On December 13, 2024, Mr. Pichet Phopakdee, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, chaired the opening of the working group meeting on education and skills development to support Thailand’s OECD membership process. Representatives from the Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Labor (MOL), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), and UNICEF Thailand attended the meeting to discuss and exchange views on driving OECD membership, particularly regarding educational operations where MOE has maintained continuous cooperation with OECD.
Mr. Pichet Phopakdee, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, emphasized the importance of developing and elevating Thai educational standards across the educational system, student learning skills, and teacher teaching skills. Thailand has previously adopted OECD standards to improve teaching and learning, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which focuses on evaluating students’ ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-life situations to inform appropriate educational policy and curriculum improvements. Additionally, the Deputy Permanent Secretary emphasized that OECD membership would bring knowledge to develop Thai educational plans. The MOE is ready to advance cooperation with OECD and requires support and collaboration from relevant agencies to enhance Thai education quality and respond to the “Learn Well, Be Happy” education policy.
On this occasion, the NESDC representative was invited to present Thailand’s progress in becoming an OECD member. Currently, Thailand is preparing the Initial Memorandum (IM), the first step in the OECD membership process. Thailand must assess the alignment of domestic laws, policies, and practices with OECD standards. Subsequently, OECD will begin an in-depth Technical Review with Thailand, providing recommendations for operational improvements to align with OECD standards, leading to full membership. Throughout the membership process, Thai agencies must work closely and intensively with OECD to demonstrate Thailand’s commitment to OECD membership.
Subsequently, the MOE representative discussed educational cooperation with OECD supporting the membership process, including (1) implementing Phase 2 of the OECD-Thailand Country Programme (CP), where MOE is responsible for three sub-projects aimed at developing Thai education policies, including education statistics quality, lesson design, and skills development strategy, and (2) participating in the Education Policy Committee (EDPC) meetings as an Invitee since 2019, with this committee being one of 26 main OECD committees that will assess Thailand’s membership.
Previously, MOE representatives discussed with OECD the improvement of Thai education laws, policies, and practices to align with OECD standards. OECD informed that their educational standards do not include legally binding decisions or international agreements, only recommendations that Thailand must adapt to align domestic policies and practices with OECD, particularly regarding educational data systems and data sharing with OECD member countries. If Thailand has concerns about sharing data or statistics, negotiations for reservations with OECD are possible. However, OECD maintains a high level of data security protection, preventing easy access by external parties.
The meeting also discussed enhancing cooperation with OECD through participation in education-related OECD committees beyond EDPC, including involvement in OECD research projects and databases (Education at a Glance) and other assessments such as TALIS for evaluating teacher capabilities and skills, and PIAAC for testing adult population skills. The meeting agreed that Thailand should consider participating in other OECD educational cooperation projects alongside the membership process, which would support mutual operations and increase opportunities for experience exchange with participants from countries worldwide.
Thailand’s OECD membership process in education is not solely MOE’s responsibility but requires cooperation from relevant agencies, particularly MHESI and MOL, which have overlapping missions in education and skills development from childhood to working age, including network partners such as UNICEF Thailand who can participate in supporting MOE’s operations to ensure efficient driving of Thailand’s OECD membership, receiving support from all sectors and achieving future OECD membership objectives.
Details of OECD’s educational operations can be found at
https://www.oecd.org/en/about/directorates/directorate-for-education-and-skills.html
Follow Thailand’s OECD membership progress at bit.ly/43SdmE0
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