Community Development Department Defends 996 Million Baht Training Budget
Thailand's Community Development Department defended its 996 million baht budget, clarifying that 96 percent funds nationwide community skill-building programs for job creation and enterprise development rather than staff training alone.
The Department of Community Development responded to budget discussions during deliberations on the 2570 fiscal year budget bill, which raised concerns about a training budget exceeding 900 million baht. The department clarified that this budget is divided into two parts: 43 million baht (4 percent) for training over 6,000 civil servants and departmental staff, while the vast majority—953 million baht (96 percent)—funds community and people development programs nationwide to build skills in job creation, employment, and income generation.
The budget extends beyond mere training to create genuine improvements in villagers' livelihoods, such as upgrading community products to increase quality and market value, and opening market access for hundreds of thousands of community enterprise operators. This year's targets include developing over 10,000 entrepreneurs, creating 100 new community tourism destinations, providing occupational training to over 70,000 villagers, and enabling 50,000 more people to access capital for business ventures.
The department stressed that training is not the final goal but a tool for transferring knowledge and developing community skills that lead to real on-the-ground change. It emphasized that every baht of budget must deliver genuine value to people, and therefore this allocation should be viewed not merely as a training budget but as an investment in human and community potential, with departmental personnel driving implementation and communities as primary beneficiaries.
