Philosophy Strategies Vision and Mission

Philosophy
Enlightening the City, Enriching the Country, and Driving towards International Standard

Strategies
Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University leads the way in educational endeavors as an educational institution for local development, in line with His Majesty the King’s teachings on education. This is propelled through the university's missions aligned with the strategic direction set forth in the 20-Year Strategic Plan (BE 2560–2579), as reviewed during the Rajabhat University Presidents’ Conference on October 11, BE 2561. The university’s operational plans for the 3-Year Period (BE 2563-2565) were revisited from July 14th to 16th, BE 2563, adhering to the policies of the University Council (BE 2564-2567). Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University formulated operational plans for various areas in the 1st phase (BE 2563-2565) according to the evaluation criteria and indicators of the Quality Assurance System for Rajabhat Universities. These were presented in detail to the University Council at its 13/2562 Meeting, convened on December 12th, BE 2562, and further proposed for approval and guidance towards implementation at the 12/2562 Meeting of Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University’s Council, held on December 25th, BE 2562. These initiatives aim to ensure compliance with the principles outlined in the Royal Decree Concerning Criteria and Methods for Good Governance of Local Administration BE 2546, and the Rajabhat University Act BE 2547. Furthermore, Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University has developed its Annual Operational Plan (BE 2564) to provide clear directions for operations in accordance with the criteria, methods, and conditions prescribed by the National Economic and Social Development Board, as approved by the Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University Council at its 11/2563 Meeting on October 30th, BE 2563.

The conversion of the operational plan in accordance with the missions of the university’s 1st phase (BE 2563-2565) into the operational practices of Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University necessitates that internal units develop operational plans aligned with the university’s operational plan for the 1st phase (BE 2563-2565) at the university level. These plans must encompass tasks, projects, activities, outputs, outcomes, durations, budgets, and responsible parties. They should align with the university’s various operational issues/topics and be presented to the respective faculty, institute, or department committees for approval. 1 Once approved, the annual operational plans should be implemented by the units to drive various organizational missions forward.

The governance, monitoring, and evaluation of project/activity implementation and organizational success at the university entail mechanisms to control and oversee operations to align with plans/projects and budget utilization. They also involve continuous improvement efforts. This operational framework consists of four strategies, as follows:
Strategy 1: Local Development. The objective of this strategy is to integrate missions, address issues, and elevate economic, social, environmental, and educational aspects.
This is in alignment with national strategies. This includes promoting the development of students, education personnel, and local communities to become virtuous, competent individuals. They should be physically, mentally, and intellectually prepared, with well-rounded development and good health at every stage of life. They should possess a sense of social responsibility, exhibit discipline, uphold moral principles, and be exemplary citizens. They should have correct principles, possess essential skills for the 21st century, including proficiency in English and other languages, as well as preserving local languages. They should have a thirst for learning and self-improvement throughout their lives, aiming to become skilled individuals, thinkers, entrepreneurs, and more, according to their aptitudes.
Strategy 2: Teacher Production and Development. The goal of this initiative is to produce graduates who are exemplary teachers of Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University, possessing outstanding qualities and competencies. These individuals should exhibit four key characteristics desired by stakeholders. Furthermore, they should transfer and nurture these qualities among students at various stages of development and among teacher graduates entering the profession, ensuring they receive capacity-building support to adapt to changes effectively.

In alignment with achieving national strategic objectives, this initiative aims to promote and develop students, education personnel, and local communities to become virtuous, competent individuals. They should be physically, mentally, and intellectually prepared, with well-rounded development and good health at every stage of life. They should possess a sense of social responsibility, exhibit discipline, uphold moral principles, and be exemplary citizens. They should have correct principles, possess essential skills for the 21st century, including proficiency in English and other languages, as well as preserving local languages. They should have a thirst for learning and self-improvement throughout their lives, aiming to become skilled individuals, thinkers, entrepreneurs, and more, according to their aptitudes. 2 This initiative aims to create individuals who contribute positively to society and uphold the values of the nation.

