Thailand As International Education Hub: Challenges And Opportunities

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Thailand as International Education Hub: Challenges and Opportunities

By The Nation

It is commonly thought that internationalization is a relatively new phenomenon. In reality this process began a long time ago in Siam during the reign of the visionary King Rama V (Chulalongkorn). He took two major trips to Europe visiting countries such as Russia, Italy, Germany, Austria, Holland, and England. He also took trips to various Asian areas such as Java, Singapore, Malaya, India, and Burma. Numerous books have been written about his international trips. He was probably the most traveled monarch of his time.

Also during his reign Suan Gulab became an immersion school, with students taught in both Thai and English. He also had the vision to send some of his children and members of the Royal Family to study in Europe. In fact, his successor, King Rama VI, studied in England at Oxford.

Fast forward to 2015 and the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) will become a reality making it imperative for contemporary Thailand to think seriously about the challenges of internationalization. In this regard, Thailand's aspires to be an internaฌtional education hub, but has many competitors who have similar aspirations such as Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China.

Five special advantages

However, Thailand has five special advanฌtages: First, it is centrally located in both Southeast Asia and Asia and sandwiched between the emerging economic power, "Chindia" (China and India).

Second, it is relatively low cost, particularly in terms of basics such as food and transportation.

Third, Thailand has never been a colony and this has contributed to Thailand being a very welcoming nation to outsiders.

Fourth, Thailand now has many attractive campuses such as those of universities such as Assumption, Chulalongkorn, Kasetsart, and Chiangmai.

And finally Thailand currently offers 884 international programs at the higher education level in a wide variety of diverse subject areas, and at the K12 level, there are 76 international schools in Thailand.

It is also important to note the many benefits that will accrue to Thailand as a major internaฌtional education hub.

First international students, from an economฌic perspective, are like tourists who stay for a long time and, therefore, function like an "export" earning foreign exchange, and generatฌing an important economic multiplier effect.

Second, in recent international and national tests, Thai students have demonstrated weak English performance. The presence of more international students will provide them more opportunities to use and improve their English.

Third, in international rankings Thai universiฌties have not fared particularly well. Enhanced internationalization would serve to improve their rankings.

Fourth and finally as the result of Thailand's highly effective family program and related reduced fertility (influฌence of Mechai), Thailand has a relatively low fertility rate. This means that in the future, seats will be open to be filled at many of Thailand's private universities and less prestiฌgious public universities. International students can help fill these seats.

Realising its potential

To realise its potential as an international higher education hub, a key is the quality of the programs offered. Thai programs need to be adapted to cater to the needs, for example, of Western students who seek a more active role in the learning process. An example of such an effective effort is the CIEE Program in Khon Kaen which emphasizes civic engagement with local issues in Isaan.

The new Yingluck government should give serious consideration to establishing a small public organization to promote study in Thailand and to publicize globally Thailand's exceptional attractiveness as a study abroad destination. Otherwise, its potential in this important arena may be far from realized.

Gerald W Fry

Distinguished International Professor,

Professor of International/Intercultural Education,

Department of Organisational Leadership, Policy, and Development

College of Education and Human Development

University of Minnesota

gwf [at] umn.edu

-- The Nation 2011-07-18

[thunder30101]

Just another highly educated and distinguished person without a clue of the real thailand.

[Phatcharanan]

Just another highly educated and distinguished person without a clue of the real thailand.

Agreed.

[Phuket Stan]

Just another highly educated and distinguished person without a clue of the real thailand.

Agreed.

Has he ever been here

[thaicbr]

4th) stop copying.

5) stop the instant exam pass.

6) show more English oriented programs on TV.

7)

8)

9)

i GOT BORED SO I LEFT A FEW FOR OTHERS TO FILL IN....

[skorchio]

I usually don't chip in with anti Thai sentiments, but on this occasion I cant help myself.

