Bangkok: The government is advancing efforts to reduce educational inequality through the Fund for Educational Equality, which aims to provide financial subsidies to 800,000 extremely poor students. The initiative includes launching a new student data recording system to prevent dropouts in the education system, effective from today until July 21, 2025.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Anukul Prueksanusak, deputy government spokesman, announced that the government, in collaboration with the Equitable Education Fund (EEF), is committed to diminishing educational disparities. The initiative involves allocating conditional financial assistance, known as equality grants, to extremely poor students who have previously received financial aid in the first semester of the 2025 academic year, scheduled for distribution between July 21-24, 2025.
The target demographic encompasses students from kindergarten 1 to Mathayom 3 across more than 30,000 educational institutions nationwide, involving six main agencies: the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), Department of Local Administration (DLA), Border Patrol Police Bureau (BPP), National Office of Buddhism (NOB), Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC), and Bangkok Education Office (BMA). The government has allocated a total budget of 1.536 billion baht for approximately 800,000 students. This funding, disbursed through the Equitable Education Fund, supports basic necessities such as food, learning equipment, uniforms, and transportation. Students will receive continuous aid for three academic years, with budgets ranging from 1,000 to 7,200 baht per year, contingent on educational level and household poverty. Scholarship recipients must maintain an attendance rate of at least 85 percent and meet developmental standards set by the Ministry of Public Health.
Mr. Anukul highlighted the significance of the Equal Opportunity Scholarship Project in preventing dropouts among extremely poor students, particularly during transitional phases between Prathom 3, Prathom 6, and Mathayom 3. By 2024, 1.34 million extremely poor students benefited from subsidies, achieving a retention rate of 97.88%. Additionally, the OBEC CARE system has been developed to identify and address risks faced by students, initially implemented in 1,136 schools, covering over 280,000 students, with plans for nationwide expansion in the 2025 academic year.
The government has urged educational institutions to utilize the newly opened EEF system for teachers to record data for a new cohort of students eligible for financial aid in the first semester of the 2025 academic year. Teachers can fill out the Student/EEF Form 01 from July 7-21, 2025, via the website https://cct.eef.or.th. For inquiries, contact 02-079-5475, press 1, or reach out at @cctthailand. The EEF will announce the eligible students on August 21, 2025, who will receive financial support aligned with their educational level and household needs, aiming to alleviate financial burdens and promote equal educational opportunities.