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Thailand’s Challenge of Systemic Education Reform: Where Are the Leaders with the “Right Stuff”?

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Education in Thailand

Part of the book series: Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects ((EDAP,volume 42))

Abstract

The past two decades have witnessed active education reform throughout much of the world. This has also been the case in Thailand where a succession of governments joined the international race to climb the ladder of economic competitiveness by enhancing the quality of education. This resulted in a continuous stream of education reforms aimed at changing normative methods of school management, teaching, and learning. Yet, a decade of research on reform implementation in Thailand suggests that its ambitious new vision of education has yet to be realized (Fry and Bi 2013; Hallinger and Lee 2011, 2013, 2014; Maxcy et al. 2010; Mounier and Phasina 2009; Nonglak et al. 2004; Waraiporn 2007).

Currently Thailand faces the challenge of finding leaders with “the right stuff” to transform fundamentally its system of education. Thus, this chapter addresses two basic questions:

  1. 1.

    Does the current cadre of Thailand’s principals have “the right stuff” to meet the challenges of implementing national education reform?

  2. 2.

    If not, what changes are needed in order to ensure that there is sufficient density of school-level leaders with the right stuff to support educational change and reform?

To answer these questions, empirical findings are synthesized from studies of leadership and education reform in Thailand. These research findings are then interpreted within the context of current system structures, norms, and processes. The chapter is organized into four main sections: education reform in Thailand from 1990 to 2015, the changing leadership roles of school principals in Thailand, systemic challenges of developing principals with “the right stuff,” and conclusion and implications.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We note that although the PIMRS had also been used in studies in Taiwan, Malaysia, and China, differences in the school level and sources of the samples (i.e., teachers, principals) limited the utility of direct comparison with data drawn from these studies.

  2. 2.

    In 2006 the IDEA was reorganized as the National Institute for the Development of Teachers, Faculty Staff and Educational Personnel (NIDTEP).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Research on Sustainable Leadership, College of Management, Mahidol University, 69 Vipawadee Rangsit Road, Samsennai, Phayathai District, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand

    Philip Hallinger

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  1. Philip Hallinger
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Correspondence to Philip Hallinger .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Gerald W. Fry

Appendix A: Principalship Qualification Test Contents

Appendix A: Principalship Qualification Test Contents

1.1 General Knowledge (100 Points)

  1. 1.

    Basic knowledge about laws those related to principal work

    1. 1.1

      Government policy, national management plans and agendas

    2. 1.2

      Present situation in economics, culture, and politics

    3. 1.3

      Management theories

    4. 1.4

      King’s sufficiency economy philosophy

    5. 1.5

      Education laws

    6. 1.6

      MOE management laws and regulations

    7. 1.7

      Teachers’ council laws and regulations

    8. 1.8

      Personnel management laws and regulations

    9. 1.9

      Administrative laws (administrative court, relevant public sector regulations)

    10. 1.10

      Data and education laws

    11. 1.11

      Children protection laws

    12. 1.12

      Good governance laws

    13. 1.13

      Laws and regulations those related to basic education

    14. 1.14

      English proficiency for working

  2. 2.

    Abilities in Principal Duties

    1. 2.1

      Supervising subordinates

    2. 2.2

      Planning, developing, evaluating and reporting

    3. 2.3

      Creating and developing school curriculum

    4. 2.4

      Supporting formal, non formal and informal education systems

    5. 2.5

      Implementing the quality assurance system

    6. 2.6

      Financial budgeting and stock management

    7. 2.7

      Planning of human resources

    8. 2.8

      Managing teacher performance standards and performance evaluation

    9. 2.9

      Supporting teachers and personnel development

    10. 2.10

      Setting internal auditing control system

    11. 2.11

      Setting student assistance system

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Hallinger, P. (2018). Thailand’s Challenge of Systemic Education Reform: Where Are the Leaders with the “Right Stuff”?. In: Fry, G. (eds) Education in Thailand. Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 42. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7857-6_22

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