Is this article taking the p1ss? The Thais with enough dough go to school abroad. The bread and butter degrees in this country are a waste of time. I have read the syllabus and looked at the 1st year physics course in a Bachelor's science degree. I was doing that same material at school. And if they wish to become an international hub, they need to lecture in English. And who is going to do that? Thai lecturers? I wet myself laughing ...

[Sydebolle]

Upon finding the key to success to professional education without entrance "fees", test passing "recognitions" and other briberies ......... the Thais came along and ..... yep, meanwhile changed the lock! This must be the joke of the month or could there be more funny moments around the corner?

[exbelg]

must be a joke right... how many 'educated' (young adults) people can speak descend english ?

I rest my case...

[MaiChai]

Well I suppose you could have a good time here, while studying for your worthless degree?

I know of a person who studied a degree here, who found out that to make it equivalent to his home country degree, he would need to do bridge courses back at home to bring it up to scratch. Thus, what is the point?

I would argue that Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and China have higher standards anyway, the former two will teach everything in English, which everyone can speak fluently in these two countries.

So the challenge for Thailand is to make the grade?

[Thaddeus]

must be a joke right...

I did just scroll back up to see if the article had SATIRE written at the top.

[KoratFarang]

with 84 % of all teachers all school directors who cant pass the test of the subject they teach. This is crazy !!

[TonyBkk]

"Fourth, Thailand now has many attractive campuses such as those of universities such as Assumption"

I like the way how they mentioned attractive campuses only, nothing about the quality of the education.

Assumption is renowned for spending a fortune on their campus and the image of the university, but they do nothing to attract quality international lecturers, in fact Ramkamheang University has a far superior international faculty, and yet they charge a fraction of the price ABAC does, too bad in Thailand image is everything.

The majority of their "international" staff at ABAC are from Burma or India and 95% speak broken English .

What little American instructors they do have are mainly American students on a work and travel program teaching basic English.

[Scott]

Well, I hate to throw a spanner in the works, but I think the country is well positioned to be an educational hub. It has good infrastructure, good air links to virtually everywhere, it's relatively inexpensive to live here and overall is a reasonably convenient country. Singapore has little space and is more expensive. Malaysia might be OK, but some of it's religious/political situations play against it slightly.

The schools and Universities that want to make progress, however, have a long way to go to upgrade their programs and get them up to international standards on a broad scale. As it is now, there are a few that are good and a few others that might be good in a specific area of study.

Thailand has the edge, but unfortunately, they usually try to find a shortcut and easy way of doing things and it catches up with them.

[Xangsamhua]

In fairness, Professor Fry is well-informed, though his interest areas are broader than Thailand.

I thought he made reasonable points.

He wasn't really commenting on the current quality of Thai higher education, but its accessibility to foreign students in terms of cheapness of tuition, low cost of living and the availability of a lot of international program courses in local universities. The latter I believe are usually staffed by western lecturers on secondment from their overseas universities, or on a sessional arrangement with overseas universities, or by western lecturers employed by the local university. I don't know how many Thai lecturers teach on these courses at present, but they would have to do so in English. These courses appeal to local students and, where foreign students are enrolled, many or most of them are from other Asian countries and African nations.

For young people from less developed nations, Thailand could be an attractive option for their undergraduate studies. They are more likely to be able to afford it and it's probably easier to get admitted (though I think there are more than a few low-tier universities in the more expensive western world that would happily take them). Obviously these students are not going to be the best and the brightest, but Thailand can give them a chance to get an education outside their home country, in English-medium, and in a place that frees them from some of the social, religious and political constraints they may experience at a higher education institution in their homeland.

So Thailand may not be looking to compete with Singapore and Hong Kong as high quality English-medium education hubs in the region, but the Kingdom can nevertheless provide an attractive package for those less gifted and less privileged from a wide range of countries.

[swerver]

Just another highly educated and distinguished person without a clue of the real thailand.

Why do you have to take the words out off my mouth.

[swerver]

In fairness, Professor Fry is well-informed, though his interest areas are broader than Thailand.

