Kairos Coalition Announces Pilot Scholarship Program for Primary/Secondary School Students in Thai Binh Province

Because we believe that education is an important component for developing more humane societies, in March 2012, the Kairos Coalition will pilot a new scholarship program in Vietnam.  Over the next five years (2012-2017), we have committed to assisting 60-70 low-income middle and high school students from Tien Hai District, Thai Binh Province in the completion of their education by providing comprehensive scholarships sufficient to cover tuition and book expenses.  In return for receiving these scholarships, students will be required to show satisfactory academic progress and to participate in regular forums to explore various topics/issues related to their intellectual, spiritual and ethical development.  Upon completion of high school and passage of the requisite entrance exam to a public university, students will also be able to compete for a limited number of university scholarships that we plan to offer. 

There is little doubt that education is critical for success in life, for improving one’s standard of living, for broadening opportunities in life and for sparking curiosity about life’s challenges.  Frequently, however, youth in Vietnam’s poorest villages never get the opportunity to complete primary school, much less secondary school.   This pilot scholarship program is designed to seed a community with educated and humane youth who will hopefully exemplify compassionate attitudes towards their neighbors, towards the animal kingdom and their shared environment, and who will eventually be in positions where they can pay the favor forward to successive generations.