Education

This summary is part of a research project carried out between March and October 2006 in support of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), one of The Communication Initiative (The CI)'s partners.

According to this case study, Thailand has benefited significantly from its adoption of the internet in the 1990s, demonstrated in improvements to the country’s quality of education, economic growth, and science and technology development. The primary information technology (IT) organisation in Thailand, the National Electronics and Computer Center (NECTEC), has promoted internet use extensively and founded the country-wide network Thaisarn to promote networking technology research.

In order to stimulate the country’s development, the Thai government acknowledged the necessity of developing a more educated population. The potential of the internet to provide mass, quality education conveniently and cheaply is well-recognised, demonstrated in the Thai government’s efforts to provide connectivity to universities and schools and thus achieve basic universal literacy.

In 1995, the SchoolNet project was initiated by the National Information Technology Committee (NITC) to contribute to the teaching of computer networking across Thailand. Eight hundred and fifty Thai schools had internet connectivity through the SchoolNet project by April 1999, with teachers and students learning how to use the internet and create websites. The “Golden Jubilee Network” project was a 1996 NECTEC initiative to put significant amounts of educational content on the internet in Thai and to develop a network for public internet access throughout the country. This project also allows schools to access the internet without paying long-distance charges to connect to the server in Bangkok.

The author of this case study suggests that there are, however, economic and cultural issues that should be considered in adopting the internet, particularly with regards to its educational application in Thailand. In comparison with more developed countries, Thailand lacks funding and technological expertise, and there are significant fears of the potential loss of cultural identity. In preparing the country well for a new IT era, the authors note, policymakers must recognise their responsibilities as agents of change as they prepare for the integration of IT into education, while educators must decide how the internet can best be implemented in the curriculum.

This report notes the following factors for consideration in adopting the internet for educational purposes:

Cost

Policymakers must take into account the cost of the initial investment and ongoing maintenance for human capital, software and hardware, for which the Ministries of Education and University Affairs have particularly inadequate budgets. There is also the need to develop an overall telecommunications infrastructure that can facilitate connectivity to both rural and urban areas to ensure that the internet impacts the entire country.

Experts

Experts are needed to facilitate the adoption of the internet and to provide training and maintenance to the internet and associated technologies. Qualified teachers are required for classroom training.



Language

Until a greater number of internet resources are developed in Thai, some Thais may find the internet inaccessible due to language.

Culture

To avoid internet abuse, programmes must be developed that encourage "meaningful" use of the internet.

Resources

Online resources in the form of online libraries, search engines, journals, and databases should be available for universal use, and a national plan developed that fosters internet use optimised for educational purposes.

The following criteria should be considered when incorporating internet use into Thai classrooms:

• In order to facilitate the learning process, students should be supplied with computers with internet access;
• Use of internet tools (discussion lists, email) should be encouraged by instructors in order to create a collaborative working environment;
• Classroom conferences should be initiated to support ongoing discussions of hardware and software problems so that students may learn to solve problems independently.

The following are the author's recommendations to facilitate Thailand’s adoption of the internet:

• Technology must adjust to Thai social structures in order for the internet to be successfully adopted; administrators and policymakers, in their role as change agents, must work with educators to incorporate the internet into educational plans;
• Policy for adopting the internet should not be framed before educational administrators have considered internet costs, attitudes, and skills of future users;
• Corruption, political uncertainty, government changes, and budget revisions have hindered internet growth in Thailand. Only 5.64 percent of the Thai population currently use the internet, and this number will remain low until greater Thai internet content is developed.

NECTEC is in the process of developing software that provides digital translation of English to Thai, thereby attempting to overcome one of the obstacles to the Thai population’s use of the internet.

This report suggests future internet applications should be broadened beyond the scope of science and technology to also include humanities and the arts by:

• Providing all levels of educators and students the opportunity to learn and utilise information technologies as an enabling tool to gain knowledge;
• Connecting libraries, universities, colleges, and schools electronically so that an enriched learning environment can be created and made available remotely;
• Leveraging the capabilities of distance education and IT institutions for the purpose of providing continuing education and skills’ upgrading for all citizens.

Title: A Critical Analysis of the Adoption and Utilization of the Internet in Thailand for Educational Purposes

Year: 2003

Publication: First Monday, Volume 8, Number 1 (January 2003)

Click here to view the report online.