Seththa Taweesin leads Sansiri to win the honorary Thailand Zero Dropout Award, elevating the private sector campaign to a national agenda and transforming the structure of educational equity in Thailand.
On 24 July, reporters reported that Seththa Taweesin, the 30th Prime Minister, received the honorary Prime Minister's Thailand Zero Dropout Plus Award for 2026 from current Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. He was recognized as the initiator who advanced the "Thailand Zero Dropout" campaign from a private sector initiative to a national mission. This success transformed the "Ratchaburi Sandbox," an area with diverse inequalities, into a national prototype model for the "Thailand Zero Dropout: Every Child Must Learn" project. Sansiri Public Company Limited received the "Zero Dropout Driving Organization Award" as a private sector pioneer creating sustainable change and addressing educational inequality.
This marks a historic milestone in Thai education, as Seththa Taweesin, the 30th Prime Minister, received the honorary Prime Minister's TZD+ Award (Thailand Zero Dropout Plus) for 2026 for initiating the Thailand Zero Dropout project as a national mission to restore opportunities and futures for out-of-school children and youth. This award is a testament to the great success of a model focusing on "real results," rooted in the principle that "the big must help the small" and a firm commitment to reducing social inequality. Beginning as chairman and CEO of Sansiri and continuing after becoming Prime Minister, he has persistently promoted this policy as a key mechanism to transform the current Thai education structure.
What makes the "Zero Dropout" project stand out from other corporate social initiatives in Thailand is Sansiri's choice to create systemic change in an area unrelated to its core business and without conflicting interests. It deliberately took on the toughest challenge by selecting Ratchaburi Province, an area with some of the highest rates of at-risk children dropping out and diverse inequalities, to become a “Sandbox” for educational advancement. It raised 100 million baht through Asia's first social bonds to create the “Ratchaburi Model” (2022–2027), turning out-of-school children into a focal point. Budget management is efficient and transparent, with at least 80% of funds directed straight to child grants and direct assistance activities, while administration and research use no more than 20%.
. Seththa said, “The 100 million baht raised by Sansiri back then may not help every child nationwide, but it sparked action and created momentum for all sectors to collaborate. Now, as the nation's leader, I am fully committed to promoting equal access to education for every child. Today, I urge all sectors, especially private companies, that if about 20 organizations each help one province at a time, I believe that in 5 to 10 years, the educational landscape for Thai children will definitely change. Every organization should aim for the ultimate goal: no child or youth dropping out of the education system (Zero Dropout) to reduce inequality by using proactive individual student registration data to bring them back to classrooms. We must support flexible learning approaches that fit learners' lifestyles, focusing on competencies, vocational skills, and life skills to eliminate dropout risks. Children and youth define the nation's future, and everyone must have equal opportunities.”
The results of the “Ratchaburi Model,” developed in cooperation with the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) and partner networks, have helped over 20,000 children receive education and vocational skills, leading to the promotion of a new National Education Act under the Ministry of Education today.
Seththa added that the award received is proof that when all sectors collaborate, even the most difficult structural problems can be solved. This model will set a new standard for business organizations in Thailand, changing mindsets from being temporary donors to becoming true partners creating sustainable change for the nation's future.
