2.

Educational Situations and Trends

2.1 Knowledge, Capability and Skills of Thai People
2.1.1 Literacy Rate
The literacy rate among Thai population aged 15 and over rose from 78.6% in 1970 to
94.1% in 2007 (Figure 4.7), ranking third among 10 ASEAN member countries,1 after Brunei and Singapore.
Its illiteracy rate was recorded at 5.9% in 2007; and it is estimated that the literacy rate will be as high as 97%
in 2010.

80

(1)

(2)(2)(2)(2)

(1)

(2)

(2) (3) (2)

97.0e

92.6
95.7
92.6
93.5
94.1

78.6

90

93.5
93.8
94.7
95.0

87.2

Percentage
100

93.1

Figure 4.7 Literacy and illiteracy rates of Thai population aged 15 and over, 1970 - 2010

(4)

(1)

(1)
70
60

Literacy

50

Illiteracy

(1) (2) (2) (3) (2)

1994
1995
1996
1997

2000
2001

1970

1980

Sources:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

3.0e

7.4
4.3
7.4
6.5
5.9

(2)(2) (2) (2)

(4)
Year

2010

6.5
6.2
5.3
5.0

(1)

2003
2005
2007

6.9

(1)

1990

20 (1)
10

12.8

30

21.4

40

Data for 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000 were derived from the Population and Housing Censuses.
National Statistical Office.
Data for 1994-1997, 2001, 2003 and 2007 were derived from UNDP, Human Development
Reports, 1997-2009.
Data for 2005 were derived from the report on population characteristics from the population
change survey, 2005-2006, National Statistical Office.
UNESCO, Principal Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, Literacy in Asia and the Pacific.

UNDP, Human Development Report, 2009.

41

2.1.2 Learning Rate

The learning rate of Thai people is rather low at only 44.4% (2009) and there are wide
disparities between urban and rural residents (Table 4.2).
Table 4.2

Learning rate of Thai people, 2001-2009

Unit: Percent

Region and area

Urban
Rural
Whole country

2001

2002 2003

2004 2005 2006 2007

2008 2009

53.2
27.2
35.9

52.9
28.7
36.9

55.4
32.1
39.9

58.1
36.7
43.4

54.9
30.1
35.5

56.6
32.2
39.8

57.2
34.1
41.3

58.0
35.5
42.5

58.1
37.9
44.4

Source: Data from the Workforce Survey of the National Statistical Office, analyzed by the Bureau of
Development Evaluation and Dissemination, NESDB.
Note: Learning rate is the level of literacy and basic computation required for using such skills in resolving
daily-life problems among the people aged 15 years and over completing Mathayomsueksa 3 (grade
9) or equivalent in proportion to the total population of the same age group.
Nevertheless, when considering the reading rate among Thai people, it was found that only
35.4 million (61.2%) read regularly in 2003 and the trend rose to 69.1% in 2005, but dropped slightly to 66.3%
in 2008 (Report on Reading of Population Survey, 2008, National Statistical Office).

2.2 Education Opportunities

2.2.1 Educational Continuation
The rates of students continuing their education from primary (Prathomsueksa 1 to 6
or Grades 1 to 6) to lower-secondary (Mathayomsueksa 1 to 3, or Grades 7 to 9), from lower to uppersecondary (Mathayomsueksa 4 to 6, or Grades 10 to 12), and from upper-secondary to higher education tended
to be rising during the pre-economic crisis period. But the rates dropped during the crisis and rose again after
the crisis was over (Figure 4.8).

42

Figure 4.8 Rates of educational continuation by educational level, academic years 1994 2009
Percentage
130
Lower-secondary education
Upper-secondary education

120

Higher education
110
100
95.7
91.5
90
84.9
80

92.5 92.8
94.5 92.2
90.1 91.2
87.3
86.0

98.5 98.9 98.5

93.4
93.2 94.4
92.5
90.4
90.0
87.2 86.8 86.7
88.2 82.0
85.8
86.4 85.9
81.0
83.3
83.1
80.8 80.5
78.1
Year
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
97.2

96.2
92.7
89.9

88.3 88.0
83.3
82.5
80.2
84.8
82.1 80.7 81.1 80.2

0
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Sources: 1. Office of the Education Council, Ministry of Education.

