Thailand

OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL) IN THAILAND

by Prof. Pratya Vesarach, Ph.D.

President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

INTRODUCTION

In Thailand, as in other developing countries, education and human resource development is a crucial factor for bringing about national development and raising the quality of life of individual citizens. However, under conditions of limited resources and a high proportion of the populace living in rural areas, a problem concern is inequality of educational opportunity.

Efforts to expand opportunities and democratize higher education in Thailand can be traced back to the establishment of Thammasat University in 1933, and, in particular, Ramkhamhaeng University in 1971 as open admission universities teaching through the conventional classroom system. The number of regional universities was also increased, most notably with the establishment of Chiang Mai University and Khon Kaen University in 1965 and 1966 respectively. However, these efforts were unable to adequately meet the needs of the people, especially those already in the workforce.

Therefore, in 1976, the Office of University Affairs appointed a planning committee chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wichit Srisa-an to formulate an open university project. The project aimed to fulfill the need to provide equal access to higher education to people throughout Thailand and make the concept of lifelong education a practical reality. The distance education system was viewed as the most practical method to bring about the democratization of higher education, allowing students to study independently in their homes, and have the opportunity to work and study at the same time. Thus, a proposal for Thailand's first university to employ the distance learning system was submitted for cabinet approval in 1977.

On 5 September 1978, the university was officially established by Royal Charter under the name of  "Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University" (STOU). After two years of preparation, the university admitted its first students in December 1980. Over 82,000 students, exceeding all previous expectations, enrolled in bachelor's degree programs in two schools of study, Educational Studies and Management Science. Educational media was primarily text-based media sent to students through the postal service. This was later enhanced through the introduction of supplementary media such as radio and television programs and interface via tutorials at local study centers. The establishment of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University can be viewed as the start of ODL in Thailand.