Global Rankings Highlight Challenges
Thailand’s education system has come under renewed scrutiny after international assessments ranked Thai students in the lower half of global performance tables. Experts caution that without comprehensive reforms, the country risks falling further behind regional peers in literacy and skills development.
At the Beyond Assessment: Driving Educational Change Forum in Bangkok last week, speakers emphasized the urgent need for reform. According to the World Population Review 2025, Thailand’s literacy rate stands at 94.1%, trailing behind Brunei (97.6%), Singapore (97.5%), the Philippines (96.3%), Indonesia (96%), Vietnam (95.8%), and Malaysia (95%).
Performance Gaps in Core Skills
Ong-art Naiyapatana, Director of the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA), highlighted consistent underperformance in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which evaluates mathematics, science, and reading literacy.
“We need to rethink our approach. Reform is essential if we are to empower Thailand’s future through stronger evaluation,” Ong-art said.
The OECD Skills Strategy Thailand report, released in July, also flagged a shortage of digital skills. Despite the Digital Council of Thailand’s goal of reaching 70% overall digital literacy by the end of 2025, only 1% of the population currently possesses advanced digital competencies.
Moving Toward Supportive Evaluation
ONESQA is shifting from Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) to External Quality Assurance (EQA), transitioning from evaluator to “supportive coach.” Schools are encouraged to produce Self-Assessment Reports (SARs) and collaborate with external experts to address specific challenges.
Linthiporn Varinwatchararoj, acting Deputy Education Minister, stressed that evaluation should serve as a catalyst for change rather than a bureaucratic formality:
“Assessment is a tool for policy transformation. ONESQA is a strategic partner in ensuring Thailand’s education system becomes competitive on the global stage.”
Ong-art added that ONESQA’s newly launched Automated QA Platform provides real-time feedback to schools, significantly reducing evaluation cycles from five years.
Addressing Inequality Across Regions
Piriya Pholphirul, Director of the Centre for Development Economics Studies, highlighted that reforms are most effective in regions with high quality and low inequality. He advocated for targeted support for schools in lower-performing areas to elevate baseline educational standards.
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