TCP Group supports "Siyuan · Same Class" project to improve education quality in China
On December 16, the "Siyuan · Same Class" project was officially launched. A signing and donation ceremony was held in Haikou, Hainan province. This project is led by the Ministry of Education, the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), hosted by the China Siyuan Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (hereafter referred to as “Siyuan Project”), the China National Democratic Construction Association of the Hainan Provincial Committee, China Education Television, the Administrative Center for the DTH Service in China under the NRTA, organized by the Education Department of Hainan Province and the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, and supported by TCP Group. 1,505 sets of live broadcasting satellite receiving devices were donated to 570 eligible primary schools and classrooms in Hainan province, and have visited some of the recipient schools together. The "Siyuan · Same Class" project marks another important milestone in the expanding strategic cooperation between TCP Group and the Siyuan Project, and represents a key initiative through which TCP Group is actively supporting the Chinese government’s longstanding efforts to promote further development of the domestic education sector and facilitate rural revitalization.
Vice Chairman Chen Changzhi, Deputy Minister Song Demin, Deputy Director Meng Dong, Vice Governor Wang Lu, Secretary General Li Xiaolin, Vice Chairman Meng Xiaoling, Director Cao Xiankun, President Yuan Xiaoping, General Manager Panawee and other leaders jointly launched the "Siyuan ·Same Class" project
With the aim of supporting the implementation of the official Guidelines on Strengthening the Development and Application of Online Education Teaching Resources in Primary and Secondary Schools, jointly issued by five government ministries earlier this year, the "Siyuan · Same Class" project was initiated based on "Same Class", a television program run by China Education Television. Through donating teaching equipment with live satellite reception and recording capabilities, TCP Group hopes to provide support for more teachers and students in economically underdeveloped areas in China to ensure that they enjoy full access to the national curriculum, and to facilitate improvements in the overall quality of teaching and education.
Chen Changzhi, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 11th and 12th National People's Congress (NPC), who is also the former Chairman of the China National Democratic Construction Association (CNDCA) and Chairman of the Siyuan Project, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech.
Song Demin, Vice Minister of Education and member of CPC Leading Group of Ministry of Education, Meng Dong, Deputy Director of the National Radio and Television Administration and member of the Party Leadership Group, and Wang Lu, Vice Governor of Hainan Province, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech.
Chinese philanthropist Dr. Li Xiaolin, who is also a member of the National People's Congress, Director of the Foreign Liaison Committee of the CNDCA, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the Siyuan Project, Chairman of the China E-Commerce Rural Revitalization Alliance (CECRRA), and Vice Chairman of the China Charity Federation, announced the list of schools and areas receiving assistance during the ceremony.
Meng Xiaoling, Vice Chairman of the Hainan Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association (CNDCA), Yuan Xiaoping, President of China Education Television, Cao Xiankun, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Education Department of Hainan Province, Tang Dehui, Chief Engineer and Party member of the Hainan Province Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, and Panawee Akaniwan, General Manager of TCP Group Hainan Red Bull Energy Drink Co. Ltd., attend the ceremony.
Secretary General Li Xiaolin, Director Yuan Xiaoping, Director Yang Yiman and General Manager Panawee presented the donation card to Cao Xiankun, Director of the Education Department of Hainan Province.
Vice Chairman Chen Changzhi highlighted in his speech that when education develops, the country prospers. Since 2021, China has rolled out a series of policies and measures to promote the equal development of compulsory education across the nation and improve the quality of teaching. As a result, the structure of education in China has been optimized, the distribution of education resources has become more balanced, and the quality of education has improved significantly. As a key component of socialism with Chinese characteristics, charity is an important supplementary force to promote the balanced development of education. Chen Changzhi said: "At present, China is moving towards the second centenary goal of fully building China into a great modern socialist country. Everybody should pay attention and respond proactively to the instructions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, focus on education and charity while pursuing high-quality development, and make new and greater contributions to promote common prosperity for all people."
Vice Governor of Hainan Province Wang Lu commented the "Siyuan · Same Class" project for responding to President Xi Jinping's call to "learn from the experience of mass online education since COVID-19, use information technology to upgrade education and transform education models", and highlighted that the project serves as a powerful booster for promoting common prosperity through improving the quality of teaching and promoting education equity.
Deputy Minister Song Demin stressed in his speech that since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, China Education Television has made outstanding contributions by launching the “Classroom On Air” channel and the “Same Class” special program. In 2021, with support from the Siyuan Project, it has also adopted the public welfare principle of "maintaining gratitude and giving back to society". The Siyuan Project and China Education Television jointly launched the "Siyuan · Same Class" project provides more vigorous impetus for the implementation and promotion of the "Same Class" rural revitalization plan, and earnestly strives to "light up the classrooms with knowledge and empower learning with technology".
Deputy Director Meng Dong said in his speech that the National Radio and Television Administration has always given full play to its advantages in publicity and transmission coverage to serve the development of all sectors of the economy and society. In the future, the National Radio and Television Administration will further implement the requirements outlined in the Guidelines on Strengthening the Development and Application of Online Education Teaching Resources in Primary and Secondary Schools, through broadcasting online classes via cable television networks, the radio, 5G networks and live broadcasting channels, and help optimize the construction of an online education and teaching system, so as to . contribute the NRTA’s wisdom and power to better fulfill Chinese people's new expectations and demands for a better life.