I thought he made reasonable points.

He wasn't really commenting on the current quality of Thai higher education, but its accessibility to foreign students in terms of cheapness of tuition, low cost of living and the availability of a lot of international program courses in local universities. The latter I believe are usually staffed by western lecturers on secondment from their overseas universities, or on a sessional arrangement with overseas universities, or by western lecturers employed by the local university. I don't know how many Thai lecturers teach on these courses at present, but they would have to do so in English. These courses appeal to local students and, where foreign students are enrolled, many or most of them are from other Asian countries and African nations.

For young people from less developed nations, Thailand could be an attractive option for their undergraduate studies. They are more likely to be able to afford it and it's probably easier to get admitted (though I think there are more than a few low-tier universities in the more expensive western world that would happily take them). Obviously these students are not going to be the best and the brightest, but Thailand can give them a chance to get an education outside their home country, in English-medium, and in a place that frees them from some of the social, religious and political constraints they may experience at a higher education institution in their homeland.

So Thailand may not be looking to compete with Singapore and Hong Kong as high quality English-medium education hubs in the region, but the Kingdom can nevertheless provide an attractive package for those less gifted and less privileged from a wide range of countries.

... for those less gifted and less privileged from a wide range of countries.

And what are those less gifted and less privelaged graduate with? I.e. BA - MA - MBA - Ph.D. or JD with a Less Gifted / Less Priveliged sheepskin?

Sure will be a cold day in hell when a person in their home country needing i.e. a JD (Juristic Doctor) to defend its case in a Court of Law be knocking on the door of a Less gifted / Less Privelaged degree holder.

LOL - Keep on dreaming in LOS.

[TackyToo]

with 84 % of all teachers all school directors who cant pass the test of the subject they teach. This is crazy !!

According to the Minister of education the correct number is: 95 % !!!

[Xangsamhua]

In fairness, Professor Fry is well-informed, though his interest areas are broader than Thailand.

I thought he made reasonable points.

He wasn't really commenting on the current quality of Thai higher education, but its accessibility to foreign students in terms of cheapness of tuition, low cost of living and the availability of a lot of international program courses in local universities. The latter I believe are usually staffed by western lecturers on secondment from their overseas universities, or on a sessional arrangement with overseas universities, or by western lecturers employed by the local university. I don't know how many Thai lecturers teach on these courses at present, but they would have to do so in English. These courses appeal to local students and, where foreign students are enrolled, many or most of them are from other Asian countries and African nations.

For young people from less developed nations, Thailand could be an attractive option for their undergraduate studies.

They are more likely to be able to afford it and it's probably easier to get admitted (though I think there are more than a few low-tier universities in the more expensive western world that would happily take them). Obviously these students are not going to be the best and the brightest, but Thailand can give them a chance to get an education outside their home country, in English-medium, and in a place that frees them from some of the social, religious and political constraints they may experience at a higher education institution in their homeland.

So Thailand may not be looking to compete with Singapore and Hong Kong as high quality English-medium education hubs in the region, but the Kingdom can nevertheless provide an attractive package for those less gifted and less privileged from a wide range of countries.

... for those less gifted and less privileged from a wide range of countries.

And what are those less gifted and less privelaged graduate with? I.e. BA - MA - MBA - Ph.D. or JD with a Less Gifted / Less Priveliged sheepskin?

Sure will be a cold day in hell when a person in their home country needing i.e. a JD (Juristic Doctor) to defend its case in a Court of Law be knocking on the door of a Less gifted / Less Privelaged degree holder.

LOL - Keep on dreaming in LOS.

Beneath all the bluster you may have a point, but try to read a little more carefully before putting it so stridently.

[msg362]

Not sure what is more entertaining, this, the Pua Thai promises or the News International saga in the UK. What ever, they say laughter is the best medicine- I've never felt so well!! Keep it up folks, I'll live to 100!

