English Book Donation to the Underprivileged Students under Saraphi Health Model Project

Saraphi Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand  |  17 June 2015

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Chiang Mai University (CMU) are Asia-Pacific University-Community Engagement Network (APUCEN) member institutions. Universiti Sains Malaysia, which established in year 1969, is a research intensive public university in Malaysia, with vision to transform higher education for a sustainable tomorrow. USM also the first university in the country to be selected by Malaysian government to participate in the Accelerated Programme for Excellence (APEX), a fast-track programme that helps tertiary institutions achieve world-class status. Chiang Mai University (CMU) is celebrating 50th Anniversary in 2015, CMU strives to ensure that the range of disciplines and research activities reflect world standards and to become a "University of Exellence" to the benefit of local communities and the country as a whole. USM joined hands with CMU to donate English educational books for four schools in Chiang Mai, Thailand that are involved in community health programmes at the Saraphi Hospital on 17th June 2015.

Based on English Proficiency Index (EF, 2011) of Thailand is categorized as "very low" measured by EF, the world's largest language training company, and overall TOEFL (ETS, 2010) score indicates that the mean score of Thai test takers is below average of Southeast Asian countries and continue to fall as well. Moreover, in the 2011 IMD World Competitiveness Report, Thailand was ranked 54th out of 56 countries globally for English proficiency, the second-lowest in Asia. A step has to be taken. The project will be the first step and USM DCIN's helping hands to resolve the community education issue. The objectives of the project are to expose the children to English education among children in Thailand and to instill the interest of applying and adopting English as the second language. Asia-Pacific University-Community Engagement Network (APUCEN) collaboration with DCIN will give bigger opportunity to help the children from various schools under Saraphi Health Model Project. 

Group photo Saraphi