Education and Parenting in Thailand

Abstract

Education is considered to be an important strategy to shift Thailand from a low-income country to a middle-income country. Despite repeated efforts to reform education over the years and an enormous budget allotted to the education field, success continues to be elusive. Although access to education may have improved, the quality of education remains poor as reflected by students' academic achievement and inequality of educational opportunity. While progress in improving the education system may be frustratingly slow, parents try their best to support their children. Most parents, similar to other parents in Asia, focus their efforts on their children's education. They are highly supportive of their children or even push them to be successful in school. Parents play an important role in their children's academic achievement. Nevertheless, many low-income parents or those with a disadvantaged socioeconomic background might not be able to support their children's studies because they may be too preoccupied by their needs to survive economically. As a result, their children may be left with poor quality education or experience failure in school.