Srettha Honored for Leading Thailand Zero Dropout Initiative
Former PM Srettha Thavisin received recognition for launching Thailand's Zero Dropout initiative, which used a 100 million baht social bond in Ratchaburi to bring out-of-school children back to education.
On July 24, 2025, Srettha Thavisin, Thailand's 30th Prime Minister, received the Prime Minister's Thailand Zero Dropout Plus Award from incumbent Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in recognition of launching the Thailand Zero Dropout campaign as a national agenda. The award honored Srettha's success in transforming Ratchaburi, an area marked by educational inequality, into a national prototype for the "Thailand Zero Dropout: Every Child Must Learn" initiative. Sansiri Public Company Limited also received the "Zero Dropout Driving Organization Award" for pioneering systemic change to address educational inequality sustainably.
The achievement marks a historic milestone in Thai education, demonstrating a working model focused on concrete results. Rooted in Srettha's philosophy of "big people helping small people" and his commitment to reducing social inequality—both during his tenure leading Sansiri and as Prime Minister—the Zero Dropout initiative stands out by tackling a challenge unrelated to business interests and affecting a region with the highest dropout rates nationally.
The Ratchaburi Sandbox model, launched in 2022–2027, raised 100 million baht through Asia's first social bond to bring out-of-school children back into education. The initiative allocates at least 80 percent of funds directly to child support and assistance, with no more than 20 percent for management and research. Srettha emphasized that while the initial 100 million baht cannot solve the problem nationwide, it sparks momentum for all sectors to join efforts. He called on private companies to each adopt one province, believing that within 5–10 years, Thai education will transform through coordinated efforts toward zero dropout rates and reduced inequality.
