The Limitations of Autonomous University Status in Thailand: Leadership, Resources and Ranking

Drawing on the author’s 22 January 2015 lecture at the conference on “Research for Social Devotion” held to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Khon Kaen University, this comment discusses the challenges facing Thai universities making the transition to “autonomous” status. While current policy discourse is focused on the legal and financial aspects of this transition, attention to questions of leadership, uneven resources and the obsession over international ranking is overdue. The universities must be regarded as places for higher learning. It is important to break away from the limitations of rankings and assessment to ensure the quality of a university and its mandate to develop academic freedom and excellence.