Strategy 3: Elevating the quality of education aims to integrate knowledge into innovations for local development, while enhancing the quality of graduates to meet stakeholders’ demands. This involves defining graduates' identities with competencies and characteristics across four dimensions. Moreover, graduates should be adaptable to changing contexts and educators should possess nationally and internationally recognized competencies.
In alignment with achieving national strategic objectives, this initiative aims to promote and develop the strengths of cultural identity, traditions, and lifestyles, blending them with technology and innovation to adapt to modern society and economy. Furthermore, it aims to enhance the potential of the new generation to meet market demands, integrating with future supporting strategies, based on the progression from the past to the present.
Strategy 4 : The development of management systems aims to emphasize the cultivation of ethics, efficient and adaptable administrative systems, readiness, and the ability to efficiently and effectively adapt to the university's status under state regulation. It should be nationally and internationally recognized as an educational institution for local development that contributes to the country’s stability.

In alignment with achieving national strategic objectives, this initiative aims to promote and support management systems adhering to ethical principles, fostering a culture of performance and overall benefits. It should be modern and adaptable to constantly evolving global changes, especially in utilizing big data technology innovations and implementing digitalized systems effectively, benchmarked against international standards, while being inclusive and transparent to accommodate the needs of the public conveniently, swiftly, and transparently. Additionally, it should instill values of integrity, honesty, and conscientiousness, rejecting corrupt and unethical behavior. Moreover, laws should be clear, contemporary, globally applicable, efficient, and conducive to reducing inequalities and promoting development through fair and efficient processes, efficient and fair management, impartiality, and adherence to legal principles.

Mission
Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University operates in accordance with the Higher Education Institutions Act, BE 2562, Category 4, the duties and powers of the educational institutions, as stipulated in Article 26 (announced on May 1, 2562), are as follows.
1) Educational Management
2) Research and Innovation
3) Academic Services to Society
4) Preservation and Promotion of Arts and Culture
5) Other duties and powers as specified by law

The Rajabhat University Act of BE. 2547 (announced on June 14, BE. 2547) sets forth the objectives and responsibilities of the university as follows.
Article 7 The university is designated as an institution of higher learning for regional development, aimed at enhancing the intellectual potential of the land, revitalizing the capacity for learning, promoting local wisdom, fostering artistic creation, and ensuring the sustainable advancement of society. It actively participates in the management, conservation, and sustainable utilization of natural resources and the environment in a balanced manner. Its objectives include promoting education, advancing academic and professional excellence, conducting teaching and research, providing academic services to society, improving, disseminating, and developing technology, fostering arts and culture, and producing and promoting the qualifications of teachers.

Article 8 In order to achieve the objectives outlined in Article 7, the university shall delineate its responsibilities as follows:
1) Strive for academic excellence grounded in local wisdom, Thai intellectual heritage, and global knowledge.
2) Produce graduates with both knowledge and morality, instilled with a sense of Thai identity, love, and attachment to their locality. Furthermore, promotes lifelong learning within communities to enable local residents to keep pace with changes. The production of graduates should align with the country's graduate production plan in terms of quantity and quality.
3) Enhance understanding and appreciation of the cultural values of both the local and national heritage.
4) Foster the strength and integrity of community leaders, religious leaders, and local politicians, instilling in them a sense of democratic consciousness, ethics, morality, and the ability to manage community and regional development for the collective benefit.
5) Strengthen the professionalism of teaching careers, produce and develop educators and educational personnel to meet high-quality standards appropriate for advanced professions.
6) Coordinate cooperation and mutual assistance among universities, communities, local government organizations, and other organizations both domestically and internationally for regional development.
7) Study and seek ways to develop appropriate indigenous and modern technologies for the livelihoods and occupations of local people. Also, seek ways to promote sustainable management, conservation, and utilization of natural resources and the environment.
8 ) Study, research, promote, and perpetuate projects stemming from the royal initiatives in carrying out the university's missions for regional development.
Ministerial Announcement of the Ministry of Education Regarding Educational Standards for the year BE. 2561 (Announced on July 20, BE. 2561), the aim is to develop the people and society of Thailand into a strong foundation for the country, with readiness in physical, mental, and intellectual aspects, as well as skills for the 21st century. This includes moral integrity, respect for the law, leadership qualities, appreciation of Thai values, and awareness of the global context. The goal is to ensure that education is lifelong learning, shaping the learning culture of Thai people into a society of learning, and fostering collaborative innovation for the development of quality of life and society. The educational standards consist of five dimensions as follows:
Standard 1: Student Learning Outcomes
Standard 2: Research and Innovation
Standard 3: Academic Service
Standard 4: Arts and Culture, and Thai Identity
Standard 5: Management and Administration

