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Population Policy
The Third National
Economic and Social Development Plan |
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1972-1976 Source: Office of the Prime Minister, National Economic and Social Development Board, Bangkok, Thailand Subject: population policy, education
Text: A National Plan for Educational Development. Recognizing that a full range of educational opportunities is the right of very Thai child, the Government has, during the past decade, greatly accelerated the development of educational facilities. It is now apparent that this rapid build up has created inconsistencies between the output of educational institutions and the manpower needs of the nation, the results of which have been reviewed in earlier sections. To correct this situation the Third Plan provides for the integration of educational and manpower planning. The following summarizes the guidelines that have been developed for the various levels of education. The full benefits of technology can only be realized by a society that has the education and training to take advantage of new techniques. In Thailand, the buck of the people, particularly those earning their living in agriculture, lacks the schooling to make them functionally literate. It has become increasingly urgent to raise the standards of education of the farm population, if for no other reason than to permit them to read about and understand modern farming techniques, a programme which the Government will heavily support during the Third Plan. One means of improving the education of farm children is by extending as rapidly as possible regulations to raise compulsory school attendance from Prathom 4 to Prathom 7. Secondary Education. One consequence of the high rate of population growth during the past two decades has been a very large increase in the number of teenage boys and girls. A complex and expensive educational system has been built up to prepare these youths for an effective role in society. It is essential, whether they go on to higher education or directly into the work force, that graduates of the secondary school system are trained for employment in occupations that will benefit them, their families, and their country. University Education. Because of the high cost of providing university education and the limited funds available to the country at this time, the development of university facilities should be very carefully planned. And the objective of such planning must be to provide the type of manpower required to speed the country's development, and maximize the utilization of its human resources. Educational plans must take full account of the present and prospective manpower problems that are reviewed earlier in this chapter. Development of Out-of-school youth. The Government responsibility for the development of youth as the future manpower resource of the country covers a wide field, including such areas as health, nutrition and cultural and moral development. The development plan for out-of-school youth is focused on ways to provide training, particularly vocational training, for those who cannot further their schooling and are too young to work. Such a plan is necessary now because of the time it will take to effectively raise the age below which school attendance is compulsory. In 1970, only 747 of 4,904 Thombons in Thailand had upper primary schools, and at the present time not more than a quarter of the country's youth receive more than Prathom 4 education. To provide suitable vocational training for these youngsters in an urgent matter because there is no such provision in the existing vocational training system. A National Vocational Training Plan, to be developed early in the Third Plan, will make provision for out-of-school youth. A national Youth promotion Committee has already been appointed, and it will be the responsibility of this committee, the Office of the national Economic Development Board and the implementing agencies to integrate all out-of-school youth training programmes into the overall vocational training system. The initial stage will be pilot projects in each region designed to make the most effective use of facilities, manpower and funds.
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