Before she received a scholarship to become a certified nursing assistant, Naiyana Pannok, 21, and her mother used to rely solely on wages she and the mother made, about 100 baht to 200 baht a day.
Sometimes she found her life so hopeless she told herself she might have to give up her ambition to become a nurse, her dream job.
Even after graduating from high school, she still had a huge dilemma to solve -- whether to continue into higher education or to go straight to work full-time.
A High Vocational Innovation Scholarship (HVIS) by the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) made the decision easy for her.
After being granted this scholarship, she enrolled in a one-year nursing assistant programme at Burapha University.
She has been working as a nursing assistant at a private hospital in Chachoengsao for almost two years. She now earns enough money to feel confident to think about buying a house for herself and her mother.
The house will be their first property as she and her mother have been living in rented accommodation all their lives. As for her dream to become a certified nurse, she is now waiting for the result of her entrance examination to a nursing school.
"Our lives now have changed dramatically from those old days when my Mum and I did whatever work we could find to make ends meet," said Ms Naiyana.
She believes there are still many more youths who need an educational opportunity like hers. She wishes that one day all children and youths in the country will really have equal access to educational opportunities.
Initiated in 2019, the HVIS programme has granted scholarships to 9,614 students, 3,056 of who have since graduated, said Kraiyos Patrawart, managing director of the EEF.
In this new academic year, 2,500 more scholarships are available for those who are interested in studying in more than 30 diploma and certificate programmes offered by 116 vocational colleges, community colleges and universities in 44 provinces.
The study programmes offered under this programme include mechanics, logistics, production technology, computer graphics and the agricultural industry, he said.
These programmes are in line with the government's policy to promote Thailand's ten core industries, he said.
The development of human resources in the vocational and occupational sectors is a key strategy for preparing the country to achieve its development goals, said Somporn Pandam, deputy secretary-general of the Office of Vocational Education Commission.