Training
 Since 2003, there is a duty-free, compulsory nine-year
undergraduate education in Thailand. Everyone under 14 is
guaranteed a free education. This includes a two-year
preschool, in which 92% of children of the current age were
enrolled in 2009. At six years of age, children start
primary school. It includes a six-year primary school, in
which 91% of boys and 89% of girls of the current age were
enrolled in 2009, and then a three-year lower secondary
school. After that follows a non-compulsory three-year
secondary school. In 2009, 68% of boys and 77% of girls of
current age were enrolled in such. The proportion of young
people who continue to higher education is lower than in
most other countries in Southeast Asia. During the period
2005-08, 94% of adults were estimated to be literate;
Most schools are state, but there are also cooperative
local schools and private schools. Many schools have
religious affiliations, especially in the Muslim provinces
of the south. General compulsory schooling was introduced as
early as 1921, but it was not until the late 20th century
before the education system was so expanded that it included
almost all children. The status of teachers has been very
high, while the level of knowledge in schools has been low.
The criticism has increased against the low quality and
against curricula that are poorly adapted to modern society. See TOPSCHOOLSINTHEUSA for TOEFL, ACT, SAT testing locations and high school codes in Thailand.
Governments in the 1990s allocated a relatively large
share of the state budget to education and decided on a
number of reforms, but the modernization of education
systems and pedagogy is slow and there is a large shortage
of premises and materials. There are also major differences
in standards and level of education between many of the
urban schools, especially the private, and state schools in
remote, poor rural areas.
In Thailand there are more than 150 universities,
colleges and research institutes. The oldest and best known
is Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. In 2009, 40% of
young men and 49% of young women were enrolled in such
higher education.
Throughout 2004, the country experienced a spiral of
violence. It began in January with an attack on a military
arsenal. The following months there were almost daily
attacks and over 100 were killed. Authorities accused
Islamic separatists in the southern part of the country of
being behind the development.
In April, a number of contemporary riots took place in
the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Songkhla, all of which
have a Muslim majority. In the aftermath of the riots, 108
supposed Islamists died in the custody of the authorities.
In May, the army sent 500 special troops on a "search and
destroy" misson against 5,000 militant Muslims in the south.
Another 2 battalions with 1,000 soldiers were dispatched as
reinforcements. In October, pictures of the military's
attack on a peaceful Muslim demonstration went around the
world. Over 100 protesters subsequently died in police
custody.
In October, the military killed 78 Muslims by choking
during a protest demonstration in the southern part of the
country.
In December, Southeast Asia was hit by a tsunami that
killed 5300 Thais in Thailand. The country's southwestern
coastal area was hit hard, including the tourist areas of
Phuket, Phi Phi, Phang Nga and Krabi.
In the February 2005 parliamentary elections, Prime
Minister Thaksin's TRT party won 376 out of Parliament's 500
seats. The Democratic Party became the second largest with
97 seats. The election was a pure landslide victory for
Thaksin, but through 2005 he became involved in several
corruption cases, and the demand for his resignation grew
accordingly. In February 2006, he disbanded parliament and
held new elections, but this was boycotted by the
opposition. Therefore, in the April elections, TRT was the
only party and it got 460 of the 500 seats in parliament.
The remaining 40 were empty because the turnout in the
districts in question was too low. The result triggered a
constitutional crisis, culminating with Thaksin making his
mandate available. Elections were held again for October
2006. In the meantime, Thaksin was to be acting prime
minister.
In July 2005, the government tightened its grip in
southern Thailand to fight the violence that had killed 800
people since 2004. The clashes between militants from the
Muslim minority and the security forces increased in
magnitude and strength.
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