Abstract

Education plays a pivotal role in societal development and nation-building, particularly in the 21st century, marked by rapid changes and globalization. Ensuring quality education that meets the needs of both the job market and national development is paramount for Thailand’s vision of becoming a “Stable, Prosperous, and Sustainable Country” as outlined in its 20-year National Strategy (2018–2037). Within this framework, the Primary Educational Service Area Offices in the Office of the Basic Education Commission are tasked with providing essential educational services. However, various challenges, including resource inadequacy and service delivery issues, hinder their effectiveness. This research aims to investigate the components of the excellent service provision of the Primary Educational Service Area Offices in the Office of the Basic Education Commission, along with analysing the desired conditions, and the essential needs for providing excellent service. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, including literature review, expert consultations, questionnaire development, and data analysis. The research methodology has been conducted in two phases. Phase 1 of the research focuses on identifying the components of excellent service provision through a literature review and expert consultations. Six core components, including (1) the Development of Personnel Service Providers, (2) the Development of Service Procedures, (3) the Relationships Management with Service Recipients, (4) the Service Quality, (5) the Establishment of Service Culture, and (6) the Service Environment, Technology and Facilities, are identified and validated by the nine qualified experts. Phase 2 involves assessing the current conditions, the desired conditions, and the essential needs for service provision. Data collected from a sample group of 620 individuals across 124 Primary Educational Service Area Offices reveal high levels of current conditions and the highest levels of the desired conditions. The most essential need identified is the Development of Personnel Service Providers. The findings suggest that policies should be implemented to promote the development of personnel service providers and support the implementation of identified components for excellent service provision. Additionally, further qualitative research is recommended to compare service levels among different educational service areas and develop tailored models for excellent service provision.

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