[Phatcharanan]

Malaysia might be OK, but some of it's religious/political situations play against it slightly.

Scott........you have got to be joking surely?

Malaysia has religious/political situations against it? As opposed to Thailands 4,000 odd deaths down South, protests in Bangkok that shut many businesses down for a few weeks? The current political uncertainty?

As a hub.....Malaysia would beat Thailand hands down. They also have pretty fast internet too......which is now almost a requirement for modern education.

Edited July 18, 2011 by Phatcharanan

[Scott]

I was referring more to not allowing visas to Israeli's and the fallout that might ensue. That alone probably wouldn't be a big problem, thus the word slightly.

I haven't spent much time in Malaysia in the past several years so I really don't know. I will defer to those who are better informed.

[h5kaf]

must be a joke right...

I did just scroll back up to see if the article had SATIRE written at the top.

I still think this is a TROLL. Not even a head in the sand US academic is unaware of the 'awarding status' of the Kao San Road Campus. Thailand an "Education Hub" really!!!!! :lol:

[atyclb]

Their medical graduates especially from Mahidol, Chula, CM U do quite well on european/usa/australia board exams and have have quite a decent reputation in those countries hospitals where they have done post-graduate training. Thailand imported much of medical education from usa.

The above seems to be the exception to a generally dismal door opening ability in G8 countries. Even a superstar grad from a thai big 3 graduate program will not be politically correct in many countries outside of thailand.

[khaowong1]

Is there anything that Thailand isn't a HUB of?

[Thaddeus]

Is there anything that Thailand isn't a HUB of?

Honesty.

[ccarbaugh]

GOOD One!! +1

[bkkboy06]

I usually don't chip in with anti Thai sentiments, but on this occasion I cant help myself.

Is this article taking the p1ss? The Thais with enough dough go to school abroad. The bread and butter degrees in this country are a waste of time. I have read the syllabus and looked at the 1st year physics course in a Bachelor's science degree. I was doing that same material at school. And if they wish to become an international hub, they need to lecture in English. And who is going to do that? Thai lecturers? I wet myself laughing ...

Whose Physics syllabus did you read? Did you try Mahidol's / Chulalongkorn's / Kasetsart's? I went to the last one (KU) and when I took Physics I and II quite a few years back (in '02-'03), the materials were pretty much concurrent with the American textbook that I read to supplement it (gotta admit the Thai version was a bit lacking in exercise questions). The materials were calculus-based and the exams were application-focused. And no, they didn't pass everyone. Half of the people scored so low that they dropped out, including myself, and retried either the following year or over the summer. Yes, the Thai programs are that tough. We were lectured in Thai but most of the materials on the powerpoint slides and handouts, from 2nd year onwards, were in English or a bad attempt at translation, which required us to go see the original English textbook anyways.

The toughness helped though. Most of us who went for graduate degrees, either here or overseas in the West, did comparatively well. My best friend is getting a free ride at a reputable university a few hours away from Stockholm doing molecular bio, getting paid for it by the Swedish, and he's a star student there. Quite a few others could go on to Edinburgh, Cornell, a Grande Ecole in southwestern France (forgot the name), and the like (either as grad students or exchange student), or at least they would get accepted to present at oversea conferences.

However, in my opinion, Thailand can't be a hub for STEM education just yet. The undergrad curriculum that I took, despite the rigor, lacks in practical usage and internships were not up-to-date or high in quality and connections as those offered at Polytechnics in Singapore and Malaysia. The students will study lots of theory, but the kids will need to dig the lab skills by themselves by contacting the profs and such. Job-hunting is also initially difficult due to the lack of the said practicum and connections.

I agree with the note on English language requirement. Had I had the money to do an international program after finishing my Thai high school, I would have chosen Mahidol University International College as the first and possibly the only choice. The kids at MUIC that I have known were and still are really, really hard-working, and those that were not got weeded out to Bangkok U/ Assumption and would do pretty well there. At Kasetsart, some professors at my department were brilliant at speaking English and could deliver instructions very well in the language, but this might not apply to all of them, particularly in critical subjects.

