press release Chevron, SEAMEO STEM-ED, and Education Ministry are poised to scale up Chevron Enjoy Science Initiative to enhance the nation’s STEM education

As a development initiative for the learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—or STEM, in a full-scale and measurably successful manner in Thailand, the ‘Chevron Enjoy Science’ project initiated by Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, Ltd. has been an exemplary ‘public-private partnership’ program aiming at strengthening Thailand’s capability through STEM education. With a total budget of more than US$35 million, the project intends to lay a solid foundation for the development of the country's competitiveness and innovation. Southeast Asian STEM Education Fair and Exposition 2023, organized by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for STEM Education (SEAMEO STEM-ED) with Chevron as a major sponsor, serves as a platform for showcasing the initiative's significant achievements and paves the way for the advancement of STEM education at the national and regional levels. The event was attended by over 500 participants, including government officials, policymakers, curriculum developers, the project’s partners from many sectors, and youth from both Thailand and neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.

Chatit Huayhongtong, president of Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, Ltd. reiterated the determination to contribute to the country’s socio-economic sustainability, saying that “from the very beginning of Chevron Enjoy Science in 2015, we aimed to make the project sustainable, so we have been running it for eight consecutive years. We have purposefully become part of the effort in bringing society to a better future with the long-running project in collaboration with our like-minded partners. Our culture believes in the ‘power of human energy’, so we are committed to human development through education reform and improvement. Throughout the past few decades, we have been supporting a multitude of educational initiatives. We are determined to advance the body of STEM knowledge and integrate that into the Thai education system, thereby contributing to the foundation upon which socio-economic strengths are built.”

Chevron Enjoy Science is divided into two phases. The first five years of the project were focused to adapting STEM education models successfully implemented in other countries to the development of teachers and education professionals in Thailand, both within and outside of the classroom and in academic and vocational domains. SEAMEO STEM-ED implemented the second phase, which built on the success of the first phase and focused on enhancing the competency of government agencies and related parties in order to sustainably improve the quality of education. Throughout the course of the project, STEM education has been successfully integrated into 835 schools, benefiting over 3,300,000 people. 

For such endeavor at the regional level, Chevron Eurasia-Pacific Exploration and Production Co., Ltd. has agreed to contribute US$ 850,000 for the development of STEM teachers through the STEP program, which aims to help improve professional teachers so that they stay up to date of changes in the modern world. Five countries cover Thailand, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, and two other countries in Eurasia-Pacific. The funding will also support research and policy-making by helping to strengthen the network of researchers, improve their competencies, and advocate for their work to be recognized in national and regional policy.

H.E. Dr. Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich, Deputy Minister of Education, Ministry of Education of Thailand said of Thailand's education reforms to meet the demand of the labor market in the future that "the Ministry of Education is set on developing the body of knowledge for STEM education by building a robust network of collaboration with several agencies to be able to prepare young people for the ever-changing world disrupted by technology and unforeseen circumstances. We push for the implementation of policy for how to provide STEM education in educational institutions, as well as monitoring and assessing their progress and performance. We also devise STEM education curriculums for all schools in the country and strive to increase the capability of new generation of teachers, with an emphasis on the importance of providing coding lessons for all school levels in Thailand, as well as 'unplugged coding'. The latter is to do with the development of critical thinking skills and systematic problem-solving, and the promotion of lifelong learning and self-development in all Thai people regardless of age. In preparing Thai people for the 21st century, we also emphasize the integration of the 'arts of life', 'arts of living', and 'arts of working together' into the provision of STEM education, resulting in STEAM."