Meaningful collaboration key to education reform

While many of these networks have delivered results, there is one big question: Wouldn’t it be better if they integrate efforts to ensure that no redundancies take place, and that resources and experiences are shared in the best interests of the children?

IRES chairman Prawit Erawan has lately presented a map showing the efforts by 69 schools under the Well-being Network, made up of 10 Rajabhat institutes and 86 com-|munities that are dedicated to improving educational |services. 

At a recent forum, representatives of various organisations spoke proudly about their efforts to educate children and improve the educational quality. 

Sudjai Promkerd from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation disclosed that her office was promoting reading as a way to facilitate learning. Through the promotion, many parents read books aloud to their children even before they start going to school. 

Lamplaimat School director Wichien Chaiyabang said he had introduced the “Outside the Box Schools” project in a bid to get teachers to rethink their teaching approach.

His school has proven that that innovative teaching and learning approach can deliver impressive results. 

At the famous Lamplaimat School, there is no bell to announce time to get to class. Teachers don’t use loudspeakers. Often, parents are invited to learn with their children in a happy, mutually benefiting atmosphere. Not even grading systems exist. Yet, students from the school have demonstrated remarkable development and their academic performance has been above average overall. 

“That’s why we have decided to bring this concept to many schools in the North, the Northeast, the South and the East too,” Wichien said. 

While Wichien believed that his school’s project was useful, he said it required a mass-power factor. 

“With our resources, we can implement the project at |some schools only. There will be no big, widespread impact,” he said.

Thailand has long had educational problems. Despite solid funding and contributions by various sides, educational quality has failed to improve. Educational-reform efforts have been going on for more than a decade already. Yet, no tangible results are in sight. 

Prawit said it was high time relevant parties focused on SALZ – scale up, alliance, linkage and zoom in. 

Two core elements of this approach place a strong emphasis on all players in the educational field collaborating.

Together, they can make a difference. Look at the re-|markable results from the dual education programme |implemented by various educational institutes and |entrepreneurs. 

In one dual education project, a jewellery maker gets |skilled workers for its business while vocational students |get scholarships, boarding and even wages during their |study years. Vocational colleges, meanwhile, benefit from |the fact that their course is richer with on-the-field work |experience. 

Thanks to such great examples, many more companies have joined dual education programmes.

When proper links and collaborations are created, successes will not be beyond reach. 

How can we promote such collaboration? One of the methods, of course, is to compile a list of players and activities they have engaged. 

Such a list should be backed up by up-to-date and |adequate information so that every player knows who to turn to for a fruitful collaboration, and what plans they should make. 

When the list is complete, Thailand will see clearly that so many parties wish to contribute to its educational development. They are just waiting for the missing link. Connect them and collaborations will drive the country’s educational sector further ahead.

When the government looks at the list of players, it will be able to formulate more efficient policies too. 

With the right policies and collaborations, Thailand’s educational improvement should finally become tangible.