2. Operations Centre, Ministry of Education.
With the higher rate of educational continuation, coupled with an increase in the average
duration of education among Thai population aged 15 and over from 6.8 years in 1996 to 8.1 years in 2009
(Figure 4.9), the proportion of labour force (2009) with primary schooling has dropped to 56.2%. It has been
projected that the proportion of workers with primary education will drop further to only 39.9% in 2020, while
those with higher education will rise from 15.4% in 2009 to 22.5% in 2020 (Table 4.3).

43

Figure 4.9 Average years of schooling of Thai people, 1996 2009

Years of schooling
10
8
6.8

7.2

7.1

7.4

7.6

7.8

7.8

7.6

7.8

8.0

7.9

8.1

6
4
2
0
1996-1998 1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Year
2009

Source: Office of the Education Council.

Structure (percentage) of labour force by educational level, 1995 2020

Table 4.3

Educational level
Primary and lower
Lower-secondary
Upper-secondary
Vocational
Higher
Total
Sources:

Note:

1995(1) 1997(1) 1999(1) 2001(1) 2003(1) 2005(1) 2009(1) 2010(2) 2020(2)

78.0 75.2
8.9 10.1
3.3
3.6
4.7* 4.8*
5.1
6.2
100.0 100.0

69.8 66.3
12.0 12.7
5.0
6.2
5.0* 3.4*
8.2 11.3
100.0 100.0

63.8
13.7
7.2
3.3*
11.9
100.0

61.4
13.8
8.1
3.3*
13.4
100.0

56.2 55.9
15.2 14.7
9.8
8.7
3.4* 6.6
15.4 14.1
100.0 100.0

39.9
14.6
14.3
8.7
22.5
100.0

(1)

Data for 19952009 were derived from the Report of the Workforce Survey, 3rd Round, National
Statistical Office.
(2)
Data for 2010-2020 were derived from the Report on Thailands Social and Economic Trends,
Thailand Development Research Institute.
*Including graduates from vocational and teacher-training colleges for 1995-2009.

2.2.2 Education Equalities among Boys and Girls

At present, boys and girls have a better educational opportunity compared with those in
2000/2001. In 2007, the proportion of boys attending primary school was equal to that for girls; on the
contrary, at the higher level there were more female students than male students. However, the educational
equalities among boys and girls in Thailand are lower than those in some other ASEAN and European
countries (Table 4.4).
44

Table 4.4 Educational inequalities at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, 2000-2007

Group/country
WHO/SEAR
Sri Lanka
Maldives
Indonesia
Bangladesh
Thailand
India
Myanmar
Nepal
Bhutan
North Korea
ASEAN
Malaysia
Vietnam
Philippines
Indonesia
Singapore
Brunei
Thailand
Cambodia
Laos
Myanmar
Worldwide: Top Ten
Norway
Australia
Iceland
Canada
Ireland
Netherlands
Sweden
France
Switzerland
Japan

2000/2001
Ratio of female-to-male students

2007
Ratio of female-to-male students

Primary

Secondary

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

1.00
1.01
0.99
1.02
0.93
NA
0.99
0.87
NA
NA

NA
1.13
0.96
1.05
1.01
NA
0.95
NA
NA
NA

NA
NA
0.77
0.55
1.12
0.66
1.75
0.27
NA
NA

1.00
0.97
0.96
1.08
1.00
0.96
NA
1.01
1.00
NA

NA
1.07
1.01
1.06
1.10
0.83
NA
0.93
0.93
NA

NA
NA
1.00
0.57
1.21
0.72
NA
NA
0.51
NA

1.00
0.94
1.01
0.99
NA
NA
0.93
0.90
0.92
0.99

1.11
NA
1.18
0.96
NA
NA
1.01
0.59
0.81
0.95

1.08
0.74
1.10
0.77
NA
1.96
1.12
0.38
0.59
1.75

0.99
NA
0.98
0.96
NA
0.99
1.00
0.93
0.90
NA

1.10
NA
1.10
1.01
NA
1.04
1.10
0.82
0.79
NA

1.22
NA
1.24
1.00
NA
1.88
1.21
0.56
0.72
NA

1.00
1.01
1.00
1.00
1.00
0.99
0.99
1.00
0.99
1.00

1.01
1.03
1.05
1.01
NA
1.00
1.04
1.02
0.95
1.01

1.52
1.24
1.74
1.35
1.27
1.07
1.52
1.23
0.78
0.85

1.00
1.00
0.99
1.00
0.99
0.98
1.03
0.99
1.00
1.00

1.01
0.96
1.03
NA
1.05
1.02
1.00
1.02
0.96
1.00

1.57
1.29
1.86
NA
1.27
1.09
1.57
1.27
0.93
0.88

Tertiary

Sources: - Human Development Report 2003, UNDP.

