The Education System in Thailand

The Ministry of Education administers and controls education in Thailand. In 2005, the government allotted ฿262,938.3M or almost 22% of the national budget to education. Thailand has one of the highest literacy rates in the Asian region with 92.6% as of 2005.

The constitution guarantees 12 years of free basic education. Formal education is divided into 4 stages. The first level, Prathom 1-3, is 3 years in the elementary school. The second level, Prathom 4-6, is another 3 years from Grade 4 to 6. The third level, Matthayom 1-3, includes first 3 years in high school. The fourth and last level, Matthayom 4-6, comprises last 3 years in upper level high school. Thais are obliged to attend 6 years in the elementary and at least the first 3 years in high school. Students are also required to take the NET (National Educational Test) after each level. After graduating high school, 2 tests are also needed to be taken to continue tertiary education – O-NET (Ordinary National Educational Test) and A-NET (Advanced National Educational Test).

Various public and private universities in Thailand offers excellent curriculum. Courses in Medicine, Information Technology, Humanities and the Arts are highly sought. Law and Business classes abroad are also starting to gain popularity amongst Thai students. Every aspiring college student has to pass the CUAS (Central University Admission System) before pursuing any bachelor degree. The CUAS contains 50% of O-NET and A-NET results and 50% from fourth level GPA (Grade Point Average). More than half of the provinces in Thailand have the so-called Rajabhat University, a customarily a teacher training college and formerly known as the Rajabhat Institute.