A teacher, educator and development advocate, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has been working in the area of educational development for almost forty years since 1980. When HRH was young, HRH had an opportunity to accompany HRH's parents, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Late King Rama IV and Queen Sirikit to the rural areas of the provinces around Thailand for development work. Experiencing first-hand how the children and villagers in the remote areas live, HRH decided to concentrate her work on educational development. HRH pointed out that educational development comprises of not only the promotion of teaching, learning and school construction; but also, working on health issues, skill development, and agriculture for food security. HRH believes that education is the foundation which enables people to lead their lives, provide for their families and contribute to the society. HRH's development projects which started almost forty years ago in Thailand have now expanded to many countries around the World.
In recognition of HRH's contribution, devotion and commitment to teachers and education, the Princess Maha Chakri Award was established on the occasion of HRH 60th Anniversary Birthday Celebration in 2015. The award is given every two year to best teachers from eleven South Asia Countries (ASEAN+ Timor-Leste) who change students' lives and make impacts to the community. The award serves as a mean which enables these best teachers to help other teachers and students in the Southeast Asia region.