legislation of the country, leading to significant reform of education in Thailand
In carrying out reform along the lines stipulated by the National Education Act 1999, effective strategies and implementation plans are essential. Moreover, participation and the contribution of all Thai people are required for the success of educational reform. Consequently, various strategies and measures have to be introduced to mobilize public collaboration and participation to ensure that all sectors of society join together to reform the educational system.