Just sharing my experience.

By the way, I did a Master's degree here as well, at Mahidol, and the course was international. Most of the Thai instructors were okay, the one teaching biostatistics and helminthology were great. I work at a uni in the South and the instructions in the international program was very effective. Alumnis go on to work at WHO, or do post-doc at Johns Hopkins.

However, not one cares to do a program like this one anyways, right? It must be so. The program accepts 20 students each year and 12 people applied!!

I feel that I am sharing the point of view that differs a bit from other places, though. This level of rigor probably does not apply at all Thai universities. A friend of mine who graduated from another govt. uni. got a job as a TA at a Rajamangala University and was lecturing in freshman year biology / botany lab. He wrote the species name in English and was asked by the kids to write the spelling in Thai text!! Yes, the gaps are that wide. That wide. Most kids who go for graduate degree at government universities are usually from government universities or Rangsit. I hardly see ABAC kids doing postgrad degree in the sciences, at least not at Mahidol/Kaset/Chula. Not to say that kids from other schools are not brilliant. The best analyst at my unit graduated from a Rajabhat in southern Thailand and can do math far beyond normal human beings.

"Fourth, Thailand now has many attractive campuses such as those of universities such as Assumption"

I like the way how they mentioned attractive campuses only, nothing about the quality of the education.

Assumption is renowned for spending a fortune on their campus and the image of the university, but they do nothing to attract quality international lecturers, in fact Ramkamheang University has a far superior international faculty, and yet they charge a fraction of the price ABAC does, too bad in Thailand image is everything.

The majority of their "international" staff at ABAC are from Burma or India and 95% speak broken English .

What little American instructors they do have are mainly American students on a work and travel program teaching basic English.

The ABAC English Debate team could nail all others any day of the week, plus twice on Sundays. However, this does not apply to dime-a-dozen-Mercedes ABAC kids that I have met while working during school breaks. Most of them are fine, but some were not speaking English that matches the tuition price.

[richard10365]

I noticed a few people questioned the author qualifications.

Current Research Interests

Southeast Asia

Comparative education

International educational reform

Human resource development

Education and development

Politics of education

Profile

My background is Amish, although as a city-reared Kansas boy I was the only member of my extended family who didn't speak Amish. Maybe that's what prompted my interest in learning languages. I studied abroad as an undergraduate in Germany, taught in the Peace Corps in Thailand, and did fieldwork in Costa Rica on the relationship between education and national development. I eventually obtained my doctorate in international development education from Stanford, with a focus on Southeast Asia. Later, as head of the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Oregon, I continued to be particularly interested in education and development issues in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. I enjoy moving, changing, and taking on new challenges. I have a total of approximately 13 years of fieldwork experience in mainland Southeast Asia over a period of five decades and am fluent in Thai and Lao. I'd like to see teaching about Asia improved in public schools, and to that end have collaborated with the Asia Society in New York.

In 1994-1995, I had the opportunity to spend a sabbatical doing fieldwork in Laos as team leader for an Asia Development Bank (ADB)-funded education project. The project involved practical efforts to improve the quality of education through reform, such as training educators and producing new textbooks. I also served as team leader for an ADB-funded educational finance and management study in Thailand. Several years later (2002), I was asked by the ADB to prepare a synthesis report on educational reform in Thailand. As a result of those experiences I'm currently looking at comparative educational reform in Thailand and Laos. I have also done considerable research on Vietnam, a country where I spent time as a visiting professor.

Since 1993, I have been regularly taking study groups to Southeast Asia. I have led three University of Minnesota Global Seminars to Thailand and Laos. In the fall of 2008, I received an award from the Learning Abroad Center for promoting diversity in study abroad. I also take groups to Southeast Asia for Stanford and the East-West Center.

