Government education in Thailand dated only from the latter half of the nineteenth century. Until then, the only education of a semi-public nature was that offered by the Buddhist monasteries, catered for only a small percentage of the male population.
In an effort to consolidate Thailand’s independence and modernize the country, King Chulalongkorn
(Rama V) introduced far-sighted reforms in the government bureaucracy after he assumed the throne in 1868. Centers of higher education incorporating elements of western influence were established and subsequently flourished.
The history of higher education in Thailand can thus be divided into three periods: the Early Modernization Period (1889-1931), the Post Revolution Period (1932-1949), and the Development Planning Period (1950-present).