The budget debate is often perceived as a political showdown in parliament. Yet national budgets reveal far more than political priorities; they reflect a government's vision and the country's direction. Thailand's draft budget for fiscal 2027 offers a sobering indication of the place of education -- and, more broadly, children -- in national priorities.
The FY2027 draft budget allocates approximately 126.13 billion baht directly to the Ministry of Education, equivalent to about 3.3% of the 3.788-trillion-baht national budget. Including the separate public personnel allocation for education, total education-related spending rises to about 358.77 billion baht, or roughly 9.5% of overall expenditure.