In 2006-2007, I had a sabbatical in Japan. During that period I did research for a book on Southeast Asia which was published in the fall of 2008.

I also have a current project on the knowledge production of former Peace Corp volunteers working as writers or scholars. This is a project in collaboration with CIDE students. I'm working as well with two Japanese colleagues on an on-going examination of the relationship between leadership and religion, particularly Buddhism, and how it may contribute to effective and more responsive leadership in multicultural contexts.

I am currently completing a book on Thailand titled The Thais: The Bamboo and the Lotus. In October, 2008, I gave a presentation on the book at the International Institute of Asian Studies at Leiden University, the Netherlands. During 2008-2009, I assisted the UNESCO Office for Asia and Pacific with two projects: 1) a study of education and development in Thailand and 2) a comparative study of secondary education in China, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Lao PDR.

I am also now completing a major research grant with professor R. Michael Paige looking at the long-term impact on study abroad. This project is funded through the International Research Title VI program of the U.S. Department of Education. The project is titled Beyond Immediate Impact: Study Abroad for Global Engagement. Also with Dr. Paige I am completing a major monograph for the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) on how study abroad affects individuals' careers, world views, and outlooks on life, based on a major research project funded by the CIEE.

In August 2009, I gave a presentation (in collaboration with a CIDE graduate student) at the International Convention of Asian Studies (held in Korea) on the complexities of understanding cultures that are similar such as Japanese and Korean and Thai and Lao.

In October, 2009, I will make a major presentation in Vietnam on the evolution of the field of comparative education. In November 2009, I will present a paper in Istanbul with a CIDE graduate student on the impact of short-term study abroad. Currently I have two new research projects with the Japan Entrepreneurs' Association, one on dynamic female entrepreneurs in the Asia-Pacific region and another on the mothers of highly successful individuals.

I try to emphasize interactive, experiential, and participatory learning in my classrooms. I enjoy teaching, and have developed a number of innovative courses at Minnesota. I'm really pleased to be living in an urban area with such large and diverse Asian and East African diasporas. I also serve on the Board of the Directors of the Hmong Cultural Center, located in St. Paul.

Courses Taught

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Leadership

Critical Issues in International Education and Exchange

Organizational Dynamics in International Contexts

Ethnographic Research Methods

Case Studies for Policy Research

Comparative Education

Academic Degrees

Ph.D. Stanford University, 1977, international development education

Doctoral minor: sociology; geographic focus: Southeast Asia

M.P.A. Princeton University, 1966, public and international affairs

Focus: economics and public policy; geographic focus: Central America

B.A. Stanford University, 1964, economics

Minors: German and mathematics; geographic focus: Eastern Europe

Academic Experience

Professor, University of Minnesota (2000-present)

Assistant professor, associate professor, and professor, University of Oregon, Department of Political Science and International Studies Program (1981-2000)

Director, International Studies Program, University of Oregon (1988-1991, 1995-2000)

Director, Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, University of Oregon (1991-1994, 1998-2000)

Pew Fellow in International Affairs, Kennedy School, Harvard University (1991-1992)

Visiting associate professor, Stanford International Development Education Center (1980-1981)

Assistant to the dean, Wallace School of Community Service and Public Affairs, University of Oregon (1970-1972)

Instructor, Department of Public Administration, National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand (Peace Corps volunteer) (1966-1968)

Professional, Consulting, and Related International Experience

Consultant, UNESCO Office for Asia and the Pacific, comparative study of secondary education in Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and Lao PDR (spring 2009)

Academic team leader, Stanford Travel Program in Southeast Asia (December 2008-January 2009)

Consultant, UNESCO Office for Asia and the Pacific, study of education and development in Thailand (fall 2008)

Academic leader, East-West Center Study Travel to Vietnam and Thailand (June 2004)

Academic team leader, Stanford Travel Program in Southeast Asia (February-March 2003)

Consultant, Asian Development Bank to complete synthesis report on education reform in Thailand (May-June 2002)

