When Her Royal Highness Princes Galyani Vadhana returned to Thailand in 1950, the Princess Mother, who knew well of her daughter’s passion for a teacher’s role since childhood, advised her to take up a part-time job as a French lecturer at the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University. The Princess held the post until the year 1958, teaching French conversation, civilization, and literature.


In 1969, at the request of the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana agreed to become a full-time lecturer, taking up both teaching and administrative tasks as the Head of French Language and Literature Branch and Director of the Foreign Language Division, which was responsible for the teaching of French, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian.


She taught various classes in French language and literature, and supervised the teaching by Thai and foreign lecturers. She also drew up a degree course for French language and literature, which was completed in 1973. The course was considered a perfect combination of French language and literature knowledge. While serving as a full-time lecturer at Thammasat University, she was requested by the Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University, to be a special lecturer in 1972.


Increasingly beset by a heavy work schedule, however, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana resigned from her post as a permanent faculty member of Thammasat University, but she remained a special lecturer there. Moreover, she accepted a post as a special French lecturer for the Faculty of Science and Arts at Kasetsart University. The Princess later heard of a shortage of teaching staff at the Faculty of Humanities, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, owing to its remoteness and security problems. She became a lecturer there, taking up residence in the campus like others in the teaching staff.


While taking up teaching in universities, the Princess took part in various academic activities, such as serving in the examination jury for government scholarships and chairing the committee on French tests in the entrance examination for state universities. She played an active role in teaching up to January 1978 and was appointed by His Majesty the King as a Visiting Professor of Thammasat University.



With her talent and experience in teaching French, the Princess recognized the problem of continuity in the teaching and learning of the French language, especially during the transitional period from secondary to university level. She therefore initiated the Thai Association of Teachers of French (Association Thailandaise des Professeurs de FranÇais) in 1977, as the center where teachers could meet and discuss their experiences, so as to improve teaching methods at secondary and university levels. She se.rved as President of the Association from 1977 to 1981, and since then as its Honorary President.



Her academic endeavors and dedicated work for educational development were recognized both nationally and internationally. Various universities conferred honorary doctorates in different fields of study on her. The Princess was also honored by several governments around the world, as well as the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

 
   
       
   
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