PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

Through decentralization, via national legislation since 1999, Thai municipal schools have become responsible for all areas of education, including educational facilities and infrastructure, health and lunch programs, pedagogy and teacher training, and curriculum and educational programme development. However, little research has been conducted on this process or on the results of the devolved municipal educational system. This article describes a survey of parental attitudes towards multiple aspects of the educational offering of the department of education in in one of the largest municipalities in Northeast Thailand, Khon Kaen Municipality (KKM). A large-scale mixed-methodology survey investigated parents' reasons for placing their children in KKM schools and their perception of the transport of students to and from schools. It also investigated the perceived factors of quality of education. The survey found that proximity, no tuition fees, and a good environment were the principal reasons, with cost and safety being issues for transporting students. Principal Component Analysis revealed the pedagogy, education program structure, school lunch program, and educational facilities to be important to parents, with a comparison showing differences by school, some critical. The article suggests KKM institute a citizens' dialogue process for educational strategic management to implement the recommendations.