Visiting USIA scholar, Van Lang University, Vietnam (January, 2000)

Team leader, Cambodia Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (summer, 1999)

Team leader, Educational Management and Finance Study, Thailand, funded by the Asian Development Bank (1998-1999)

Team leader, U.S. Department of Education Business Faculty Study Tour of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam (1998)

Team leader, East-West Center Study Tour, Thailand, Vietnam, and Lao PDR

Team leader, Curriculum and Teacher Development Project, Lao PDR, funded by the Asian Development Bank (1994-1995)

Visiting USIA Scholar, Kasetsart University, Thailand (winter term, 1994)

Co-director, International Cooperative Learning Project in Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Japan (1993-2000)

Visiting USIA scholar, Mahidol University, Thailand (winter term, 1988)

UNESCO-UNDP consultant, Radio Education Project, Thailand (summers 1993-1995)

Asia Foundation and World Education, consultant in Thailand (summer 1992)

Program officer and project specialist, Ford Foundation, Office for Southeast Asia (1976-1980)

Selected Publications

Books and book-length research monographs

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). New York: Chelsea House Publications, 2008.

Global perspectives on the United States: A nation by nation survey (2007). Great

Barrington, Ma.: Berkshire Reference Works, three volumes (an editor).

Thailand and its neighbors: Interdisciplinary perspectives (2005). Bangkok: Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University. (An anthology of selected research on Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam).

Education and entrepreneurship in the Asia-Pacific Region: Diverse perspectives and methods (2005). Kawasaki, Japan: The Japan Entrepreneurs Association (with Misao Makino & Osamitsu Yamada).

Synthesis report: From crisis to opportunity, the challenges of educational reform in Thailand (2002). Manila: Asian Development Bank and Bangkok: Office of the National Education Commission, Office of the Prime Minister.

Encyclopedia of modern Asia (2002). (Editor, Southeast Asian section). Great Barrington, Ma: Berkshire Reference Works; New York: J. Scribner, 6 volumes.

International cooperative learning: An innovative approach to intercultural service (2000) Nagoya: Tokai Institute of Social Development for Asia and the Pacific and Aichi Mizuho College; Eugene, Oregon: Center for Asian and Pacific Studies (with Terushi Tomita and Seksin Srivatananukulkit.

The international development dictionary (1991). Oxford: ABC-Clio (with Galen Martin).

Evaluating primary education: Qualitative and quantitative policy studies in Thailand (1990). Ottawa: International Development Research Centre (with Amrung and Supang Chantavanich).

The International Education of Development Consultants: Communicating with Peasants and Princes. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1989, with Clarence Thurber.

Pacific Basin and Oceania (1987). . Oxford: Clio Press, 1987, with Rufino Mauricio.

Vocational-Technical education and the Thai labor market (1980). Paris: International Institute for Educational Planning (with Varaporn Bovornsiri).

Systems of higher education: Thailand (1978). New York: International Council for Educational Development (with Sippanondha Ketudat, et al.).

Articles and book chapters

Study abroad for global engagement: The long term impact of mobility experiences, Intercultural Education, forthcoming (with R. Michael Paige, et al.)

The political economy of higher education reform in Vietnam, in Yasushi Hirosato & Yuto Kitamura (Eds.), The political economy of educational reforms and capacity development in Southeast Asia: Cases of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. New York: Springer, 2009.

Toward excellence in graduate education: A mixed methods and interdisciplinary study, Nagoya Journal of Higher Education 8, 2008: 217-240.

The Military Coup of September, 2006: Weakening or Strengthening of Thai Democracy, Harvard International Review, Summer, 2007.

Ranking the international dimensions of top research universities in the United States, forthcoming in the Journal of Studies in International Education (with Aaron Horn & Darwin Hendel).

Children’s Issues in Vietnam in the Greenwood Encylopedia of Children’s Issues Worldwide, 2007, (with Pham Lan Huong).

