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Historical Background

The earliest form of education may be said to have begun in the middle of the Sukhothai period (13^th Century) when King Ramkhamhaeng invented the Thai alphabet. Stone inscriptions of that period tell of moral, intellectual and cultural education.

Early education was, however, limited to mainly the aristocracy and the clergy. It was necessary for princes to be literate so that they could administer their provinces and communicate with the palace in the capital, while monks had to know how to read the religious texts from which they preached sermons to the laity. The remainder of society were either in service or engaged in farming so they had little need for reading skills, village lore being transmitted orally.

Buddhist monasteries were virtually the only source of semi-public education and only a very small portion of the population, mostly male, received any formal education.

The reign of King Mongkut (1851 - 1865) saw the turning point of modernization in Thailand and the growth of Western influence. The first printing press was set up and education patterns of Thai children were restructured to suit the new needs of the nation. The knowledge of English became a necessary tool and an English teacher was hired to teach the royal children. The King himself had mastered English and Latin.

The modernization policy was further pursued by King Chulalongkorn (1868 - 1910) who, realizing the need for better trained personnel for royal and government services, opened a school in the Palace. An 'English School' was also established in the Palace to prepare princes and court children for further studies abroad. Schools were also founded outside the palace for the children of commoners and government textbooks were printed for use in Bangkok and, at a later period, in the provinces.

The early 20th Century witnessed many developments in education in Thailand. In 1910 the first university in Thailand, Chulalongkorn University, was founded with four faculties namely, Medicine, Law and Political Science, Engineering, and Arts and Science.

The extent of responsibilities and the regulations pertaining to the participation of the private sector in national education was laid down for the first time in 1918 when the Private School Act was passed. The 'Compulsory Primary Education Act' was proclaimed in 1921 and the first school of Arts and Crafts was established in 1922.

After the adoption of the system of constitutional monarchy in the year 1932, a National Educational Scheme was formulated, making formal recognition of individual educational ability, regardless of sex, social background, or physical conditions. This scheme has been regularly revised to ensure that every citizen is provided with the four major aspects of education, namely, Puttisuksa (Intellectual education), Chariyasuksa (Moral education), Palasuksa (Physical education), and Hattasuksa (Practical education).