Editing Thailand (section)

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Thailand}}
[[File:Chulalongkorn University Auditorium.jpg|thumb|[[Chulalongkorn University]], established in 1917, is the oldest university in Thailand.]]

In 1995, as minister of education, [[Sukavich Rangsitpol]]laid let out his plans for educational reform in Thailand.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Education Reform at the Ministry of Education Thailand |url=https://elibrary.ksp.or.th/doc_num.php?explnum_id=4954 |access-date=8 October 2023 |website=elibrary.ksp.or.th |archive-date=27 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927003957/https://elibrary.ksp.or.th/doc_num.php?explnum_id=4954 |url-status=live }}</ref> The reform was considered a landmark movement after nearly 100 years of education under the previous system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Thailand Educational Reform Project |url=https://backoffice.onec.go.th/uploaded/Category/EngBook/SchoolReformPolicy-04-03-2011.pdf |access-date=8 October 2023 |website=backoffice.onec.go.th |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107091802/https://backoffice.onec.go.th/uploaded/Category/EngBook/SchoolReformPolicy-04-03-2011.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Thailand's youth literacy rate was 98.1% in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thailand-Youth literacy rate |url=https://knoema.com/atlas/Thailand/topics/Education/Literacy/Youth-literacy-rate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304210909/https://knoema.com/atlas/Thailand/topics/Education/Literacy/Youth-literacy-rate |archive-date=4 March 2021 |access-date=13 May 2020 |publisher=knoema}}</ref> Education is provided by a school system of kindergartens, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary schools, numerous vocational colleges, and universities. Education is compulsory up to and including age 14, while the government is mandated to provide free education through to age 17. Issues concerning university entrance have been in constant upheaval for a number of years. The country is also one of the few that still mandates uniform up to the university years, which is still a subject of ongoing debate.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Boonyatus |first1=Jeerapa |title=Voices of students on school rules and uniforms |url=https://www.thaipbsworld.com/voices-of-students-on-school-rules-and-uniforms/ |work=Thai PBS World |date=28 June 2023}}</ref>

In 2013, the [[Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (Thailand)|Ministry of Information and Communication Technology]] announced that 27,231 schools would receive classroom-level access to [[internet|high-speed internet]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 March 2013 |title=Thailand Provides 27,231 Schools With Internet |work=Software Development &#124; Marketing &#124; Consulting &#124; เพิ่มพูนผลกำไร |url=http://www.inceva.co.th/2013/03/thailand-provides-27231-schools-internet |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716224136/http://www.inceva.co.th/2013/03/thailand-provides-27231-schools-internet/ |archive-date=16 July 2014 |access-date=30 January 2015}}</ref> However, the country's educational infrastructure was still underprepared for online teaching, as smaller and more remote schools were particularly hindered by COVID-19 restrictions.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Covid hinders education again |work=Bangkok Post |date=4 January 2021 |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2045015/covid-hinders-education-again |access-date=10 August 2021 |last1=Mala |first1=Dumrongkiat }}</ref>

The number of higher education institutions in Thailand has grown over the past decades to 156 officially. The two top-ranking universities in Thailand are [[Chulalongkorn University]] and [[Mahidol University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=University Ranking |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226033634/https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2020 |archive-date=26 December 2020 |access-date=13 May 2020 |publisher=topuniversities}}</ref> Thai universities' research output is still relatively low, even though the country's journal publications increased by 20% between 2011 and 2016.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Buasuwan |first=Prompilai |year=2018 |title=Rethinking Thai higher education for Thailand 4.0 |journal=Asian Education and Development Studies |publisher=emerald |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=157–173 |doi=10.1108/AEDS-07-2017-0072 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Thailand has the second highest number of English-medium private international schools in [[ASEAN|Southeast Asian Nations]].<ref name="WENR 2018" /> [[Cram school]]s are especially popular for university entrance exams.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Charassangsomboon |first1=Varissara |title=Exclusive: Thailand's plan to fight inequality in education |url=https://govinsider.asia/intl-en/article/exclusive-thailand-education-inequality-teerakiat-jareonsettasin |access-date=3 June 2024 |work=GovInsider |date=17 September 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

Students in ethnic minority areas score consistently lower in standardised national and international tests.<ref name="Draper 2012">{{Citation |last=Draper |first=John |title=Revisiting English in Thailand |url=http://asian-efl-journal.com/quarterly-journal/2012/12/01/revisiting-english-in-thailand/ |work=Asian EFL Journal |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=9–38 |year=2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312225048/http://asian-efl-journal.com/quarterly-journal/2012/12/01/revisiting-english-in-thailand/ |url-status=live |issn=1738-1460 |archive-date=12 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=OECD |title=Structural Policy Country Notes: Thailand |url=http://www.oecd.org/dev/asia-pacific/Thailand.pdf |year=2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224513/http://www.oecd.org/dev/asia-pacific/Thailand.pdf |url-status=live |publisher=OECD |archive-date=12 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Khaopa |first=Wannapa |date=12 December 2012 |title=Thai students drop in world maths and science study |work=The Nation |url=https://www.nationthailand.com/detail/national/30195966 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224452/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Thai-students-drop-in-world-maths-and-science-stud-30195966.html |archive-date=12 March 2014}}</ref> This is likely due to unequal allocation of educational resources, weak teacher training, poverty, and low Thai language skill, the language of the tests.<ref name="Draper 2012" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Draper |first=John |date=12 December 2011 |title=Solving Isaan's education problem |publisher=The Isaan Record |url=http://isaanrecord.com/2011/12/12/op-ed-solving-isaans-education-problem |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226030123/http://isaanrecord.com/2011/12/12/op-ed-solving-isaans-education-problem/ |archive-date=26 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Draper |first=John |date=21 February 2014 |title=PISA Thailand regional breakdown shows inequalities between Bangkok and Upper North with the rest of Thailand |publisher=The Isaan Record |url=http://isaanrecord.com/2014/02/21/pisa-thailand-regional-breakdown-shows-inequalities-between-bangkok-and-upper-north-with-the-rest-of-thailand |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312225108/http://isaanrecord.com/2014/02/21/pisa-thailand-regional-breakdown-shows-inequalities-between-bangkok-and-upper-north-with-the-rest-of-thailand/ |archive-date=12 March 2014}}</ref> {{As of|2020}}, Thailand was ranked 89th out of 100 countries globally for English proficiency.<ref>{{Cite news |title=English skills drop again |work=Bangkok Post |date=27 November 2020 |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2026031/english-skills-drop-again |access-date=10 August 2021}}</ref> Thailand is the third most popular study destination in ASEAN. The number of international degree students in Thailand increased by 9.7 times between 1999 and 2012, from 1,882 to 20,309 students. Most of international students come from neighbor countries<ref name="WENR 2018">{{Cite web |date=6 February 2018 |title=Education in Thailand |url=https://wenr.wes.org/2018/02/education-in-thailand-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919062516/https://wenr.wes.org/2018/02/education-in-thailand-2 |archive-date=19 September 2020 |access-date=13 May 2020 |publisher=WENR}}</ref> like China, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite web |title=สถิติอุดมศึกษา Higher Education Statistics 2558–2560 |url=http://www.mua.go.th/assets/img/pdf/61.10.26_%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%96%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%B6%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2%202558-2560_V4.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025160558/http://www.mua.go.th/assets/img/pdf/61.10.26_%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%96%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%B6%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2%202558-2560_V4.pdf |archive-date=25 October 2021 |access-date=13 May 2020 |publisher=Office of The higher Education Commission}}</ref>