Buddhism, cultural democracy, and multicultural education (2006) In S. Farideh, S. & R. Hoosain, R. (Eds), Religion in multicultural education (pp. 101-119). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Education and economic, political, and social change in Vietnam (2004). Educational Research for Policy and Practice 3, 199-222 (with Pham Lan Huong) (republished in hard copy and electronically by Springer, the Netherlands, in August, 2005).

Recovery through reform: Culture matters in the Thai rurnaround, Harvard International Review 26,3 (2004): 24-28.

Universities in Vietnam: Legacies, challenges, and prospects (2004). In P. G. Altbach & T. Umakoshi (Eds.), Asian universities: Historical perspectives and contemporary challenges (pp. 301-331). Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

The emergence of private higher education in Vietnam: Challenges and opportunities, Educational Research for Policy and Practice (2002): 127-141 (with Pham Lan Huong).

Introduction: The power of economic understanding (2002). In S. & T. Pendergast (Eds.), Worldmark encyclopedia of national economies (pp. xv-xix). Detroit: Gale Group, Volume I.

The interface between experiential learning and the Internet: Ways for improving learning productivity, On the Horizon 10, 3 (2002): 5-11.

Intercultural interactions among the Thai and Lao: Critical issues of identity and language, Tai Culture: International Review on Tai Cultural Studies 7, 1 (June 2002): 26-48.

Crisis as opportunity: Political, economic and educational reform in Thailand, pp. 229-256 in Geoffrey B. Hainsworth (ed.), Globalization and the Asian economic crisis: Indigenous responses, coping strategies, and governance reform in Southeast Asia. Vancouver, Canada: Centre for Southeast Asia Research, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia, 2000.

The future of the Lao PDR: Relations with Thailand and alternative paths to internationalization (1998). In J. Butler-Diaz, Ed., New Laos, new challenges (pp. 147-179). Tempe, Arizona: Program for Southeast Asian Studies, Arizona State University.

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http://www.cehd.umn....people/Fry.html

Edited July 20, 2011 by Scott
link added/Scott

[Phatcharanan]

Impressive....no doubt.

However, Thailand as an 'educational hub'? A country where rote teaching still thrives, where many students graduate for no other other reason than to prevent 'loss of face' and where the Thai system of education ranks really low in the world standings?

Malaysia would be far more suitable for a SE Asian 'hub of education'......... surely?

Edited July 19, 2011 by Phatcharanan

[Xangsamhua]

Impressive....no doubt.

However, Thailand as an 'educational hub'? A country where rote teaching still thrives, where many students graduate for no other other reason than to prevent 'loss of face' and where the Thai system of education ranks really low in the world standings?

Malaysia would be far more suitable for a SE Asian 'hub of education'......... surely?

Malaysia might be a good place for some things - Islamic Studies for example, but a quick look at the 2011 QS world university rankings doesn't raise one's hopes. Three Malaysian universities ranked in the 151st - 200th band for Civil Engineering and one in the same band for Statistics and Operational Research.

By comparison, Chulalongkorn was in the 51st - 100th band - a pretty good ranking - for Civil Engineering. Thammasat was in the 151-200 band. Mahidol and Chula both rank in the 151 - 200 band for Medicine, and Chula in the same band for Physics.

To be listed in the top 200 unversities in the world says that the institution is no mean academy. I can see some perfectly respectable British, American and Australian universities in the 301 - 500 bands.

Apart from considerations of academic quality and status, Thailand would be a much more amenable place to study in than Malaysia, with its never-ending underlying religious and ethnic tensions.

PS. Memorization and repetition ("rote learning") isn't all that bad. It's an integral part, but not the whole of Asian/Confucian pedagogy. It's a pathway to understanding. As the Confucians say, through memorization and repetition, "one remembers in order to forget". When that point is reached then understanding can begin. The students of Shanghai Region don't seem to have suffered from this pedagogy. They scored highest in the world on the last PISA tests, including those for creative and analytical thinking.