- 著者
-
玉田 芳史
- 出版者
- Japan Society for Southeast Asian Studies
- 雑誌
- 東南アジア -歴史と文化- (ISSN:03869040)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.1999, no.28, pp.3-27, 1999-06-01 (Released:2010-02-25)
The building of a modern state requires a modern educational system in order to produce the necessary numbers capable bureaucrats. This study examines the education of bureaucrats in Thailand, where a modern state was constructed after 1892 and nearly completed before 1932, using data obtained from official records of officials (samut prawat ratchakan) of the Ministry of Agriculture. This record includes 3022 officials who worked at the ministry during the two decades from 1921.First, the background of the officials is analyzed in terms of education, place of birth, and father's occupation. As the record has no entry for father's occupation, it is only possible to ascertain whether or not an official's father was himself a commissioned official or not. It was found that 42% of officials were from Bangkok, and 25% were sons of commissioned officials. The officials were classified into three categories according to their education: (A) those with higher education overseas, (B) those with domestic higher (or tertiary) education, and (C) those with only primary or secondary education. Those in categories A and B numbered 91 and 130 respectively, which means that more than 90% of officials received only primary or secondary education. Of officials in categories A and B, 60% and 51%, respectively, were from Bangkok, and 68% and 36%, respectively, were sons of commissioned officials. These numbers are strikingly high in view of the fact that Bangkok at the time accounted for less than 7% of the total population, and commissioned officials less than 0.2% of the total male population.Why were so many officials from Bangkok and sons commissioned officials? One of the most important reasons lay in the educational system, which prevented provincial boys and boys whose fathers were not officials from receiving a good education. First, secondary schools of the first rank were mainly located in Bangkok, including almost all of those providing upper secondary education (mathayom 7th and 8th grades). It was far more difficult for provincial boys to get a good secondary education than metropolitan boys.Second, it was not difficult for those who could afford the expense of upper secondary education to receive higher education. However, higher education was much less meaningful than studying abroad for the promotion of officials. It was better, if possible, to become an official on graduating from secondary school than to spend a further three years or more in higher education. This accounts for the curious finding that although the cost of overseas education far exceeded that of domestic education, the number of officials in category B, 130, was only slightly higher than that of category A, 91.Third, opportunities to study abroad were not equally available to all. Government scholarships were often given to those well connected with the king, ministers, or directorgenerals. This is why there were many sons of commissioned officials among those educated abroad.