Secondary school curriculum covers five broad fields: Language science and mathematics, social studies, character development and work education. Extensive elective subjects in both academic and vocational disciplines are also offered at the secondary level. The students in the upper level will be guided to concentrate more on areas of specialization needed for their chosen careers or occupation. In addition, the use of a credit system facilitates flexibility in the teaching-learning process.
The requirements for class loads in a school year at the primary and secondary levels are 200 days of seven periods each (1 period =50 minutes). The school year is divided into two semesters. The minimum attendance rate of students to be qualified for final examination is 80%.
1.1 Educational Administration
At the national level, there are four Ministries responsible for education: the Ministry of Education (MOE), which is responsible for primary education, secondary education, vocational education, teacher education, non-formal education, as well as private education; the Ministry of University Affairs (MUA), which is responsible for the state universities, private universities and colleges; the Office of the National Education Commission (NEC), which in charge of educational policy making and planning; and the Ministry of Interior (MOI), which is in charge of Bangkok Metropolitan primary schools and municipal primary schools throughout the country.
