Thailand’s long-term future will be decided in its classrooms

On 8 February, people across Thailand will head to the polls. Economic growth will dominate the debate—as it should. Many promises will be made about productivity, competitiveness, and prosperity but one thing is certain: no matter what promises are made, Thailand’s future will depend on whether young people today are prepared to thrive. Preparation for the future must begin with education, and currently it is failing far too many children.

Education is not just one policy issue among many, it’s the foundation on which all successful policies for Thailand’s future rest. Without strong education, economic strategies will falter and inequality will grow deeper. This is not a new problem. For decades, governments, educators, and students themselves have called for reform. Real progress has been made and providing fifteen years of free education is indeed a significant achievement.

Thailand has proven during its years of rapid economic growth that it can adapt its education system to meet change, and earned global respect for doing so. That same capacity for renewal is needed again today. Simply providing access to schools is no longer enough. Learning quality remains too uneven and inequality is still widespread across the system. Too many students leave school before completing secondary education, while international assessments show that learning outcomes have declined over the past decade, particularly in reading. For young people and for Thailand, lower scores mean lost potential. These children and young people aren’t failing. The system has failed them.

The need to fix the system is now more urgent than ever. Thailand is ageing rapidly and its working-age population shrinking. At the same time, artificial intelligence and new technologies are reshaping work and life at a speed we haven’t seen in decades. Thailand needs its next generation to leave schools with the right skills for a new world, young people capable of problem-solving, adaptability, teamwork, and digital literacy. Such skills must be developed alongside clear pathways from school to further education, training, and decent work.

The choices made in the next parliamentary term will determine whether today’s students are prepared for that future or excluded from it.

Of course, preparing a generation for the future cannot be achieved in schools alone. In fact, it begins before a child even enters their first classroom. Evidence from Thailand’s own Human Capital Development research shows that early childhood plays a decisive role in shaping learning and life outcomes. Nutrition, stimulation, quality childcare, and loving parental support all help children arrive for their first day of school eager and ready to learn.

Even within school, learning is not only about what children are taught, it is also about whether they feel safe, supported, and hopeful in their classrooms. Psychological factors matter, as young students tell us constantly.  Bullying, fear of failure, rigid expectations, and a lack of confidence in the future push too many young people in Thailand away from school. Currently, drop-out rates are too high, leading to the high number of young people in Thailand who are not in education, employment, or training of any kind.

Schools should be places where children are eager to learn, not places they want to escape.  School counselors can help students understand their strengths, navigate transitions, and use their education as a stepping stone towards a better future. We need more qualified counselors in more schools, and greater recognition of their value. When young people see a path forward that fits who they are, they are much more likely to stay engaged in school and succeed in life.

Young people themselves know this very well. As education advocate Nicha Kattiyavara, who has worked with UNICEF Thailand on education reform, puts it:

“We don’t want another generation to face the same problems under the same promises. We hope leaders who care about Thailand’s future will see young people as equal partners they can trust and work with us through meaningful, continuous collaboration.”

There are signs that political leaders are listening and willing to act as the election approaches. At a recent public debate organized by Thai PBS, TDRI, and the Thailand Education Partnership, representatives from five major political parties agreed the country needs a shared direction on education reform. This was a rare moment of consensus and shows that education can and must rise above partisanship.

The stakes couldn’t be higher, as the flaws in the system are affecting children today and for the rest of their lives. Currently, only four in ten Grade 2 students demonstrate age-appropriate reading and mathematics skills, with children from rural areas and poorer households facing the greatest barriers. Education should be society’s most powerful equalizer, but too often in Thailand it reinforces inequality.

The consequences are already visible across the country. Four in ten adults aged 25–34 haven’t completed upper secondary education and one in eight young people is neither studying nor working. This is not just a social problem, it is a structural drag on Thailand’s economy.

The good news is that none of this is inevitable. Thailand has the evidence, the talent, and the resources that will be needed to reform education through wise investments to drive economic growth and transform millions of lives. 

Teachers remain the backbone of education, yet are too often overwhelmed by administrative burdens that take time away from teaching. They need support in the form of reduced low-value paperwork, and greater investment in professional development. Children in all schools, including small and remote ones, deserve to have enough qualified staff supporting them.  

This is not just about spending more on education. It is also about spending smarter and directing resources to the children and schools that need them most. For many disadvantaged children, public education is the only route out of poverty. When education fails, that door of opportunity slams shut.

What Thailand needs now is a non-partisan, long-term commitment to education reform that will survive political change. The question facing voters and politicians alike is not whether Thailand can afford to invest in its children, but whether it can afford not to.

Thailand’s future will be written by its young people. The responsibility to prepare them belongs to all of us.