The Office of the Education Council (OEC) has dismissed a report that ranked Thailand’s educational system lower than those of most other ASEAN nations, stating that the rankings lacked concrete evidence and did not accurately depict the present circumstances.
According to the 2025 education rankings from World Population Review, a site focused on demographic information, Thailand ranks 107th out of 203 nations surveyed and falls behind most Southeast Asian neighbors. The top-ranking ASEAN country is Singapore at position 11, followed by Brunei at 47, Indonesia at 67, Vietnam at 53, the Philippines at 71, Malaysia at 89, and Laos at 102. Among all ASEAN members, only Myanmar and Cambodia have worse placements than Thailand.
The top ranking went to South Korea, with Denmark and the Netherlands following closely behind.
Associate Professor Prawit Erawan, who serves as the secretary-general of the OEC, stated that the rankings were at odds with the information cited from the yearly Best Countries Report compiled by US News and World Report, BAV Group, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
The report encompassed 73 nations and placed Thailand at 48th position, ranking third within ASEAN after Singapore at 22nd and Malaysia at 37th. Laos and Brunei did not appear in the listings.
Mr. Prawit stated that The World Population Review didn’t provide additional details about the rankings. Therefore, claiming that Thailand was at the lower end might be premature and should be examined and understood with caution.
He mentioned that additional data displayed on the site included the literacy rates per country as of 2021, failing to capture the present circumstances.
The OEC has been carrying out its independent evaluation of literacy rates among Thai individuals who are 15 years old and above. According to him, the preliminary literacy rate stood at 99%, which is the highest within ASEAN. The definitive outcomes will be released towards the end of this month.
Mr. Prawit stated that every organization has its distinct objectives and roles. Individuals ought to concentrate on the literacy rates since they provide a clearer indication of the comparative strengths and weaknesses of different countries.
Mr. Prawit mentioned that the World Population Review rankings highlighted the necessity for Thailand to remain vigilant and take decisive action regarding issues within its educational framework and strive for further development of the sector.
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