Abstract
By analyzing the enculturation and acculturation process at village level, this paper attempts to examine the process by which the Thai government has introduced school education among the hill tribes in Northern Thailand, and the effects of schooling.
In Thailand, the government has enforced national education among the hill tribes since the 1950s. Aiming at national integration and development, the focus of the education for the hill tribes is on the teaching of the Thai language and Thai national values as well as modern knowledge. Since the hill tribes have their own culture and enculturation system, the introduction of formal schooling adds a new dimension to their enculturation process and caused severe acculturation problems.
In the concluding section, the educational policy toward the hill tribes and its implementation are considered in light of the cultural changes currently taking place among the Akha in Thailand. The author then proposes the need for improvement of the government educational policy.
