The Impact of Open University Graduates in Thailand on Its Economy: the Generation of Middle Class in Thai Society

Numerous attempts have been made so far by scholars to demonstrate the positive role of the two open universities in Thailand, namely, Ramkhamhaeng University (RU) and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), in its miraculous economic growth for the last thirty years. What is lacking, however, is a comparative study between these open universities and traditional universities with high social valuation, based on relevant numerical data. The objectives of this book are: (1) to grasp why students go to open/traditional universities and how they see the universities? quality of education, (2) to describe the social status of RU and STOU graduates in comparison with graduates of Chulalongkorn University (CU), and (3) to find out if higher education at RU and STOU is a good investment. Questionnaires used in a survey of 972 graduates of the three universities named above included questions about: (1) university-choice behavior, (2) quality of education, and (3) financial situation such as beginning and current salary, both of which are the crucial indicators to determine the social status of graduates.