From the roles and powers according to the Higher Education Act of 2019, the Royal Decree on Rajabhat Universities of 2004, and the Ministerial Announcement on Educational Standards of 2018, the Rajabhat University Presidents' Council (RUPC) convened to collectively review the strategic plan of Rajabhat Universities for Regional Development over a 20-year period (2017-2036) on October 11, 2018. With the participation of all 38 Rajabhat Universities, 5 of the missions of Rajabhat Universities were outlined in the strategic plan for Regional Development over a 20-year period (2017-2036), comprising five missions as follows:
1) Produce graduates of high quality with good attitudes, contributing positively to society, and possessing competencies aligned with the needs of stakeholders.
2) Conduct research to generate high-quality knowledge and innovations that meet accepted standards, with a focus on integration for ethical utilization.
3) Develop localities according to their potentials, addressing real problems and needs of communities by transferring knowledge, technology, and adhering to the royal initiatives in practice.
4) Foster collaboration networks with all sectors to promote local development and strengthen community leaders with integrity and abilities in managing for the collective benefit.
5) Efficiently manage internal resources within the university with ethical principles, while adapting to changing contexts to ensure continuous and sustainable development.
Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University has outlined its 5 missions in the 3-year operational plan (2020-2022), annual operational plans for 2021 and 2022, in alignment with the announcement of Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University's policy of the University Council for the term 2021-2024, announced on June 15, 2020, to provide direction and scope of operations. These are the actions that Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University must undertake to achieve the specified goals and visions.

Visions

Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University has defined its vision as follows: "Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University is an institution that produces graduates with distinctiveness, quality, competency, and serves as a primary institution for integrating knowledge towards sustainable local development, ensuring national stability." This vision is underpinned by the motto "Local Wisdom, Thai Identity, Global Advancement," which is a collaborative creation of all university personnel through online feedback collection from May 21 to 31, 2021, and approval by the University Council in its 6/2564 meeting on June 18, 2021.
From this vision, it is evident that the university focuses on two aspects: graduate production and local development. These are outlined as distinctive and characteristic traits to guide implementation, as follows:
Graduate Distinctiveness: Graduates must possess quality and standards in accordance with academic and professional standards, along with skills relevant to the 21st century. Additionally, they must embody the four principles of education: 1) Good and accurate attitudes, including knowledge and understanding of their nation, adherence to religion, loyalty to the monarchy, and support for their family and community. 2) Strong and stable life foundations, discerning between right and wrong, good and evil, acting in accordance with good and beautiful things, and rejecting wrongdoing. 3) Employment and occupation, expressing love for work until its completion, maintaining a lawful occupation, sustaining themselves and their families; and 4) Good citizenship and discipline, recognizing everyone's duty to be a good citizen, promoting opportunities for everyone to fulfill their duties as good citizens. These qualities are encapsulated in the university's definition of the graduate, described as a Rajabhat Nakhon Si Thammarat University graduate who is a thinker, a practitioner, and has a public spirit.

“Thinker” refers to students/graduates who have the ability to analyze, synthesize, and create, as well as to apply knowledge and experience or seek new methods to solve problems or develop processes. They work systematically and with critical thinking.
“Practitioner” refers to students/graduates who produce works, projects, or activities that reflect skills/work and are indicative of problem-solving and development in daily life or in their profession. This is measured through the results of projects/activities, including evaluations of key professional skills during internships/cooperative education, along with user satisfaction assessments.
“Public Spirit” refers to students/graduates who are aware of social issues related to environmental conservation, arts and culture, and community welfare. They contribute to society without expecting rewards, with compassion, support, and volunteering to help others as citizens. This is also evaluated by employers and service users.
In terms of identity, “Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University is a university dedicated to local development, emphasizing academic service, and the preservation of arts and culture.” This initiative focuses on local development and the preservation of arts and culture, aiming to utilize knowledge to develop local communities in all aspects, including economics, society, environment, and education. This is achieved through collaboration with responsible agencies, both governmental and non-governmental, integrating various disciplines to foster innovation and disseminate knowledge to meet community needs. The goal is to address, develop, and sustainably advance communities, with a commitment to monitoring outcomes 7 in each community for at least three years. Sustainability is assessed based on the community's ability to be self-reliant and self-managed, ensuring food security, employment, income, and a high quality of life, thus empowering the community to continue driving its own development.