Challenges of initiating international cooperation in secondary education: Exploring Thailand-Indonesia partnership school program

The school partnership program between Thailand and Indonesia set an agenda in response to the initiative of educational cooperation policy and twenty-first century adaptation to the global context. This study examines conditions for the program implemented in Thai pilot schools and their challenges. Qualitative research was done by document analysis; in-depth interviews; and school visits. Stakeholders from central level and schools were selected by purposive sampling. Results were that there are significant gaps between policy design and actual practice. Therefore, challenges and practical implications during implementation occurred at both macro and micro settings. There were: 1) central authority lack of consistency in execution, insufficient budget allocation, and monitoring and evaluation discontinuity, with regulations unconducive to arranging certain activities; 2) the capacity of practitioners, especially in English language and information and communication technology (ICT) and replacing transferred and retired staff; 3) in-coordination between central and schools, and between Thai and Indonesian schools; and 4) impacts from external situations, especially the change of government in 2014 in Thailand, which altered the impetus of educational policy, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to suspension of international cooperation activities.