THAI INTERNATIONAL POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMME 

 

Introduction

 

          The Thai International Postgraduate Programme (TIPP) was established in 1999, with the aim of expanding Thailand’s commitment to fostering cooperation partnerships among developing countries.  The programme set up by the Royal Thai Government’s Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is designed to provide fully-funded fellowships to allow outstanding students to study in Thailand.  An important aspect of the programme is its focus on enhancing educational standards in the Asian region while helping to improve cross-cultural understanding and relationships between Thailand and its development partners.

          The first TIPP courses began in the 2000 academic year with students from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam.  The programme has now been expanded to include applicants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Djibouti, El Salvador, Eritrea, Fiji, Gambia, Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Maldives, Marshalls Islands, Micronesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Island, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Uganda and Vanuatu.

          Courses included in the programme have been chosen to reflect the needs of Thailand’s development partners.  Throughout the past ten years of implementation, the programme has attracted great interest from Thailand’s counterpart countries.  All courses included in the programme and explored the needs of its development partners as well as potential disciplines from academic institutes.  The result has been the aspiration to span wide range areas under the theme of Sufficiency Economy, Global Warming, Food Security, and Public Health.

          Eighteenth courses at nine different academic institutions are being offered in 2014.  All courses will equip graduates with a Diploma’s degree or Master’s degree.  It is expected that the TIPP programme 2014 will endeavor to provide appropriate international courses for human resource development.

 

Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA)

 

          Efficient coordination is the key to the long-term success of individual development projects and the development process as a whole. For more than half a century, the Royal Thai Government’s Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA) has been working closely with Thailand’s development partners to fulfill this crucial coordination role to ensure that technical assistance entering the kingdom reaches its target.

          Since 1963, TICA has also been responsible for Thailand’s role in the mutual assistance programmes organized among developing countries, as well as the technical assistance that Thailand provides to other developing countries.  This latter role is carried out through the Thai International Cooperation Programme, a programme that grew out of desire to share the country’s wealth of development experiences with others undertaking the development journey.  The Thai International Postgraduate Programme (TIPP) forms an important part of this undertaking.

          TICA will be the major point of contact for TIPP scholarship recipients both during the application process and after their arrivals in Thailand.  In fact, TICA is responsible for all aspects of the programme, from screening and the applicants who meet TICA’s minimum requirements will be submitted to the relevant institutes for their final consideration, to conducting orientation once students have arrived in Thailand, to administering allowances and providing support during the course.