On 21 October 2026, Mr. Thanachai Wachiraworakam, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Royal Thai Embassy in Dili, along with officials from the Royal Thai Embassy in Dili, representatives from the Ministry of Education of Timor-Leste, and representatives from schools whose teachers have received the Princess Maha Chakri Award (PMCA) or are part of the Collaborative Project on Children and Youth Development in Timor-Leste, under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, participated in the opening ceremony of the 6^th Princess Maha Chakri Award Forum via a live online broadcast at the Royal Thai Embassy. 

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over the opening ceremony of the 6^th PMCA Forum, which was organized by the PMCA Foundation and broadcasted live to the Royal Thai Embassies in 11 ASEAN member countries, as well as Bangladesh, Mongolia, and Bhutan. Mr. Apolinario Serpa Rosa, representative of the Minister of Education of Timor-Leste, along with the five PMCA recipients from Timor-Leste, also traveled to Thailand to attend the forum. Mr. Francisco de Carvalho, Head Teacher of 1.2 Beedan Primary School and the 2025 PMCA recipient from Timor-Leste, present his work and share his experiences among the group of “Community Engagement Practitioners.”

The Princess Maha Chakri Award is an international royal award presented biennially to outstanding teachers who have made significant contributions to education in ASEAN countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Mongolia. The Award has been presented since 2015, and to date, six teachers from Timor-Leste have been honoured with this recognition. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has placed great importance on education development. In Timor-Leste, Her Royal Highness initiated the Collaborative Project on Children and Youth Development in 2014, which currently includes six participating schools.

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