Practicalities and dichotomies of education policy and practice of higher education in the Golden Triangle Area (Southeast Asia): Implications for international development

Abstract

Following the paradigm of globalization and development as a means of achieving a better life from the domestic sphere to the international landscape, different stakeholders including scholars, researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and institutions have been focusing on better informed policy and practice with an embedded mission of international development. Educational policymaking and implementation processes of a nation-state are constrained by global economic and political environments. The ongoing status of educational efforts in each country and disputing factors to the implementation of the education policies were examined. In this study, systematic literature review was conducted on the research of higher education policy in line with globalization and internationalization to depict the practicalities and dichotomies in implementing the sectors at the Golden Triangle Area (Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand). The internationalization of higher education in Golden Triangle Area needs promoting its strategic advantage in offering business opportunities through government policies to further promoting as an affordable study destination and attracting international students from ASEAN countries. The factors affecting the higher education quality and capacity of Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand include the need for better quality, barriers to research capacity development, the policy process of quality assurance, and the initiatives for internationalization in all three countries.