Thailand has responded to concerns over its position in a recent global education ranking, which placed the country 107th out of 203 nations and 8th in the ASEAN region. The Thai Education Council has questioned the methodology used in the ranking, which was published by World Population Review.
Prof Dr Prawit Erawan, Secretary-General of the Office of the Education Council (OEC), expressed doubts about the accuracy of the report, pointing out flaws in its methodology and transparency. He criticized the ranking for relying on a survey of opinions from 78 countries rather than on measurable, concrete educational indicators.
“The ranking reflects perceptions more than actual educational quality”, Dr Prawit stated. “It doesn’t use reliable data to assess the true state of education”. He also disagreed with the report’s assumption that a country’s economic status directly correlates with its education quality, claiming this bias unfairly advantages wealthier nations.
Dr Prawit highlighted Thailand’s impressive literacy rate, which is about 99% for individuals aged 15 and over, according to recent data from the OEC and the Department of Learning Promotion. He argued that if literacy rates were considered in the ranking, Thailand would likely perform much better, potentially even ranking first in ASEAN.
While disputing the ranking, Dr Prawit acknowledged that Thailand’s educational data could be improved and emphasized the need for a more robust and up-to-date database to ensure more accurate representation in future rankings. He also recognized that educational quality is closely linked to a country's social and economic development.
Thailand’s education officials are calling for a more reliable and transparent approach to global education rankings, hoping for a fairer assessment in the future.
