Few takers for research grants, OCSC concedes
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Expo next month will encourage students to explore offers to study abroad
Despite offering support for the country’s human-resource development via scholarships, the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) has revealed that few people are interested in research grants and even fewer are qualified for these grants.
“While we are keen to support research, it’s quite difficult to attract candidates, let alone the right candidates,” OCSC secretary-general Nontigorn Kanchanachitra said earlier this month.
He explained that his office focused on science-related scholarships, because it had to respond to requests and needs of government agencies as well as national strategies.
The OCSC has joined forces with several government agencies to offer scholarships in a move to boost Thailand’s competitiveness.
Scholarships equip recipients with additional knowledge and experience – something that can be useful to the country in one way or another.
Currently, there are 4,303 scholarships up for students and government officers to study and undergo training overseas under the supervision of OCSC, as part of a royally sponsored programme or those offered by different government institutes.
Nantigorn said foreign education institutions also offered partial or full grants to qualified candidates, and Thais had every right to apply for these.
Information on these scholarships will be available at the upcoming OCSC International Expo 2014, which will run on November 1 and 2, from noon to 6pm, at the Royal Paragon Hall on the 5th floor of Siam Paragon shopping mall.
This year, OCSC will bring together more than 300 leading educational institutions from more than 20 countries, including Australia, Switzerland, the UK, US, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia and Singapore.
Representatives from foreign institutions will be present to provide details and advice on each course and scholarship, including special offers set up exclusively for this expo. Nantigorn cited the fact that plenty of dentistry-related scholarships were available at many universities in Europe.
Run by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK, the Chevening Scholarship Programme will also offer 1,500 post-graduate scholarships to international students.
The OCSC International Expo 2014 is held under the “Selfie Your Future through Education” concept for the purposes of encouraging students to explore educational opportunities and learn crucial information on studying abroad, self-preparations, scholarships, courses and curriculum, as well as guidance on living abroad.
Highlights at the expo include university matching and counselling, workshops conducted by experts on writing an effective statement of purpose, a self-recommendation letter and sample tests in the English language.
