Abstract

This article analyzes the development of moral, ethical, and ethical education in Thai schools between 1960 and 1992, reflecting the power relations between the state, political ideology, and religious institutions. The study found that during the 1960s, the state prioritized economic development, while exercising disciplinary measures and restricting the teaching of certain moral principles that might hinder development. Later in the 1970s, Buddhism was used as a tool to counter communism, and this intensified after the events of October 6, 1976, when conservative forces used Buddhism to create unity and promote the ideology of good citizenship in a democratic system with a constitutional monarchy. This resulted in students of other religions becoming outsiders in the educational context. Later, in the 1980s and 1990s, an ideological clash arose between the technocratic approach to universal ethics and the conservative and monastic community's Buddhist ideology. This led to the inclusion of Buddhism as an elective and later compulsory subject, primarily driven by political motives rather than academic effectiveness.

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