Higher Education Financing and Quality of Higher Education in Thailand

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between higher education financing and its
quality. The study found that there exist no correlation between the internal
quality assurance scores and an individual characteristic of higher educational institute. Government
budget in all items cannot explain the internal quality assurance scores in total, the
internal quality assurance scores on graduates, as well as the internal quality assurance scores
on research and development. The study, therefore, suggests that Thailand needs to have the
national human resource development plan for the Budget Bureau Office to use as a guideline
inallocatinggovernment budget for each university so as to ensure that universities will provide
graduates according to the direction of the national development. Furthermore, this study recommends
that public budget for higher education should be demand side financing system that
will lend the money directly to students. A demand side student loan system will encourage
competition among universities in student admission, and improving their curriculum in accordance
with the needs of labor market.
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