Thai Cabinet Backs Proposal For One University Per Province

[webfact]

Cabinet backs proposal for one university

Samatcha Hoonsara,

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Anticipating a drop in the number of students studying at universities in future, the Cabinet has approved in principle the Education Ministry's proposal to merge state-run institutions into one university per province, deputy government spokesman Anusorn Eiamsa-ard said yesterday.

The third annual meeting of the Higher Education Commission had projected that in the next 30 years, the number of people going to public universities would shrink. Therefore, the focus should not be on opening new universities but on improving the teaching and learning quality and efficiency of existing ones. The commission had proposed the merging of higher education institutions. After this policy is implemented, the ministry would use it as a guideline for setting up new universities later.

Anusorn explained that under the merging plan, each area, such as a province, might have scattered institutes but they would be merged into one university. Anusorn cited the example of the establishment of Chumphon University, which was created by the merger of Mae Jo University Chumphon Campus with King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang Chumphon Campus.

In the upper southern province of Surat Thani, Suratthani Rajabhat University would merge with Prince of Songkhla University Surat Thani Campus. In Tak, the creation of Somdet Phrachao Taksin Maharat University would be a result of the merger of Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna (Tak Campus) with Kamphaengphet Rajabhat Univer-sity's Mae Sot Higher Education Centre. The creation of Kalasin University would result from the merger of Kalasin Rajabhat University and Rajamangala University of Technology Isan Kalasin Campus. Rayong University would be a result of the merger of Bankhai Technical College and Map Ta Phut Technical College. Krabi has also proposed the Andaman Coastal University by merging Kasetsart University's Krabi Academic Resource Centre, Institute of Physical Education Krabi Campus, and Krabi College of Agriculture and Technology.

Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) deputy secretary-general Assoc Prof Kamjorn Tatiyakavee said the Cabinet's approval would stop spending budgets for new higher-education institutes when the number of students was reducing. But, it would allow each province to manage the resources of existing institutes more effectively, to strengthen their performance.

However, the approval would not prevent the setting up of a new campus of a current university. It would give powers to a committee under OHEC that considers merging universities to deal with the issue, he said.

Kamjorn said the merging would depend on the decision of the universities and relevant agencies in each province.

-- The Nation 2011-12-07

[AyG]

Just 18% of Thai students finish college (source), yet the government is expecting a fall in the number of students going to university? This is just crazy thinking. How on earth is Thailand going to complete internationally without a well educated workforce?

[blazes]

Nothing wrong with the idea of merger, but on the other hand, "small is beautiful". From my own experience ( a few decades ago) I can see that I would have probably been better prepared for the outside world if I had gone to a small Welsh university instead of a monolithic English one.

Generally speaking here in Thailand, getting a degree should be encouraged for the good of all, even though the quality of degree is dubious to say the least. But even a minimum of advanced education is better than none. An educated electorate is an absolute must if you are ever to tackle the problem of corruption.

[Thakkar]

This is the route if one wants to perpetuate a society based on elitism rather than egalitarianism.

T

[doggie888888]

Just 18% of Thai students finish college (source), yet the government is expecting a fall in the number of students going to university? This is just crazy thinking. How on earth is Thailand going to complete internationally without a well educated workforce?

Oh, they don't need the maids, drivers, masseurs, bar workers, farmers, mail order brides and miscellaneous factory fodder and serfs to have university degrees.

Seriously though, it's sad to see consecutive Thai governments letting their country down with a total lack of priority towards substantive quality education. I guess if you had money, you'd send your kids overseas for that!

[Scott]

One troll post has been deleted.

I am curious about the demographics regarding this article. Will the percent of Thai students attending university increase, but the actual numbers drop?

The topic doesn't really address the population changes.

[oevna]

The more universities there are, the more it motivates them to excel, because they have to compete for students. One measure of the success of a university is the success of its graduates, which increases enrollment, and thus revenue. I fear that removing this competition by consolidating the universities will lead towards mediocrity, for the universities, for the students, and for the country as a whole.

Of course it's more complex than this simple equation, and there are negative side effects to this type of competitiveness as well, but I think on balance, more universities would benefit the Thai people, rather than fewer.

Then again, there may be other motivations at play here than just the good of the Thai people. I'm always skeptical of governments when they create this sort of arbitrary limit. It reeks of cronyism.

[bkk_mike]

Being facetious here.

If they make it a law that all Universities in the same province should merge, the following announcement is sure to follow...

Ramkamhaeng to merge with Chulalongkorn, and all those people with a degree from Ramkamhaeng will be able to take in their certificate and get an upgrade to a Chulalongkorn degree for the low cost of half the difference in fees for the course in question...