Manpower Requirement for Doctoral Graduates in Thailand

Abstract

The main objectives of the research were to predict the future demand for doctoral graduates in Thailand, as well as to evaluate potentiality of the universities both quality and quantity in order to meet the pre-requisite of the national development goal. The study began from the design for the future national development direction to be fulfilled through appropriate numbers of doctoral graduates in 10 areas classified by ISCED 2013, through the manpower requirement approach.

The results of the study found that under the existing constraints of qualified numbers of teaching personnel for the said purpose, the quality of graduates was closely related to the numbers being produced. As in the areas outside science and applied science subjects, the quality of doctoral graduates in general was still a serious problem especially the ones that received very strong social pressure to produce a doctoral graduate for the sake of its title rather the real quality in it.

At the same time, there had been a strong tendency to universities to respond to such unnecessary demand through a commercialized way rather than their determination to build up a strong research team as well as to produce quality graduates and better academic development of their staff. The doctoral programs of this type of universities should be closed. On the other hand, the projects that were attempts by academic institutions for the said development objectives but facing various difficulties must be supported, especially in the areas that would serve the national development purpose in the future. As for the quality assurance, it should be more strictly applied to the quality of output that was the quality of the dissertation, than the one of inputs without sufficient reasons. However, minimum standard for quality and quantity for those who teach and would be students should be prevailed as a necessary condition, while the quality of the dissertation must be strictly observed as a sufficient condition.