Vocational Schools and Specialized Institutes

       Seeing the necessity to adapt the educational system to the development and labor needs of the country, vocational education and training has been given much promotion. Various types of courses and training programs are offered and administered by the Department of Vocational Education and the Institute of Technology and Vocational Education.

There are eight levels of studies programmed to suit the student's previous academic background, ranging from the semi-skilled level, offered to students who have completed the lower secondary level, to technical teacher training programs (degree level), open to holders of Higher Certificades in Technical Education with high academic records and a desire to become technical teachers in colleges and vocational training centers.

Teacher education has undergone various changes since 1892, when the first teacher training school for elementary school teachers was founded. In the 1960's a larger number of leacher training institutions were established to meet an urgent demand for more teachers. This expansion was precipitated by three major factors; the extension of compulsory education, population growth, and the availability of secondary education to a larger population. The attention that has been paid to expanding teacher education was evident in the dramatic increase in teachers. However, this effort was concentrated on the quantitative rather than on the qualitative. At present there is a concern about improving the quality of the teacher education programs.

The Gurudayada Teacher Training Program is one of the innovative projects designed to upgrade the image of the teaching profession and to increase significantly the quality of the teachers. At Chulalongkorn University, the program emphasises a strict recruitment process for teacher candidates. Those who indicate a positive attitude toward a teaching career and wish to enroll in the program must have attained at least a 3.0 grade level at secondary school and must active involve themselves in five extra educational activities designed by the staff of the Department of Elementary Education of the Faculty of Education.