The Transition of Thai Public Universities from Bureaucratic System to Self-autonomy: An Approach to Quality Improvement

Abstract

The administration of higher education in Thailand is now facing challenges, which have impacts on quality of overall higher education. The first challenge is the effect of economic downturn in 1997 resulting in financial shortage of the Thai government. The second is the Thai constitution of 1997, which stipulates that the government must provide 12 years of basic education with free of charge. This implies that the flow of high school graduates will be doubled in the near future. The last challenge is the government’s policy to move all public comprehensive universities out of bureaucratic system. The Commission on Higher Education under the Ministry of Education has played the role as supervisory and supporting body for educational development. One project highlight is the increase in management efficiency of public higher education institutions. The government sets two key measures to enhance flexibility and efficiency in management. The first is the preparation for the remaining 20 public comprehensive universities to be autonomous in the near future. The block grant and post auditing system are set up to increase financial autonomy. The University Council of each public university will be assigned increasing vital roles in university academic and management decisions. The second is preparation in terms of internal management system which has to be flexible and accountable; amendments of financial rules and regulations; and personnel to be in the new autonomous system. This paper aims to elaborate the facts, principles and experiences for Thai public universities in the time of transition from bureaucratic system to become self-autonomy. This paper also reviews the problems of Thai higher education and provides answers to some questions that are often asked about autonomous universities.