Modernization, Higher Education Growth, and the Influence of Market Forces
The significant growth of Thai higher education over the last three decades was primarily driven by economic changes and by occupational growth in areas for which secondary school education was no longer sufficient. The demand for highly educated people to fulfill expected economic growth, student aspiration, and social expectations placed the professional role of higher education in the spotlight. Its widespread growth throughout the country has been spurred over the last two decades by national and international disapproval of the quality of Thai HE in preparing students for the onslaught of globalization. As a reaction, market gains became essentialized and the skills and professional knowledge acquired through higher education were seen as the enablers of success