- Human Development Report 2006, UNDP.
- Education for All, Global Monitoring Report 2010, UNESCO.
45

2.3 Quality of Education

The Thai educational system tends to focus on memorization rather than the strengthening of
analytical skills for problem solving and self-study, resulting in low educational achievements, below 50% for
both primary and secondary levels (Table 4.5). Besides, the Thai educational quality cannot compete with that
in other countries as evidenced in the results of the evaluation of mathematics, science and reading skills under
the Programme of International Students Assessment (PISA) for 2003 and 2006 and the study on Trends in
International Testing of Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2007, which revealed that Thai students
had lower scores than those of other neighbouring countries participating in the programme except for
Indonesia (Table 4.6). As a result, a lot of Thai people lack analytical skills which are a basis for creating life
skills, leading to failure or inability to resolve problems or situations related to health risks.
Table 4.5 Learning achievements of primary and secondary school students, 2001-2009
Average score (%)
Level and subject 2001
Prathom 6
Thai
English
Mathematics
Science
Mathayom 3
Thai
English
Mathematics
Science
Mathayom 6
Thai
English
Mathematics
Science
Overall

51.83
54.35
49.56
46.95
56.44
39.49
46.27
38.95
32.36
40.36
44.86
55.52
45.76
35.21
42.96
45.39

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

51.09
50.63
47.4
49.88
56.44
42.86
46.65
45.33
39.08
40.36
43.24
50.01
42.45
34.6
45.89
45.73

44.36
46.93
43.1
43.44
43.97
42.54
55.39
39.56
36.09
39.12
41.61
44.49
39.14
33.99
48.82
42.84

38.44
41.59
35.81
38.47
37.89
38.26
41.59
35.09
38.47
37.89
38.26
41.59
35.09
38.47
37.89
38.32

NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
35.23
48.62
29.81
28.46
34.01
37.31

39.82
42.74
34.51
38.87
43.17
36.32
43.94
30.83
31.15
39.37
36.79
50.33
32.37
29.56
34.88
37.64

43.09
36.58
38.67
47.55
49.57
36.66
48.05
28.68
34.7
35.21
37.19
50.7
30.93
32.49
34.62
38.98

44.03
42.02
38.67
43.76
51.68
36.91
41.04
34.56
32.64
39.39
36.67
46.42
30.64
35.98
33.65
39.2

36.22
38.58
31.75
35.88
38.67
28.28
35.35
22.54
26.05
29.16
32.02
46.47
23.98
28.56
29.06
32.2

Sources: 1. Educational Testing Bureau, Office of the Basic Education Commission, Ministry of Education.
2. National Institute for Educational Testing Services, Ministry of Education.
Note: There was no testing for primary and lower-secondary education levels in 2005.

46

Table 4.6 Average scores in international testing of mathematics, science and reading skills in 2003, 2006
and 2007
Country
Hong Kong
Singapore
Taiwan
Japan
Korea
Malaysia
Thailand
Indonesia
Number of
participating
countries

PISA 2003
PISA 2006
TIMSS 2007
Mathematics Science Reading Mathematics Science Reading Mathematics Science
550
534
542
417
360

540
548
538
429
395

510
498
534
420
382

547
523
547
417
391

542
531
522
421
393

536
498
556
417
393

572
593
598
570
597
474
441
397

530
567
561
554
553
471
471
427

40

40

40

57

57

57

48

48

Sources: 1. Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 and 2006.
2. Trends in International Testing of Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007.
The changes in the educational system have affected the Thai health system in the following aspects:
1. Some Thai people lack the ability to screen health information in a well-informed manner
resulting in the practice of risky health behaviours. At present, many Thais consume foods and drinks that
are unhealthy such as alcohol, junk food, and tobacco (see Chapter 4, health behaviours).
2. Educational attainment of Thai labour force; in 2009, as many as 56.2% of Thai workers had
completed only primary schooling which affects the development of labour and health. A lot of workers are
unable to care for and protect their own health resulting in a rise in occupational injuries. In additional, the
underprivileged such as rural and urban poor residents have no access to the educational system; a number of
them have access to neither primary schooling nor health services; so they are faced with a lot of health
problems.

47