EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN THAILAND

Most of the schools in Thailand are operated by the government, private and
local administrative council, and a portion of them are operated by the private and local
administrative council. The current education system of Thailand is based on the 6:3:3
model, comprising 6 years of compulsory education, 3 years of lower secondary
education and 3 years of upper secondary education. Based on the 1999 Education Act,
by 2004 the compulsory education will be extended to 9 years. Pre-primary education,
organized for children aged 3-5 years old, ranges from one to three years. Currently,
pre-primary education is available in most villages.
The development of primary and secondary school curricula is chiefly under the
responsibility of the Ministry of Education, whereas the higher education is approved by
the Ministry of University Affairs. Formal education is broken down into pre-primary
education, primary education, secondary education and higher education.
Pre-primary education is categorized into three types: child development center,
kindergarten, and pre-school education. This level of education is to prepare children's
readiness for primary education. Learning activities and experience are organized for
physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of children through everyday
activities.
Pre-school (which is optional), is offered from age three, in Thailand, with
compulsory schooling at primary level from the age of six. After primary school, children
move onto secondary education which is split into a lower and higher level. The lower
level, which covers students aged to about 15, is compulsory. Schools in the Thai public
system are generally open for all students, but some more prestigious schools select
students based on entrance exams, and can be fiercely competitive.
Education in the Thai public system is free, but there will be additional costs for
uniforms, transport and school materials. If you don't choose the state system and
decide to find a private or international school, the costs are likely to be high. Thailand
has a large number of international schools, mainly in the major cities, teaching in
English, Chinese and other major world languages. The operation of Private schools in
Thailand is regulated by the Office of the Private Education Commission, who lists over

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150 different private schools in total across the country. The International Schools
Association of Thailand publishes a list of international schools, and is a good place to
start if you’re researching these options.
In Thailand, they have good schools and ‘not so good’ schools. In Bangkok, there
are two international universities, one government university, and one private university.
The students that comes from the best high schools, always compete really hard to get
in to the university. The gap between these good and bad schools is really high. All
these good school attract the best students, so the teachers of the other schools don’t
try so hard because they have different standards. The best high school in Thailand is
free, and sometimes they offer free accommodation, and sometimes they are
guaranteed to enter great universities, because they aim to prepare future scientist and
successful people in different industries.
I think one important decision, if you’re moving to Thailand with family, is how to
ensure that your children have the best possible education. The Thai state system is
rated at below average standards by the OECD, although naturally, there's wide
variation in attainment between schools.

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