Its Co-operatives Promotion Department has gained increasing importance in recent years by providing farmers with opportunities to work together, pool resources, and take advantage of economies of scale. The Education Ministry, in addition to running elementary and secondary schools and teacher training programs, is in charge of Fine Arts and Religious Affairs, the latter being a very important assignment in a country where religion retains a major influence in public affairs. The Ministries of Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs and Public Health effectively keep pace with accelerating developments in their areas of authority. The head of care civil servants in each ministry is the permanent secretary, who has administrative control over all the departments of the ministry, each of which is headed by a director general, also a career civil servant. The Thai soldiers are composed of professional cover soldiers and those recruited by conscription.
Every male aged twenty is subject to two years military service.
Students are allowed deferments until they have graduated. A National Security Council, composed of a number of ministers, is charged with coordinating the maintenance of national security. The Defence Ministry coordinates administration of the armed forces. The expenditures of the Defense Ministry are among the greatest of any ministry, absorbing a large proportion of the total national budget. Thailand's fighting forces are governed by the Supreme Command Headquarters which is staffed by leaders of the Army, Navy and Air Force.