Zone 4: The Light of Wisdom | ฝ่ายจดหมายเหตุและพิพิธภัณฑ์ หอสมุดและคลังความรู้มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล

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Zone 4: The Light of Wisdom

Zone 4: The Light of Wisdom

The zone features HRH the Prince Father’s educational activities and full educational support.

To fulfill the aim to create personnel for the mission of strengthening the nation, he allocated a certain amount of money from his private purse as scholarship grant for Thai students to study abroad. Furthermore, the prince had a genuine teacher’s spirit by nature and was determined to teach and develop human resources as he was well aware that education paves the way to the goal and that true success is measured by how much the knowledge gained can be applied for the benefits of mankind.

Human Development through Education

Prince Mahidol of Songkla was convinced that education was an essential means for human resources development in that it created

an opportunity while upgrading human beings’ quality of life and that strengthening human resources was tantamount to strengthening the nation. He therefore gave his full support to education through human development as a means to strengthen the nation. Also convinced that financial investment was required in return for education, he allotted a certain amount of his private fund as a scholarship grant for students to study abroad, thereby selecting candidates with strong determination and high intellectual qualifications befitting the purpose. These scholarship recipients “can study anything; only, the fields they choose must help them to earn their living upon their return. They must also be good students”.

Scholarships from the prince’s private fund were granted to students studying abroad to be spent for the whole year following his intention to teach them how to manage their own finance. He also reminded them that he personally had to economize to ensure that he would have enough money for the scholarship grants, saying that it was “the public’s money. The public has paid me to study abroad. So, you must concentrate on your study and aim for success so as to go back and do your utmost for the country’s benefit”.

A Teacher’s Spirit

The Prince consistently impressed on his students three significant work principles, namely:

1. Knowledge

2. Intelligence

3. Thoroughness

The acronym (KIT) is the homophone of the Thai word ‘kit’, meaning think. Thus, it was easy to remember and a reminder for the students to think.

In teaching pre-medical students from 1924 to 1925, he came up with a curriculum that would most benefit his students. For example, the Prince selected authorities in different areas of History as guest lecturers and took students on study tours. When students raised some points they did not understand or asked questions, he would tirelessly answer and kindly give lengthy explanations.

The Concept of Higher Education

Prince Mahidol of Songkla had long been interested in university affairs and higher education in Thailand. It was his conviction that Thai universities should operate in a manner befitting the country’s circumstances and needs. In 1928, the Prince submitted to the government two reports entitled “An Educational Survey to Supplement the Royal Policy on the Establishment of the University” and “The University Project”, whereby a four-fold mission of a university was outlined, namely:

1. To provide a place for learning and research. The university represents the national brain, the source of intellectual thinking and a place for the breeding of good citizens.

2. To provide a centre that collects and disseminates national thoughts whereby research findings are used in planning guidelines for the national conduct, both in the spiritual and scientific contexts.

3. To offer courses on arts and sciences so as to broaden students’ knowledge and equip them with vision and thinking meant for the common good.

4. To give tests so as to evaluate students’ academic ability and grant degrees.