Education & Health

While Thailand has been successful in expanding access to education, the sector faces some challenges. The country is falling behind in the quality of provision, and policy has been slow to adapt to global labour market trends. Nevertheless, there are signs that this is changing: the government has set about pursuing an education strategy with clear goals, and efforts are under way to streamline administration and assessment. Thailand has been reaping the benefits of an expanding global health care industry, as its large number of internationally accredited hospitals and qualified practitioners continue to attract clientele from both developing and developed countries. At the same time, the universal coverage framework has succeeded in providing health care to nearly the entire population. This chapter contains interviews with Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, Minister of Education; Pailin Chuchottaworn, Former Chairman of the Council, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology; and Gordon Cameron, Vice-president, Asia-Pacific Area, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International.