perceived inefficient government policy and the current lack
of highly qualified, or world-class, faculty and students. These
primary indicators ultimately affect the branding and
reputation of Thailand as an international education hub. Not
having suffered direct colonization, a culture that has regards
for the concept of preserving “face” and public reputation, and
a widening rift between socioeconomic classes all greatly
contribute to a society that struggles with English language
comprehension and usage. The struggle with the English
language – a language designated as the communication
element of both globalization and internationalization in
Thailand – is recognized at all levels of higher education by
higher education professionals. The dual purpose of the
English language – the chosen language for AEC affairs and
the language of international higher education programs other
than foreign language programs – places an inordinate amount
of pressure on the international higher education community
to develop and properly implement this sort of
communication. Both Thai students and faculty struggle with
the language. Faculty members from various institutions have,
at times, resisted English language training and teaching
courses in English. Interestingly, so much emphasis was
placed on English language skills for cross-cultural
development that little attention seemed to be paid to the
development of other languages spoken within the AEC (e.g.
Lao, Khmer, Burmese, Vietnamese, Bahasa, etc.). While
English may help to streamline communication within such
diverse geographical area, assumption could be made in
acquiring these other language skills – and their imbedded
culture – could potentially foster better cooperation and
relations with each other and show a deeper educational
commitment to the community.
While Thai students were eager to study international
programs, their willingness to speak English outside of
classrooms was inhibited by a sense of cultural preservation
amongst friends and family. There was also an inability for
many students to have access to these programs and the
training that they afford, primarily due to finances. The lack of
fiscal resources had broad implications on international higher
education programs in Thailand. Firstly, international
education is an expensive venture. For a developing country
that still maintained a large rural population and that had a
large agricultural industry, providing access to basic education
continued to be a challenge in the 21st century.
Thailand’s educational infrastructure, while advanced
compared to neighboring countries such as Laos, Cambodia,
and Myanmar, lacked cohesion between its goal declarations
and actual policy. Though formal national policy in Thailand
addressed the imminence of globalization and
internationalization in higher education and with regards to
the Thai workforce for the past 13 years, a follow through
success did not currently exist. The task of internationalizing
Thai higher education and of producing a globally competent
workforce largely fell to individual universities. While
granting this sort of autonomy had its pros, the struggle to
accumulate fiscal resources for private universities and the