PROBLEMS AND OBSTACLES IN EDUCATION MANAGEMENT BY LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATIONS

Abstract

Academic article on the problems, obstacles, and development guidelines for education management by local administrative organizations in Thailand. This educational management initiative is a direct result of educational decentralization mandated by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2560 (2017), the National Education Act B.E. 2542 (1999), and the Determining Plans and Process of Decentralization to Local Administrative Organization Act B.E. 2542 (1999)^[3] These legal frameworks were enacted to empower local authorities to deliver education that effectively responds to the ways of life, culture, and specific needs of their respective communities. The study reveals that the transfer of basic education institutions to Local Administrative Organizations (LAOs) has made continuous progress. In the 2023 academic year, a total of 584 schools were successfully transferred. Furthermore, external quality assessment results by the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA) indicated that educational institutions under LAOs achieved "Good" quality ratings, outperforming schools under the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) across all assessment standards. This reflects the high potential of local authorities in delivering quality education. However, such success has not yet achieved nationwide uniformity, as LAOs continue to face four critical challenges and obstacles: (1) leadership and vision constraints among certain local executives who do not prioritize education as a top strategic agenda; (2) personnel shortages, particularly the lack of educational administration specialists within local education divisions; (3) budget and resource constraints relative to the large number of schools under their responsibility; and (4) a lack of continuity in educational policies resulting from political transitions and changes in local administration terms. Summary and Recommendations To enhance the potential of local educational management, this article proposes key recommendations, including: 1) continuously enhancing the administrative capacity and vision of local executives and educational personnel; 2) adjusting central budget allocation mechanisms to match actual local capacity and requirements; 3) developing data-driven indicator systems to enable self-monitoring and self-evaluation among LAOs, as well as fostering collaborative networks between LAOs and OBEC schools to share resources and innovations. These measures will ultimately lead to the provision of quality, equitable, and sustainable education based on localized and spatial diversity.