Open Data: A Digital Tool for Enhancing Transparency and Governance in Thai Universities

Abstract

This academic article aims to present the role and potential of open data in promoting transparency and governance within Thai higher education institutions, in alignment with the Higher Education Act, B.E. 2562 (2019) and various governance guidelines. Currently, however, data disclosure remains largely compliance-driven rather than value-driven. This article proposes that the effective application of open data can be driven through five key mechanisms: (1) the establishment of a centralized database disclosing the profiles and qualifications of university executives and council members; (2) the disclosure of audited, comprehensive, and easily comprehensible financial reports; (3) transparency in all stages of the executive recruitment process; (4) the disclosure of individual votes and opinions of council members on critical agenda items; and (5) the elevation of public data quality into high-value open data by developing machine-readable data standards, creating participatory mechanisms for dataset determination, and extending data disclosure to the faculty and departmental levels. Furthermore, the article proposes a framework for developing an open data system for Thai higher education governance, which comprises three interconnected dimensions: the legal and policy dimension, the data infrastructure dimension, and the organizational culture and participation dimension. The implementation of open data will mitigate opportunistic behavior, enhance management efficiency through institutional benchmarking, foster public trust, and lead to more effective governance. Ultimately, this will enable Thai higher education institutions to grow transparently and achieve recognition under international standards.