Education for development in Thailand.

In the future freedom for Thailand and for other developing countries will depend more than ever on political stability and economic expansion. Both of these factors are critically tied to education. For nearly 50 years Thailand has struggled to make democracy in Southeast Asia a reality but with little success. If democracy in Thailand is to withstand the encroachment of communism from the east, the people need to be educated to assume their civic responsibilities. 80% of the 46 million Thai citizens live in rural areas, and agriculture is their primary occupation. Yet, if agricultural production is to keep pace with demand, the already fast growing agriculturally related services and industries must expand and move into the rural areas. This means that education must spread to a larger segment of the population in these areas. The emphasis on reading and writing must remain in education, but the aims toward which these skills are directed need to change to reflect the new purpose of education in Thailand, i.e., socioeconomic and political development. Education leaders in Thailand must replace the purely personal goals of traditional practices with social and national goals that promote development. Education for life--Thailand's new goal--focuses on the political and economic problems of the country by initially concentrating on basic literacy. Possibly the most underdeveloped resource in Thailand is the human resources of the rural population. The structure of Thai education must also change if the rural people are to be served. Additionally, education in Thailand must be spread over a longer time; it must become a lifelong experience.