Higher education promotion for knowledge-based economy : a comparative study of brain Korea 21 and Thailand’s National Research Universities

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study Korea’s direction of education development through nurturing research in higher education institutions and compare Brain Korea 21 Project, which one of the major higher education development strategies to lead Korea toward knowledge-based economy, with Thailand’s National Research Universities Project to improve the policies for the development of Thailand’s higher education institutions. The researches employed documentary research and interviewed the informants of education in South Korea and Thailand. The results showed that Brain Korea 21 Project is an example of Korea’s government strategies to nurture research universities to meet the demand of high quality human resources by providing stipends and allowances to Master and Doctoral students and researchers, who were selected to participate in the project to stimulate competitiveness. It also greatly improved development of excellence human resourcesand, in turn enhance the capacities of universities, while Thailand’s National Research Universities Project represents an effort to promote World-Class University Research. However, the National Research Universities Project is still in early stage and needs some solutions for delay budget and different administration systems of participated universities. Thus, candidness and consistency are necessary to develop Thailand to be regional education hub and enhance internationally competitiveness.