Investigating the potential of Thai universities to reduce educational inequality in China

Educational inequality is an important issue facing China, especially in higher education. The scarcity of higher education opportunities in China has hindered students' self-development and posed a challenge to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4. To seek more higher education opportunities, many Chinese students choose to study in Thailand. As the largest source of international students in Thai universities, Chinese students have made Thailand a vital place to study the experience and educational outcomes of Chinese international students. However, existing research still needs to fully explore whether studying in Thailand can reduce the difficulties of Chinese students in higher education and improve education, thereby alleviating educational inequality in China. This study adopts a qualitative method to deeply understand the impact of studying in Thailand on the improvement of Chinese students' education through content analysis and systematic analysis of 50 Chinese students' learning experiences in Thailand on the “XiaoHongShu” (Little Red Book) platform and explore the role of Thai universities in alleviating educational inequality in China.The study found that Thai universities effectively meet the needs of Chinese international students in terms of degree recognition, future development support, language ability improvement, and global vision expansion. By providing affordable and international education, Thai universities not only provide Chinese students with more opportunities for further study and improve their education level but also help their future personal development. This opportunity provides fairer educational opportunities for students from different backgrounds, helps alleviate educational inequality in China, and promotes the achievement of SDG 4.