THE TRANSFORMATION OF CAREER-ORIENTED EDUCATION IN THAILAND: FROM STATE-ORIENTED CLERICAL TRAINING TO SELF-RELIANT OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION

Abstract

This academic article aims to analyze the transition of education for career-oriented education in Thailand from both historical and policy perspectives. It examines the progression from the education system during the absolute monarchy, which focused on producing “clerks for civil servants” to meet the needs of a modern state, to the management of vocational and career education that emphasizes building work skills, professional competencies, and the ability of people to be self-reliant in the rapidly changing socio-economic context after the post-revolutionary era. The author has compiled information from historical documents on education and educational policy documents, covering Thailand's educational master plans from the 1898-1931 Education Project, the 1932 - 1951 National Education Plan, and the 1960 - present National Education Plan, the National Economic and Social Development Plan, as well as laws and policies related to vocational education and lifelong learning in each period. The analysis shows that the value of “preferring to be a clerk” has long influenced the direction of the Thai education system, causing general education to be held in higher esteem than vocational education and affecting the country’s workforce structure. However, since the political transformation in 1932, especially during the national economic and social development plan era, vocational education has been elevated to become a key mechanism in economic development, skilled labor production, and has further evolved into the concepts of competency-based education, lifelong learning, and entrepreneurship-oriented approaches aligned with the demands of the 21st century. The article concludes that the transition from education for civil service to education for self-reliance is not merely a matter of curriculum adjustment or changes in learning management formats. Rather, it is a paradigm shift in Thai education, from focusing on social status and position to the development of human potential for living, self-reliance, working, and sustainable social development.