Thailand

Around 1978, the concept of "life-long education" was introduced and led to the expansion of nonformal education to cover all ages of the population. Under his brilliant leadership, the late Dr. Kowit Vorapipatana, "the father of nonformal education in Thailand," transformed a rather modest Division of Adult Education (established in 1938) into an important department of Nonformal Education (1979) which now has a presence in every district of Thailand. Influenced by the Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, he introduced the important pedagogical concept of khit-pen, which literally means to be able to think for yourself.

An adult literacy campaign under the leadership of Dr. Kasama Varavan in the early 1990s, was carried out by the Nonformal Education Department. Thailand's literacy rate is an impressively high 94 percent with female literacy at 91.6 percent. For its success in combating illiteracy in Thailand, the Department won the ESCAP Human Resources Development Award. Its special equivalency programs offer Thais a major second chance to complete primary and/or secondary education.

The various genres of non formal and informal education present in Thailand offer a rather remarkable array of potential learning opportunities to both enhance quality of life and employment productivity and capability. Programs include basic education, literacy, primary and secondary equivalency, vocational education, handicraft training, reading and science programs, religious and tribal programs, language studies, health education, politics, and environmental studies.