Special Section 2 Academic Environments

Special Section on Global Social Science Series-Series#3, Thailand

Academic Environments

Witoon YINDEESUK

　Education in Thailand is an essential factor that helps to understand more about Thai people. Ministry of education is the primary agency responsible for promoting and overseeing the provision of education at all levels. The Thai school system can be divided into three levels: elementary school, junior high school, and senior high school. Children do not require to study in kindergarten because kindergarten is not compulsory education. However, most Thai children study in kindergarten at the age of 3-5 years. After that, the children study in elementary school, aged 6-12 years, for six years. Later, the children study at junior high school in the age of 12-15 years for three years according to compulsory education. After junior high school, students can choose to study in senior high school or vocational education for three years. Students who finish the vocational school can work in their profession or continue studying in a higher vocational certificate or higher education. Students who finish the senior high school can study in a higher education. The department of employment of Thailand has estimated the number of graduated students for each education level in 2019. The estimating number of graduated students is for analyzing the labor market situation, workforce planning, and solving labor shortages. The estimating number of graduated students and estimating people entering the labor market in each level in 2019 is shown in Fig.1.