A kick-off event for the Equity Partnership’s School Network Season 7 was held on Saturday, March 7, 2026, by the Equity Lab under the Equitable Education Research Institute (EEFI), led by Asst. Prof. Sahawarat Polahan, Ph.D., Director of The Equitable Education Research Institute (EEFI), and its network partners, including SEA (Thailand) Co., Ltd., the Shopee platform provider, represented by Ms. Phutthawan Suphattranan, Director of Corporate Communications, Sea (Thailand); a network of universities; and a network of international schools, represented by Mr. Greg Threlfall of Rugby School Thailand. Through product development learning in partnership with the network of international schools and universities, this ongoing project seeks to give students in schools with expanded educational opportunities within the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) network the chance to develop knowledge, vocational skills, and self-reliance.
Participating students received information and practical instruction on brand development, target group-specific product development principles, and product development budget allocation from professionals. After that, students went on a field trip to gather materials from nearby schools that offered more educational possibilities, turn them into goods, and then sell them on Shopee.
The Equity Partnership’s School Network has evolved over the last six years from a learning environment into a successful “social laboratory,” with over 500 teachers and students who have worked together and shared knowledge, as well as more than 60 Thai schools nationwide and over ten international schools. Additionally, the project has generated over 1,500,000 baht from product sales through the Shopee platform, with all proceeds going back to the schools that offer more educational opportunities to support the development of vocational skills and sustainably promote self-reliance among students in remote areas. Three key aspects of the project have intensified this year:
1. New Partners:
– SACIT (Sustainable Arts and Crafts Institute of Thailand (Public Organization)) – It is a privilege for the project to have national specialists in the arts and crafts sector serve as advisers for students involved in product development.
– King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang’s School of Architecture, Art, and Design is a network university that has adopted the project’s creative approach and collaborates with institutions offering more educational options inside the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) network.
2. Action Research: To make sure that this strategy can be used in any situation, the Equitable Education Research Institute (EEFI) plans to carry out action research this year to draw lessons from the life skills and income creation model.
3. Alumni Engagement: To further build on its success, the initiative offers upskilling and reskilling to over 15 alumni schools (Seasons 1-4) that have previously taken part in it, in addition to new schools enrolling.
Based on prior experience, the Equity Partnership project is valuable because it aims to create a “space of equal friendship” in the twenty-first century rather than just a sister-school program. Children should learn “empathy” and “opportunities to showcase their potential,” according to the idea. Therefore, we focus on cultivating entrepreneurial skills and creative thinking through collaboration among our network of schools.
But the Equitable Education Fund’s (EEF) ultimate objective is to establish “sustainability.” With ongoing support from the Equitable Education Fund (EEF), the project is prepared to transfer its innovative network of educational institutions—including knowledge, manuals, and networks—to interested partners who will take over and host a Sandbox environment to enable the project to grow and expand nationwide.
