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Children and Youth in Thailand

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1 Children and Youth in Thailand Wirot Sanrattana Merrill M. Oaks Being published 2 National Profile Thailand is a rich tapestry of traditional and modern culture. Located in Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Myanmar (Burma) – see map. “Siam” is the name by which the country was known to the world until 1949. On May 11, 1949 an official proclamation changed the name to “Prathet Thai” or “Thailand”. The word “Thai” means “free”, and therefore “Thailand” means “Land of the Free”. Thailand’s known as the “Land of Smiles” for the friendliness of its people. A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European or other world power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. The provisions relating in the constitutional government and monarchy laid down in the 1932 Constitution specified three basic concepts regarding the governmental structure. First, the Monarch is regarded as Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces and Upholder of the Buddhist Religion and all other religions. Second, a bicameral National Assembly, which is comprised of members of Parliament and members of Senate, administers the legislative branch. Third, the Prime Minister as head of the government and chief executive oversees the executive branch covering the Council of Ministers which is responsible for the administration of 19 ministries and the Office of the Prime Minister. Buddhism is the pre-dominate religion with a minority of other world religions represented throughout the nation. Thai is the predominant language with English a second language of choice. Local dialects predominate on Thai borders with neighboring countries of Myanmar, (Burma) Malaysia, Laos, and Cambodia. The ethnic composition of Thailand is 75 percent Thai, 14 percent Chinese and 11 percent other. January 2006 data indicated that Thailand’s population was 62.5 million with relative equal balance of male and female represented. There is a total in-country workforce of 35,711,300 with approximately half (49 percent) working in agriculture related careers. The service sector represents 37 percent employment followed by 13 percent in the industrial sector. Life expectancy is 71.41 years with women outliving men by about two years. Literacy rate for Thai children and youth is 92.6 percent. The population of children and youth (0-14) is 24.33 million or 37.91 percent of the national population. This number has declined from 61.12 percent of total population in 1980 and is consistent with the national population rate that has fallen over the past 20 years from 2.0 percent to 1.1 percent growth. It is expected that in 2014 the population of children and youth will continue to fall to 24.06 million or 34.76 percent of the total population. Three chronological age groupings are used to consider children and youth needs and services; 1) 5 years of age and younger, 2) 6-14 years, and 3) 15-25 years. For children 5 years of age and younger, the government focuses on physical and mental wellness including immunization, nutrition, early childhood education, and family stability. Infant mortality rate is approximately 20.48 deaths per 1000 births for newborns within this group. The infant and young child group consisted of 5.9 million 3 in 1999 or 22.07 percent of the total child and youth population. This number is predicted to fall to 5.2 million or 21.34 percent in 2011 and is expected to be 5.0 million or 20.90 percent in 2014. Children age 6-14 years are in the process of educational and social development, therefore the Thai Government places priority on quality educational and family support to optimize mental, physical and social development. Children in this group totaled 5.67 million (32.44 percent) in 1999. These numbers are predicted to increase to 8.67 million or (35.52 percent) in 2011 and then reduce to 8.10 million (34.18 percent) in 2016. Youth and young adults age 15-25 years who continued education and entered mainstream work represented 12.2 million (45.0 percent) of the total child and youth population in 1999. That number is predicted to reduce to 10.5 million in 2011 and 10.7 million in 2014. There are two categories of children of migrants who are in an especially vulnerable situation. They are the children of displaced persons residing in camps along the border with Myanmar and the children of registered and unregistered migrant workers from neighboring countries. The two groups together comprise more than 150,000 children. It has been recommended that the Government of Thailand strengthen policies pertaining to children of migrants within a framework that integrates migration policies with its broader strategies for social and economic development. Overview Thailand has an active history of policy support for child advocacy, education, and social development since 1911. King Rama VI initiated a national policy at that time to establish Thailand’s first Boy Scout Group, which set in motion a growing number of related child centered policies focused on the welfare of the Kingdom’s children and youth. The King had a deep interest and concern for the Kingdom’s children and youth, considering them to be the nation’s most important asset. Acting as their advocate, he enforced a policy to educate and support all children to become productive citizens through self development of social and career skills, including awareness and practice of social welfare toward others. Thailand adopted its first National Economic and Social Development Plan for 1961- 1966, and the Second for 1967-1971. During this period, results of child and youth issues were analyzed, leading to increased government policy support for child and youth development and management. The Office of National Youth, a division of National Research Council of Thailand, was subsequently established to develop plans and to cooperate with governmental and private organizations in order to reinforce that youth be recognized as Thailand’s most valuable resource. The Fifth National Economic and Social Development Plan (1982-1986) and the Eighth (1997-2001) lead to the long-term Child and Youth Development Plan 1981-2001 and 2002-2011 respectively. These benchmark plans established a long standing national commitment to initiate and enforce child policy and youth empowerment which is scheduled well into the 21st century. 4 The history of the National Youth Policy has been shaped from governmental policy, changing social and cultural environments, and national political leaders. International initiatives historically have included the Rights of Children project and more recently participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO). These initiatives emphasize contemporary child and youth development as an enterprise by organizing related functions of family and community development. In addition to national organizations responsible for child and youth development, there are private organizations, the most prominent being the National Council for Child and Youth Development (NCYD) under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Chakri Sirindhon. Founded in June 1984, the Council serves as the coordination center for organizations responsible for promoting child and youth development in Thailand. The Council includes both state and private sectors as well as foreign and international organizations. The National Council for Child and Youth Development (NCYD) includes 33 common foundations members. Examples include the Duang Prateep Foundation, Foundation for Child Development (FCD), Foundation for Children, Foundation for Children with Disabilities (FCD), Foundation for the Blind in Thailand, Thai Youth Hostels Association (TYHA), The Center for the Protection of Children’s Right Foundation, The Rural Development Foundation, Young Muslim Association of Thailand, and Young People Development Centers (UPDC). Education At present, the framework of education in Thailand is based on the 1997 constitution and the 1999 National Education Act. The Constitution ensures that all people will have both the right and duty to receive education and training as well as academic freedom. It also includes the right to receive care and education for children, youth, women, the elderly, the underprivileged and the handicapped. Those provisions will protect the right to education of “all” Thai people. For basic education, the constitution also provided for the first time that all Thai people will have an equal right to receive basic education for at least 12 years, free of charge. Section 10 of the 1999 National Education Act, revised in 2002, specifies that education is for everyone with equal rights and equal opportunity to receive a basic education of at least 12 years and that the state must provide to all with quality without collecting any expenditure from students. Additionally, the law states that compulsory education is for nine years, covering 6 years of primary education and 3 years of lower secondary education. This requires that children aged 7 enter basic education school until they are 16 years of age. Schools, both metropolitan and rural, are funded for basic educational needs for administration and instruction for all children in its assigned area. In addition to basic education, the government also provides basic food, health care, and clean drinking water. Pre-primary education or early children education is also included in basic education. The enrollment rates at pre-primary level, however, have continuously decreased since 1999. In order to facilitate higher access to education for this age group, government 5 subsidies have been granted to public and private schools that provide pre-primary education since academic year 2004. The number of primary students has been high for several years as a result of increasing numbers of 6-11 year old children participating in school education as well as the under-age and over-age population of students.
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