Thailand, a Buddhist country, experienced exponential growth in the late 20th century in economy, industrialization, and population. Progress continued until 1997 when the Thai currency collapsed as a result of overextension and fluctuating worth. This financial crisis led to increasing unemployment, decreasing social services, and a widening socio-economic divide in Thailand, and even affected many other Asian countries.
Since then, the government has been able to make considerable progress in development, and combat health issues such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, even after the country regained its financial footing, education continues to be a challenge. While literacy in the country is high, school enrollment, especially at the secondary level and beyond, is comparatively low and education has a direct link to future employment options. Since Thailand was never colonized, its education system has a unique structure, and therefore may not help students to compete for employment on the global stage.
