Thai university accepts rice as tuition fee

Students of Rangsit University in Bangkok can pay for their next semester with rice. That way, the university wants to help students whose families have been affected by the drop in grain prices.

Grain surplus

Farmers in Thailand are struggling with a grain surplus that is hurting their incomes. As a result, university fees have become unaffordable for many students from farming families. Rangsit University in Bangkok has come up with a creative solution: students can pay for the coming semester in rice. The university also provides free housing on campus for farmers from the countryside, in order to help them sell their rice directly to buyers.

Loan shark

Millions of people depend on rice farming for their livelihoods in Thailand. Currently, 19 Rangsit University students are using the university’s rice-for-fees program. One of them is social innovation student Witsanu Sukmoosiri, who told Bloomberg about his difficulties. “I have to cook and sell food to earn extra money. Rice prices are so low”, he said. For Witsanu, it’s a huge relief that he is allowed to pay for the coming semester with rice from his family’s farm: “Otherwise, my parents might have had to go to a loan shark.”

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