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The panellists who attended the seminar expressed the valuable view that educational reform should be executed effectively and immediately.

The standard of education is low, and the effort to develop the quality of teachers has not been realised due to a lack of funds to support the plan in a sustainable manner.

Thammasat University rector Surapol Nitikraipoj, who is a member of the Education Reform Board, made an interesting comment during the seminar. He said the problem lies in the inconsistency of educational policies. The failure to improve education is largely because of unclear direction from the government.

For instance, the government allocated a very high budget for the healthcare system, a follow-up on recent populist policies. The budget earmarked for educational reform, by comparison, was too small to deliver 12 years of free education for children as planned.

The inadequate budget also affects the planned fund to develop the qualifications of teachers. At present, the task to improve the quality of teachers is under a small government agency, this despite a plan to upgrade the agency into a public organisation. The proposal to upgrade the agency has been made to the Cabinet many times, but has always been shot down due to a lack of funds.

A clear direction on educational reform is what the country desperately needs. Hopefully, the government will realise the need to spell out this policy before the National Education Act celebrates its 10th anniversary next year.