“The people who live in a city are what determine the future of a city. Therefore, no investment is as worthwhile as investing in education or investing in children. The Aichi-kai Club has provided scholarships to students in Bangkok continuously for 35 years since 1989, totaling 470 scholarships, valued at 2,310,000 baht. I would like to thank the management team of the Aichi-kai Club for recognizing the importance of education. I look forward to collaborating with Aichi-kai Club on youth development projects and other projects in the future.”
Mr. Sanon Wangsrangboon, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, spoke on the occasion of presiding over the Aichi-kai Club scholarship award ceremony for the year 2023, and Mr. Jun Murase, President of the Aichi-kai Club. There were the administrators of the Education Office, the Foreign Affairs Office, the Aichi-kai Club, Bangkok students who received scholarships, and those involved in the ceremony at Bangkok City Hall (Swing).
He said education is a very important issue in Bangkok and two main issues need special attention. The first is “children falling out of the education system.” From coordinating information with the Educational Equality Fund and taking the number of students under various jurisdictions including Bangkok, the Ministry of Education, OBEC, and agencies involved in providing education from 3 – 18 years of age, it was found that Thailand has approximately 1 million children who are not in the education system. In Bangkok, it is found that as many as 130,000 children are missing out on their education, which is considered a very large number. However, one related reason is the economic situation that causes many families to push their children or grandchildren into the professional system to earn money faster.
Bangkok is trying to find children at risk of dropping out of the education system to award scholarships. Last year, it found an estimated 6,000 at-risk children. Approximately 1,000 scholarships have been awarded to these children. The Aichi-kai scholarship is a part that complements and allows Bangkok to move forward in reducing the risk of children falling out of the system even more.
The second issue is “Becoming a Learning City” where Bangkok has been selected and announced to be a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities: GNLC in 2024. The goal is to improve learning in all dimensions under two principles: Learning for Life. and Opportunities for All. The Aichi-kai Club’s provision of scholarships is considered part of supporting Bangkok to be a city of learning. It is also an opportunity for all children who receive scholarships today.
Aichi-kai Club in collaboration with Bangkok has operated continuously since 1989. They support Bangkok’s education policy by providing scholarships to students in Bangkok who are interested in education but lack financial resources. This year, the Aichi-kai Club intends to award 15 scholarships to Bangkok students in grade 6 and above, with 10,000 baht each.
