Education Minister Prasert chaired a meeting with the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) to address five urgent agendas aimed at reducing educational inequality, with the goal of achieving zero school dropouts. He also plans to propose the Prime Minister's signature to advance the new ODOS scholarship program.
At 1:30 p.m. on 16 April 2026, Mr. Prasert Chantraruangthong, Minister of Education, held discussions on driving policies to reduce educational inequality with the Equitable Education Fund (EEF). Deputy Minister of Education Mr. Akkaranan Kankittinan joined online, along with Permanent Secretary Suthep Kaengsantiea and senior Ministry of Education executives, at the Rajawanlop Conference Room, Ministry of Education.
Mr. Prasert said the meeting focused on five key and urgent issues with the EEF, one of which was advancing the Outstanding Development Opportunity Scholarship (ODOS) program. This program offers talented but low-income students the chance to study abroad. They discussed budget support for ODOS scholarship cohorts 3 and 4 and preparations for cohorts 5 and 6.
Another topic was the Thailand Zero Dropout Plus (TZD+) project, which aims to eliminate dropout rates among children and youth. Previously, about one million students dropped out of the education system, but through ongoing efforts, this number has decreased to around 600,000. Going forward, each agency has been tasked with finding ways to reduce dropouts as much as possible in the coming year.
Initially, the Ministry of Education was instructed to work alongside the EEF to issue orders appointing a national steering committee for Thailand Zero Dropout and a new steering committee for the ODOS scholarship program. These orders will be submitted to the Prime Minister for signature to further advance both initiatives. Additionally, discussions included reforming the budget allocation formula to reduce educational inequality for small schools in remote areas, ensuring resources are fairly distributed and meet the needs of disadvantaged children in isolated locations to access quality education. Lastly, they addressed teacher production to develop quality educators who can be distributed across regions to solve teacher shortages in remote areas and respond to local needs.
This meeting highlighted the role of the Ministry of Education and the EEF as policy partners ready to work closely together to ensure all Thai children and youth, regardless of family background or location, receive truly equitable and quality educational opportunities.
