Policy Recommendations for the Education of Street Vendors’ Children in Nakhon Sawan Province Based on the Dutiya Papanika Sutta

Abstract

This research aimed to (1) study educational policies affecting the children of street vendors in Nakhon Sawan Province, (2) analyze the structural problems affecting the education of street vendors’ children, and (3) propose educational policy recommendations based on the Dutiya Pāpaṇika Sutta. This qualitative research collected data through documentary research and fieldwork, using in-depth interviews, non-participant observation, and focus group discussions. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 informants, and a focus group discussion was held with nine experts, comprising monks and laypersons. The data were verified through triangulation, analyzed using content analysis, and presented through analytical description with an emphasis on structural critique. The results revealed the following: (1) The 15-year free education policy remains insufficient to cover the hidden costs of education. Specifically, subsidies for school uniforms and learning materials fall below actual expenses, while transportation costs are not subsidized at all. This creates an additional financial burden of approximately 10,000 baht per academic year, which directly affects street vendor families with irregular incomes. (2) An analysis from the perspective of the economics of education identified five household-level constraints: (a) fluctuating family income, (b) the household opportunity cost of losing child labor, (c) parents’ occupations lacking welfare protection, (d) household size constraints, and (e) frequent migration. In addition, system-level structural problems were found, including inequality in budget allocation, teachers’ redundant administrative workloads, and curricula misaligned with the labor market. (3) The policy recommendations based on the Dutiya Pāpaṇika Sutta are as follows: (a) Cakkhumā (vision): the state should have the vision to design a flexible education system, such as a credit bank system; (b) Vidhuro (competence): the state should apply expertise to reorient curricula toward vocational skills and integrate a central database to reduce teachers’ workloads; and (c) Nissayasampanno (support network): the state should establish provincial-level collaborative mechanisms among families, temples, schools, and the public and private sectors to serve as a social safety net and prevent children from dropping out of the education system.