Status of Education in Thailand
Though Thailand has been hailed as a model of the potential for peace, stability, and democracy in Southeast Asia and boasts a literacy rate of nearly 94% (men: 96 percent, women: 92 percent), recent political upheaval threatens the education system in this nation of 65.5 million. English is optional and offered as a foreign language at all levels.
Current Focus
The Asia Foundation Thailand office collaborates with the Books for
Thailand Foundation, established as a partnership with local civic and
corporate donors, to support local costs of book distribution. Working
together, they annually donate more than 50,000 new books from American
and Canadian publishers to over 550 institutions, with a special
emphasis on reaching rural schools, especially those in poverty
stricken areas. The goal is to foster an atmosphere of stability and
knowledge so that all may share in Thailand's prosperity.
Read more about The Asia Foundation's work in Thailand.
Project and Partner Highlights
Improving Islamic school education. Books for Thailand contributes
brand new textbooks to complement The Asia Foundation's work to help
private Islamic secondary schools (pondoks) reform their curriculum.
Constituting less than five percent of the Thai population nationwide,
the bulk of Thailand's Muslims live in the four southern-most
provinces, where they are the majority. Education is a key factor for
them to develop the necessary skills to prosper in Thailand's
competitive job market.
Rotary Clubs. Books for Thailand works with Rotary Clubs across the
country to spread the word about the availability of books through
Books for Asia for needy communities and to increase the impact of
Rotary projects. For example, in collaboration with the Bangkok South
Rotary Club, Books for Asia provides book kits to schools participating
in the club's Clean Drinking Water for Schools project, which selects
and distributes free reverse osmosis filtration systems to schools in
poor and rural areas. The book kits include more than 100 new,
English-language texts selected especially for the recipient school, an
explanation of Books for Thailand, and an invitation to visit and
select more books.
Annika Linden Foundation; Siam Commercial Bank. Through the support of
the Annika Linden Foundation, Books for Thailand is able to offer
"travel grants" to cover the otherwise prohibitive cost incurred by
representatives of schools and organizations who travel to Books for
Thailand in Bangkok to make book selections. The Siam Commercial Bank
provides warehouse and exhibition space for all materials that pass
through the Books for Thailand program.
Major publisher donors: Island Press, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw
Hill, Pearson, Lynne Rienner, and W.W. Norton & Company.
Contact
Burin Kantabutra
Vice Chairman, Books for Thailand Foundation
burin@set.or.th
Amorn Saiyoi, Books for Thailand Foundation Director and on-site Administrator
booksforthailandfoundation@hotmail.com