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Adding Real Values to Life
with Knowledge & Culture in Thailand
Thailand, blessed with a wealth of culture
and traditions, stands out in the Southeast Asian region as
a country of grace and pride. In terms of human resource development,
the nation well realizes the challenges of the globalized
world, and thus values highly international collaborative
relationships.
The country's readiness can be seen from its
recent success in organizing UNCTAD X in February 2000, the
first large multilateral conference of the millennium. It
also houses 26 significant regional and international organizations
and 136 embassies and consulates, all of which have contributed
to the international exposure of education institutions and
to the heightening of closer relationships in different dimensions.
Thailand's unique cultural beauty is striking
and graceful, allowing all who have come to experience it
to appreciate the treasures of art, music and literature which
have shaped the refined ways of Thai people's life, and harmonized
their hearts in a time of happiness and haziness.
Academically, the Ministry of University Affairs
(MUA), as an agency responsible for most degree granting institutions
of the country (both public and private), has placed an emphasis
on internationalization and regionalization of higher education.
Its geographical setting at the heart of the Southeast Asian
region, combined with its able workforce and strong infrastructure,
has served as an ideal meeting place for intellects and scholars
to learn more about the country and the region.
The MUA has been actively involved in regional
and international activities at the bilateral, trilateral
and multilateral levels, through it's representation in relevant
forms such as ASEAN, APEC and Unesco, and through the implementation
of memorandums of understanding signed with countries in Asia,
Europe, North and Latin Americas. The MUA renders financial
support for exchange programs through University Mobility
in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP), and through provision of 144
exchange grants from Thai universities and countries in the
Greater Mekong Subregion (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Mynmmar, Southern
China, Thailand and Vietnam). The Royal Thai Government has
agreed to fund 5.5 billion bath (US$144 million) for the setting
up of 150 doctoral programs from 2000-2004. The direct exposure
and consistent interactions under numerous programs and activities
with its global higher education partners have enabled Thailand
to grow, ready to cope with the uncertainties of today and
tomorrow.
Thai higher education also has its diversity
to offer. It has more than 3,000 programs of study in various
areas of specialization, from undergraduate up to the doctoral
degrees. It also meets the demands of local and international
students who wish to enroll in programs using English as a
medium of instruction, by providing over 350 such programs.
The MUA has given no less importance to the
quality of education. Its initiative on quality assurance
systems, currently implemented as an integral internal effort,
is at its highest gear, ready for the external auditing by
an independent body to perform its duties in several years'
time. On the other end, Thailand has got loans from the World
Bank and Asian Development Bank to the upgrade laboratory
equipment of undergraduate and graduate studies nationwide,
in order to ensure that faculty and students alike will have
the hands-on experience to become highly capable in the science
and technology field - so much needed in the national and
regional development of the fast-changing hi-tech world.
Besides of its involvement in a good number
of regional and international programs and activities, Thai
higher education institutions have enjoyed academic resources,
links and networking offered by the numerous offices that
Thailand has been host to. Some examples are the ASEAN University
Network (AUN) Secretariat, aiming to strengthen ASEAN awareness
and cooperation; the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions
of Higher Learning (ASAIHL), which encourages exchanges of
faculty and students in the region; SEAMEO Regional Center
for Higher Education and Development (RIHED) at MUA's building,
which promotes international links among members in the Southeast
Asian Region; and UNCTAD-Thailand's most recent agreement
to establish an Institute of Trade and Development, providing
training to developing countries on trade diplomacy and the
other areas they need for the free trade globe.
As exchange and study programs in Thailand are
on the rise, the MUA and Thai higher education institutions
have adjusted themselves to accommodate the needs for electronic
and other physical facilities for foreign students and guests
alike, through the duration of their academic undertakings
in the country.
With increased expertise and accumulated experiences
in favorable international environments, as well as the precious
cultural heritage Thailand has to offer, Thai higher education
has attracted increasing numbers of students, faculty, researchers
and experts from neighboring countries and those across the
region to study and undertake various joint projects, acquiring
and sharing intellectual and cultural richness for mutual
academic excellence, benefit and understanding.
For further information, please contact:
Division of International Cooperation
Ministry of University Affairs
328 Si Ayutthaya Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand
Tel: (662) 245-8268, 2461106-14 ext 746, 751
Fax: (662) 246-4030
Email: intcoop4@mua.go.th
URL: www.inter.mua.go.th
Authors
Dr. Porntip Kanjananiyot &
Khun Paad Nilphan
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