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Autonomous University in Thailand: Case Study of Kasetsart University. Asst. Prof. Panchit Seeniang ( Dr.agr .) Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication, Faculty of Agriculture at Kamphaeng Saen , Kasetsart University, Thailand.
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Autonomous University in Thailand: Case Study of Kasetsart University Asst. Prof. PanchitSeeniang (Dr.agr.) Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication, Faculty of Agriculture at KamphaengSaen, Kasetsart University, Thailand
Higher Education Institutions in Thailand • 171 higher education institutions in Thailand. • Public Universities (80): University & Autonomous University • Private Higher Education Institutions (71) • Community Colleges (20)
History • 1917: Chulalongkorn University (follow the British system) • Separated higher education administration from the state. • Develop out of the state system and gradually become independent. • 1931: the debate over autonomy - Independent from the state control in order to have enough freedom for academic development and effective management. • 1934: Thammasat University • PridiPhanomyong created it as a legal entity independent of the Ministry of Education. • To be financially independent of the state.
History • 1990: Establish the first public university in the country to operate independently from the government bureaucracy • Own autonomous administration system • Government financial support in the form of block grants • 2003: Autonomous University Act • 2015: Autonomous Kasetsart University Act • 3,200 lecturers, 67,000 students and 460 curriculums from 4 campuses. • 2017: 26 autonomous Universities (+ on process 3 universities)
Expectations • Own administrative structure and budgeting system • Decision making • Move out of the bureaucratic system • Management of quality • Academic freedom • Flexibility of operation • Fair and transparent funds • Autonomy in academic, personnel and financial management • The state can direct, supervise, audit and evaluate autonomous universities.
What's going on? • Academic: • Academic program • University structures • Increased interest and activity in research
Personnel management has faced much apprehension and some militant resistance among staff that have become dependent on bureaucratic rules and civil service conditions. • Salary rate at 1.7 times for academic staff, and 1.5 times for support staff. • Salary rate at 1.45 times for transform staff (change from gov. officials) • More professional an efficient task (KPIs) (quantity of the products) • Teaching-intensive workload
Financial management: • Much smoother operation due to: • the flexibilityin formulating the overall budget • aligning functional units demands in a unified plan • the ability to adjust and transfer funds • no return unused government income. • improve responsibility and accountability by University Council. • Not fully independent in areas where it must follow governmental criteria. • Budget process is constraint on creative and motivation.
University council is supreme in: • Setting the vision and direction • Formulating policy on education and research • Overseeing the personnel system which formulates policy and regulates personnel management, does not the operations of the system. • Budgeting and finance • Performance evaluation, faculties, functional units as well as senior administrators. • Internal audit • Have greater autonomy and authority. (Rectors hold executive power within each institution, in accordance with its government act.)
What needs for Autonomous University to work successfully? • Leadership (good leader) • Generate income: • more institutional resources: land to be rented, hospitals, schools • Push academic staff to create and open more short courses, international programs and graduate courses. • Research and consultancy services (charge 15-20% of total research budget) • Quantitative standards and other factors, such as academic freedom and the quality of academic work
Conclusions Pro • More efficiency work and staffs with the KPIs • More salary for staffs • More flexibility for budget management at university level
Cons • Not fully independent in areas where it must follow governmental criteria. • Conservative hence relative difficulty of simply copying models. • Led to the commercialization. • Good leaders is often limited to someone who can improve university rankings in international league tables. • Factory for publication (focus on quantity not quality)