— Support for Education —
Realizing that quality education is essential for the continued progress and development of the country, the Foundation has, from its inception, focused on providing resources and opportunities to individuals and institutions in a variety of ways.
Student Scholarships
The original thrust of the Foundation's focus in education was toward providing scholarships at the tertiary level. During the first 20 years, about 35 to 60 grants were awarded each year to Thai students furthering their education at local colleges and universities. One third of these scholarships were designated for students from the metropolitan area while two-thirds went to students in the provinces.After 1983, for several years, the Foundation directed its efforts toward primary and secondary education, providing grants to schools for equipment, uniforms, as well as funds to develop a self-sufficient school lunch program
Children take part in the Foundation’s School Lunch Program in 1984
School Lunches
School Lunches In the 1980’s the promotion of proper nutrition for primary school children was an area of special attention, and the Foundation was an early supporter of the government’s efforts to ensure that dietary needs vital to the physical and intellectual development of the country’s young people were being met. To that end, the Foundation provided a budget of 2 million Baht over a two-year period for a pilot project to develop school lunch programs in 100 primary schools throughout the country.The funds were used to purchase food-preparation equipment, fresh and dried foods, as well as material for the cultivation of food products aimed at making the program self-sufficient. An evaluation of the results of this project led the Ministry of Education continue and expand the program to other schools, and has since motivated many other organizations to join in developing similar self-sufficient school lunch programs to this day.
- Scholarships for secondary and university students
- School Lunch Program
- Support for Thai Lecturers under a program of the American Council of Learned Societies
- Support for John F Kennedy-Fulbright professors under the Thai-US Educational Foundation
- Support for distinguished scholars at the Asian Institute of Technology
- JFK Foundation Dictionary Project for Thai schools and universities
- JFK Foundation Medical Dictionary Project for medical students and medical schools
- JFK-NTU Project supporting satellite-based science, technology and management graduate-level programs
- Support of a project to strengthen leadership capacity of secondary school administrators in northern Thailand
- Support of a project to strengthen educational foundations of pre-school children in northeastern Thailand
JFK Visiting Professors
From 1977 through 1998, in cooperation with the Thailand-United States Educational Foundation, the JFK Visiting Professor Program provided the major support for more than 40 American scholars, who joined Thai universities, sharing their knowledge with students and developing close relationships with their Thai colleagues. These scholars were hosted by one Thai institution but participated in programs at other universities as well. Some scholars’ interactions and contributions lasted long beyond their grant years.Fredric Swierczek, 1985-1987 JFK Visiting Scholar in Management at Thammasat University and the National Institute for Development Administration (NIDA). Professor Swierczek has remained in Thailand and over the years has continued to make important contributions to higher education, not only in Thailand, but in the region as well.
The John F. Kennedy Library, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani
In 1971, as a gift to the newly established Prince of Songkla University in Pattani, the Foundation provided funds to construct a library for the students and the people of the province, making information and knowledge more accessible to the future generation of leaders.
Dictionary Project
In 1995 the Foundation initiated a 4-year project to provide thousands of English language dictionaries to educational institutions. Thai universities and secondary schools received several copies of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, one of the most widely used dictionaries in the world. In subsequent years a second volume, the Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary was distributed to 3rd and 4th year medical students, medical schools, and hospitals throughout the country.
Support for Higher Education during the Economic Crisis of 1997-1998
The economic turmoil during the mid-1990’s brought difficult times to Thailand, and in no area was the country less prepared to cope than in the higher education sphere. University students often were unable to continue their studies, or cancel had to plans for further education. The Foundation provided one million Baht to the Ministry of University Affairs to assist the agency in its efforts to ensure uninterrupted education of the human resources needed for the nation’s continued development.
Visionary Leadership Project
A project supported by the Foundation in 2019 to strengthen the leadership capacity of secondary school administrators in northern Thailand is now taught as part of the graduate curriculum at Columbia University Teachers College in the United States.
