The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the education of young disadvantaged groups in Thailand. Chapter 1 first deals with the socio-economic context of the country and its effects on the young disadvantaged. Two periods of the Thai economy – the one prior to 1997 and the other after 1997 – are looked at, and effects on the young disadvantaged are summarized. Next, the chapter identifies the young disadvantaged and their common problems. The young disadvantaged are further categorized, their geographical distribution indicated and their common difficulties described. The information and analyses in this chapter represent a plethora of detail upon which further information in Chapter 2, concerning how society assists them, is based. Finally, Chapter 3 focuses on the different roles public authorities can play in order to help increase access to education for the disadvantaged.
