BANGKOK - The cabinet has agreed to extend a scholarship scheme for Mathayom 6 students from poor families to further their studies in Thailand or overseas.
Government spokesman Thossaporn Sereerak said the scheme will be slightly different from the One District One Scholarship (Odos) plan launched by the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.
The revised version of Odos offers 1,856 grants, two for each district, to students with good academic records, Mr Thossaporn said.
Half of the grants are exclusively for students from poor families with an annual income of less than 200,000 baht. The others are for students, regardless of their financial status, who want to enrol in particular fields of study, preferably science-related studies with low numbers of graduates.
Recipients are required to study in one of 35 non-English speaking countries listed by the Education Ministry.
Anyone who wants to study in English-speaking countries must study in fields that have a shortage of qualified specialists.
The recipients are also required to return to work in Thailand after completing their studies, Mr Thossaporn said.