Voices from remote Bueng Kan: perspectives on rethinking education

This column is about a fascinating journey I recently took to Bueng Kan in the Northeast (Isaan), the last field work for a forthcoming new book to be published by Springer on rethinking Thai education.

In this column I also take the stance of being a life-long student trying to gain a deeper and better understanding of Thai education by listening to voices in a really remote area.

Previously I have spent time in nearly all parts of Isaan, but had never been to Sakhon Nakhon or Bueng Kan. Many previous trips to Isaan confirmed my image of the region as being arid and deforested.

However, this trip was different. Flying into Sakhon Nakhon, everything seemed so green with many trees and I flew over three large lakes. This made me think of the concept of Isaan Kiew, or the Greening of the Northeast.

Actually, Bueng Kan is Thailand’s 77th and newest province, established in March 2011, carved out of what was previously the eastern-most part of Nong Khai province. To the north of Bueng Kan is the Lao province of Bolikhamsai. Bueng Kan is one of Thailand’s most remote provinces.

I was surprised to learn that about 300,000 rai of the land in Bueng Kan is devoted to rubber trees, partially accounting for my “green” impression.

While in Bueng Kan, I visited Chumchoon Ban Sang School, ably directed by Ms Phavinan Namsri, who has a good vision for her school. The school is part of a network of remote schools supported by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who has visited the school three times. They are eagerly expecting another visit from HRH the Princess in the near future.

Her foundation supports the school’s impressive garden, free lunch for the students year-round, and provided Bt300,000 for vocational students to build a project activities centre for the school.

I was pleased to see this large garden behind the school, which contributes to the school’s lunch programme and provides students with an opportunity to study science in practical ways.

It is also an example of the practice of setakit popieng (economic self-sufficiency) in line with HM King Bhumipol’s philosophy. The French philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, argued that gardening was a great source of human |happiness.

I was also pleased to see that the school had a small museum highlighting local customs, traditions, and history.

Unlike many overly small schools in the Northeast, this school is medium-sized, with 440 students and 29 teachers, offering a total of 11 grades, including two years of pre-school and three years of lower secondary school.

In talking to students in maths classes, I was pleased that they were able to answer eagerly the maths questions I posed.

I also asked students how many were living with both their parents. Only 43 per cent were living with both parents. Families without both parents in residence I was told were known as krapkrua waeng klang, literally families without a middle.

Some 13 per cent of the students had parents working overseas in diverse places such as Cyprus, France, Singapore, and Malaysia, reflecting Professor Charles Keyes’ view of Isaan as being increasingly cosmopolitan.

In an open candid discussion with administrators and teachers of the school, a number of issues emerged. There was concern the students were not receiving the right skills set needed for the 21st century.

Also it appeared that students were not learning to read Thai well, suggesting a need to rethink the way Thai reading is taught and even whether the idea of simplifying Thai should be revisited and whether more use of the mother tongue might be helpful (though using the Thai writing system).

Another theme was that the curriculum should serve the students. Currently the opposite seems to be the case. More decentralised localised curricula relevant to local contexts is clearly needed. One size simply does not fit all.

With regard to the current proposal to shorten the school day, there was strong opposition to that idea, consistent with considerable research showing that “time on task” contributes to educational quality.

Teachers and administrators at the school seemed well aware of the potential of technology to improve education, but there were local obstacles such as unreliable intermittent Internet access and a lack of modern equipment. Both administrators and teachers were using their own personal funds to buy critically needed technology infrastructure, because government funding was inadequate or came too slowly.

While at the school I met a fifth and sixth grade maths teacher, Dr Rosarin Apahung, who the day before received her doctorate from Udon Thani Rajabhat University in the area of Strategic Management of Instruction. Both of her BA degrees were earned from Thailand’s open distance university, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), reflecting how that institution is serving those in remote areas.

Dr Rosarin is the daughter of Ms Malichien Pengvong, who was Thailand’s first ever female sub-district head (kamnan) and elected by voters of her community. In 1994, Malichien won the award as the country’s most outstanding sub-district head, competing with over 7,000 other sub-district heads around the Kingdom.

On November 8, graduates of both Udon Thani and Sakhon Nakhon Rajabhat Universities received their degrees. Eighteen students from Udon Thani Rajabhat University and over 40 students from Sakhon Nakhon Rajabhat University received their doctorates, reflecting what has been termed the “massification of higher education”. All graduates received their diplomas personally from HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, a long Thai tradition and an important element of Thai exceptionalism.

After this visit to Chumchoon Ban Sang School, I returned to Bangkok to discuss rethinking education with key elites not in the education field who were willing to share their thoughts on how to rethink and reform |education. Their voices and thoughts will be the focus of my next column.

 

Gerald W Fry

Distinguished International Professor, 

Department of Organisational Leadership, Policy, and Development, University of Minnesota. [email protected]