It is very obvious that most of the population living in rural areas do not see much
need for extensive schooling because it does not seem to bring commensurate material
rewards at once. Rural households see no need for higher education since it takes time. The
evidence suggests that Thailand succeeds in providing primary education, but fails with
secondary enrolment. It becomes clear that Thailand lags behind other countries in the region
and has the worst secondary enrolment ratios in Asia (see Sussangkarn, 1990; 1992). It is
undoubtedly dismal to the extent that the low skilled abundant labour is probably a key issue
in human resource bottlenecks no matter what development strategies are pursued. As
recently projected by the Thailand Development Research Institute, by the year 2000, 70 per
cent of Thailand’s work force will have only primary education or less, if 100 per cent of all
primary school leavers continue into secondary school and the rate is maintained in 1992.
This will leave Thailand without a development path and a comparative advantage only in
cheap labour.