To increase self-reliance, efforts should be made to carry out exploration for raw materials that are now imported as well as to develop alternative materials. All research programmes, moreover, should be continuously evaluated. The study results indicate that the development of technical skills through an exchange training programme would be useful. Materials science, metal processing, and industrial process design are priority disciplines. Human resources development for industry requires that the majority of the population possess a basic knowledge of science and technology.
Education is investment capital.
Yet the people in Thailand are holding back progress, since the majority do not possess sufficient technical skills and knowledge for national development, particularly in industry. Formal, informal, and non-formal education could be used to change this situation. Higher education opportunities for the rural population should be rapidly expanded. Thailand would benefit from an educational exchange programme, which would increase the capability of its human resources. Mutual assistance in technology should be developed through training programmes.