Education and Knowledge in Thailand: The Quality Controversy

Recent changes in educational policy and approach are moving Thai education away from transmitting and producing knowledge and scholarship, and away from developing and honing individual abilities to think and learn, say the authors. This failure parallels world trends: the uncontrolled and unbalanced increase in enrolment; the interference by political and economic interests in the orientation and management of educational institutions; and the commoditization of education -- in particular, privatization, internationalization and vocationalism. These symptoms are diagnostic of the so-called diploma disease that has invaded the system. The book offers major theoretical and analytical tools as well as comprehensive firsthand information -- both quantitative and qualitative. The lively interplay between theory and well-documented facts will appeal widely to educators, students, parents, academics, researchers and policymakers who are concerned about the state of education in Thailand. Alain Mounier is director of research at the Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement. Phasina Tangchuang is a senior researcher and director of the Centre for Education and Labour Studies and an associate professor of education at Chiang Mai University.