EDUCATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
In the 1960s, the law on compulsory primary schooling did not extend to the remote areas of the country. While on trips to the various regions of the country in 1964, Her Royal Highness witnessed the shortage of schools for children in isolated and remote places and noted that a large number of hill tribe children were left without the opportunity to study within the school system. They could neither read nor write, and were, therefore, unable to improve their lives and communities.

Her Royal Highness wanted to help and in 1965, graciously granted patronage to the Border Patrol Police School Project to set up schools for children of the hill tribes and villagers and promote the right to education of the underprivileged children. This pioneering step provided the impetus to address the issue of illiteracy among disadvantaged children nationwide.

Subsequently, in 1973 Her Royal Highness raised funds, partly her own, and partly donated by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the New Zealand Women's group in Thailand, for donation to the foundation to promote Thai hill tribes products for the operation of the Eight-Month Total Training Programme for Hill Tribe Children – The Crash Programme of Functional Literacy for Hill Tribe Youth (1973).
The programme stressed classroom instruction, work training, self-help, learning to live with other people, and effective interaction with lowland people; all of this for the improvement of their lives.

RAI MAE FAH LUANG – CENTRE OF EDUCATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
From 1973 onwards, the ‘Rai Mae Fah Luang’ served as the ‘base and focal point’ for the education and youth development curriculum and training programme initiated by Her Royal Highness.

The Rai Mae Fah Luang was ‘home’ to children sponsored by the Mae Fah Luang Foundation’s scholarship programme from 1973 to 2004. Into the third and final phase of the Doi Tung Development Project from 2003 - 2017, the area is today well-served by modern infrastructure and children and youth in the once remote communities have now entered an established formal schooling system, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation’s Remote Area Student scholarship programme will soon be seeing the graduation of its final class of students.

Its mission successfully accomplished, Rai Mae Fah Luang enters its next phase – the shift in focus from education and youth development to the preservation and promotion of Lanna heritage.

Reference information:
EDUCATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
Please click to view details

	Crash Programme of Functional Literacy for Hill Tribe Youth, 1973
	Hill Tribe Youth Leadership Development Project, 1989
	Training and Development Project for Youth in Remote Areas

REMOTE AREA STUDENT PROGRAMME AT ‘RAI MAE FAH LUANG’
Through its work in the border regions, the directors of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation Under Royal Patronage recognised the necessity of providing educational and leadership opportunities to young people living in remote areas.

Each and every year from 1973 to 2004, Rai Mae Fah Luang in Chiang Rai has been home to between 35 and 50 students between six and 20 years of age, sponsored by the Mae Fah Luang Foundation’s scholarship programme.

The students were chosen across the broad spectrum of nationalities represented in Thailand, however, they all share one thing in common – their homes are in the most inaccessible areas of the country. This very factor would have made it impossible, under normal circumstances, for these young children to have developed their natural abilities to the fullest.

Candidates for the programme are nominated by government agencies and non – profit organizations working in remote regions. Some candidates are of above average scholastic aptitude. However, the selection process focuses on motivation and family welfare. The programme will opt to take a good student particularly if the family history is troubled or severely economically deprived. Once a student is chosen for participation in the programme, they are on a full scholarship and live on the premises at Rai Mae Fah Luang.

The key goal of the Remote Area Student Programme is to minimise the disadvantage of growing up in an isolated area and produce a young person on even footing with peers of comparable scholastic and social abilities.

An outstanding academic track record takes these young individuals on a path never before open to the ‘children of the hills’. Children enrolled in the programme are encouraged to continue their studies to a level they set for themselves. This could mean pursing education beyond what is available in Chiang Rai and going on to other higher institutions in either Chiang Mai or Bangkok.

Students are also encouraged to be responsible for their studies and extracurricular activities from an early stage. Emphasis is placed on developing self-confidence and self-esteem.

Cultural development is an equally important part of the experience of living at Rai Mae Fah Luang. Students actively participate in cultural events that are staged on the foundation grounds. The students are also encouraged to return frequently to their home villages so as to stay in contact with their own culture and continue to enrich their home environment.

The Remote Area Student Programme set out to foster well-educated, confident and balanced individuals who will be productive and creative members of society no matter where he or she might live.

The ‘centre of education’ at Rai Mae Fah Luang is in essence a tribute to their dedication to the spirit embodied in the Mae Fah Luang Foundation charter.

Contact information:
Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park
313 Moo 7, Ban Pa Ngiew, Tambon Robwiang, Amphoe Muang, Chiang Rai 57000
Tel: +66 (0) 5371 1968
E-mail: tourism@doitung.org