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The inequality of access to educational opportunities has improved steadily the past decades, however, disparities remain. The Situation Report on Thai Education 2007/8 revealed that students from impoverished backgrounds were the most at risk from multiple educational threats, such as less opportunity to enroll in school, poor academic performance and dropping out of school early. Combined, these factors severely reduce their chances of attaining a higher level of education. Common social and economic consequences of such premature graduation or complete lack of education are: forced and underpaid informal employment, teenage pregnancy, and the increased likelihood of being pushed into crime and prostitution.
EDF Scholarship Program helps to circumvent the circumstances that create such bleak futures. Disadvantaged children receive direct benefit from attending school, and further benefit in the long-term, reaping the advantages of that education. Still, one of the biggest obstacles to their learning is the belief that education aggravates family financial hardship. EDF scholarship program is working to change this perception. Education is a powerful, life-saving tool that not only helps safeguard children from potential economic and social risks, but also transforms them into contributing members of society, empowering their families and their communities, making the future better and brighter for everyone
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