Secretary General Li Xiaolin said the "Siyuan · Same Class" project contributes to the popularization of national education and the improvement of teaching quality, through building an online education system based on satellite communication technology, and establishing a rich platform of educational resources to support interactive teaching and the sharing of high quality education resources. The Siyuan Project will actively enhance the value of "Siyuan · Same Class" project in the future, share education resources, promote education equity, improve teaching quality, and make new contributions to rural revitalization and common prosperity. Li Xiaolin said: "In 2022, the Siyuan Project, together with China Education Television and other units, will support the high-quality development of education in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region through the ‘Siyuan · Same Class’ project.”
President Yuan Xiaoping said that economically less-developed areas in China have many primary schools, but there are often not enough teachers. The Same Class program has convened outstanding teachers from Shijia Primary School and Jingshan School in Beijing. By means of live broadcasting on television and online livestreaming, children in urban and rural areas can have classes together and enjoy quality education resources equally. In this way, the quality of education in rural areas will be further enhanced and will facilitate the cultivation of more outstanding talent to support rural revitalization and common prosperity.
General Manager Panawee highlighted that Hainan is the birthplace of the TCP Group founder Mr. Chaleo Yoovidhya’s father. As the founder and owner of the global Red Bull brand and the “Red Bull” trademark, the TCP Group's current development in China started in Hainan. “We hope to contribute to the equitable and high-quality development of education in Hainan province through ‘Siyuan · Same Class’ project, so that students in Hainan can enjoy better education resources.” said Panawee.
The Education Department of Hainan Province awarding the pennants to the Siyuan Project, China Education Television, the Administrative Center for the DTH Service in China under the NRTA and Thailand TCP Group also received pennants.
The "Siyuan · Same Class " charity project has been well received by the teachers and students of the assisted schools. Zhang Xian, Principal of Zhongkai Primary School in Lingshan town, Haikou city, stressed that education is a basic component of rural revitalization, and mentioned that the project has been a great opportunity for the rural schools involved. Founded in 1950 and named by General Feng Baiju, Zhongkai Primary School is an old Soviet era school with a patriotic tradition. However, schools like Zhongkai have limited resources and a severe shortage of full-time teachers, making it impossible to run the national curriculum. Through the implementation of the "Siyuan · Same Class" project, the best education resources in China can be shared while also allowing rural children to gain access to new teaching methods and learning scenarios, which in turn helps to enhance their education experience and supports their comprehensive development.
After the signing and donation ceremony, Vice Chairman Chen Changzhi and his delegation visited Shishan Central Primary School in the Xiuying district of Haikou for on-site inspection. They observed classroom teaching, learned about the school's martial arts club, football club and stone carving club, and interacted with students. The delegation included Deng Aijun, Vice Chairman of the Hainan Provincial Committee of Civil Construction; Chao Guiming, Deputy Director of the Development and Planning Department of the Ministry of Education; Yang Jianbo, Deputy Director of the Department of After-school Education and Training Supervision; Song Lei, Deputy Director of the Department of Teachers' Work; Shu Hua, Deputy Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Information Technology; Wang Xuemin, Deputy Director of the Public Service Department of the National Radio and Television Administration; Yang Yiman, Party Secretary and Director of the Radio and Television Satellite Live Broadcasting Management Center of the National Radio and Television Administration; Fu Yongquan, Secretary General of the Hainan Provincial Committee of Civil Construction; Tao Ming, Deputy Secretary General of Siyuan Project, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the China E-commerce Rural Revitalization Alliance; Chen Ying, Deputy Secretary General and Office Director of the Siyuan Project; Han Deheng, Deputy General Manager of Hainan Red Bull Beverage Co., Ltd.; and Liu Jia, Head of Public Affairs of TCP China.; As well as the relevant units, recipients of school representatives to participate in this activity.
TCP Group has a deep and abiding connection with Hainan, the first province in China to be fully covered by the " Siyuan · Same Class " project. As the birthplace of TCP Group’s founder, Mr. Chaleo Yoovidhya’s father, Hainan is the ancestral home of the Yoovidhya family. TCP Group, the founder and owner of the global Red Bull brand and the "Red Bull" trademark, began its journey in China in Hainan nearly three decades ago. In 1993, following the international success of Red Bull, TCP Group proactively responded to China's era of reform and opening up by entering the market with the establishment of the first Red Bull factory in Hainan, using “Red Bull” in simplified Chinese for the first time in its company name
Mr. Saravoot Yoovidhya, CEO of TCP Group, said “I am deeply honored to help contribute to efforts to promote education equity, with the aim of ensuring that local Hainan students can enjoy improved access to the best educational resources and opportunities. Supporting communities, and in particular children through educational programs, is a key pillar of the TCP Group’s sustainability framework, which we strive to implement in every market we operate.
From building the first Red Bull factory in 1993 to helping facilitate the upgrading of consumption by participating in the first China International Consumer Products Expo to giving back to the Yoovidhya family’s ancestral hometown through philanthropic endeavors, TCP Group has been a longstanding witness to Hainan’s past and present and is highly confident about the province’s future development.
Looking ahead, TCP looks forward to pursuing the major business opportunities set to arise from the continued development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. As a Thai company that has been present in the Chinese market for nearly 30 years, TCP has always adhered to the principle of being "In China, For China" .TCP has ensured that it is also actively fulfilling its responsibilities to act as a good corporate citizen and give back to society. In the future, TCP will join hands with partners to carry out education, rural revitalization, disaster relief, ecological and environmental protection projects nationwide.
