The ‘One District One Scholarship’ or ODOS scheme provides scholarships from the Thai government to one student from each district across Thailand, for the purposes of studying on an undergraduate course overseas. This scheme increases opportunities for students across the country, especially those from low income backgrounds who show a high level of academic merit. So far, the ODOS scheme has provided scholarships to four batches of students. Although originally available only for study in non-English speaking countries, the scheme has now been expanded to include English speaking countries.

The scheme has been under review by the Ministry of Education, looking at eligibility criteria and subject areas. Recently, the ODOS committee announced that they are planning to propose a revised version of the ODOS scholarship scheme to the Minister of Education. In response to the recently expanded list of overseas study destinations, the government is planning for scholarship recipients to attend an English language preparation course in Thailand for minimum of three months, with the option to spend another year abroad developing their English skill. However, the main revision will be that some ODOS scholarships are to be exclusively allocated to students from vocational sectors. In the past, vocational students receiving the scholarship only accounted for 1% of the total number of recipients, as they were competing with students from the general academic route. The ODOS committee’s proposal is that vocational students may take a course for one or two years to enhance their knowledge, even if the course is not necessarily a degree programme. The revised ODOS scheme is to be proposed to the Minister of Education for approval soon.

Comment and analysis by Uraiwan Samolee, Head of Business Development, Education: Vocational education has been labeled a priority area for the Thai education system for several years. Thai industries face a shortage of graduates from vocational sectors, and the expanded ODOS scheme is a concrete plan which can boost the number and quality of students from vocational sectors. Clearly, it can also be seen as a great opportunity for the UK’s further education sector. British Council will keep UK institutions in the loop on the development of the new ODOS scheme, and how they can get involved to support this scheme. In addition to further education courses, English language courses, especially those aimed at the vocational sector, will also be in demand after the scheme has been given the green light and implemented.

Source of information: https://www.dailynews.co.th/education/555237