Isaan School Aims To Reach Kids Before They Drop Out

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Isaan school aims to reach kids before they drop out
Tanpisit Lerdbamrungchai
The Nation
Chaiyaphum

Bilingual institute in Chaiyaphum has 131 students

CHAIYAPHUM: -- Lots of youngsters in remote communities of Sap Yai district in the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum are at risk of dropping out of school due to abject poverty and a living environment conducive to delinquent behaviour.

Pratin Jankarnrai, 49, a resident, said many children had left school because their parents had moved to Bangkok to work at construction sites and in factories. Even though some of them had brought their children to stay with them and study in Bangkok, they still dropped out.

About 60 per cent of parents in those communities work in other provinces, leaving their kids behind at home with their grandparents, according to Tim Beaumont, founder of the Beaumont Partnership Foundation and Beaumont Ruam Pattana School.

The bilingual school was established to be a beacon for young people there to bring them a better life.

"Children of 14-15 years of age are at a critical point. Some become delinquent while others have to stop their studies because their parents can't earn enough money to pay for their education," he said.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's records for 2010 show that 980,000 children of construction workers in big provinces who were from the North and Northeast and child labour migrants from the border had no access to education, so they are prone to unemployment, sexual assault, crime and social problems.

In the hope that educational equity and quality, occupational skills and English language communication will help the youngsters and their families there address the problems, Beaumont decided to put up the school in Nongyang Pattana village of Tambon Takothong.

Recently, the school opened for the first batch of students in Kindergarten 1, 2 and 3 and Prathom 1 and 2 (grades 1 and 2). A total of 131 students enrolled.

School director Suphrommet Thaeosopha said Stamford International University (Thailand) and Harrow International School helped it

create the Thai-English curriculum. It focuses on child-centred teaching so pupils now learn while having fun from 16 teachers.

"Our school also supports

community enterprises. Locals here can study organic agriculture and

basketry so they can make their own products as part of their community enterprises.

"This will help them generate income without moving to work outside their communities," he said.

The school plans to provide bilingual education free of charge to 400 students from kindergarten to the secondary level in the long run.

About Bt100 million is being spent on the school. The foundation is also seeking donations of US$1,000 (about Bt30,000) per year for six years to sponsor the students' education

The school's facilities are modern and look not that different

from those seen at international schools in Bangkok, but the differences are the surrounding communities and people who have irregular incomes.

Siriphorn Toeiboonthaworn, 26, said she sent her three-year-old son to Beaumont instead of an urban school because it is not far from home and she is confident that it would offer a free and good bilingual education to her son.


-- The Nation 2013-06-10

[sirchai]

The school plans to provide bilingual education free of charge to 400 students from kindergarten to the secondary level in the long run.

Sounds much better than the "tablet promise" and high speed trains with high train drivers.-

[krisb]

Well its a start.

[belg]

in stead of putting 300 billion in the rice scam, 100 billion in that car scam, 350 billion in water scam ... they should have use the money to educate the supposedly future of the country, but thailand needs no education people and farmers to be controlled as the educated can voice their opinions, which that poor majority lacks off ....

why not let educated / pensionned expats (with too much free time) help the thais ? no, they like to put so many imposible conditions like work permit, money in the bank, etc.. that will stop most expat from wanting to help for free, as they might be deported, jailed or worse, for their good intentions ...

abuse of that possible system of volenteers ? well, the expats are already living here on non-o or business visa or whatever, it is not like giving tourists with bad intentions to be able to get a longstay visa like in the ED scam where you pay 30.000 baht a year, to learn nothing, never attending , just for the previlege to be able to spend your money here all year long

Edited June 10, 2013 by belg

[cooked]

Organic agriculture and basketry... Oh boy.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[winstonc]

dont be surprised if the government closes it down,WHY,because its helping real people and embarrasing them,showing those in power what an awful education system they have,and how unwilling they are to help the masses,,dont they make you angry,

[Joe Mamma]

I think the rich want to keep a big population of pawns to keep building their riches.

These are the kids that should be inventing machines that make their labor obsolete.

The middle class is scarce in these parts.

[drdoom6996]

The school plans to provide bilingual education free of charge to 400 students from kindergarten to the secondary level in the long run.

Sounds much better than the "tablet promise" and high speed trains with high train drivers.-

+1

[Maggusoil]

The school plans to provide bilingual education free of charge to 400 students from kindergarten to the secondary level in the long run.

Sounds much better than the "tablet promise" and high speed trains with high train drivers.-

Yeah. What a shame this puts on the government.

[sirchai]

Once I thought Thailand's educational system would change. But I was wrong, it got even worse through the upcoming ASEAN community.

I'm still doing my best under unbelievable circumstances. They even hire more people who're only here for the money, without the needed language skills to teach English.

It's becoming a World Class Standard Bullshit. .

With a Muppet as the leader, things won't change.Let the kids fail and they'll learn more. Only a screen and projector would change all, but when software becomes "outdated', because "teachers never understood the technique beforehand, how will it end?

Start at the top and then clean up the rest.Take their bamboo sticks away and hit those who hit our kids.-

Edited June 10, 2013 by sirchai

[IsaanAussie]

This is something worth supporting. If I had to financial means to make a difference I would offer it in a flash. Nothing will change for the uneducated adults and sadly for the early teens on who the die is cast. The children are the starting point to bring here here in Isaan. Teach them how to think! To everyone behind this, I admire your vision, hope you can stay focused and funded to see it through.

PS via edit. Please contact me if I can help with your organics issues. Happy to help establish something there using village available wastes and resources that cost nothing but effort. Maybe the kids can help save the parents some external expenditure?

Edited June 10, 2013 by IsaanAussie

[SNGLIFE]

A commendable altruistic effort.

BUT

Just like the dozens if not hundreds of other such schools, this one will be sub-standard just as soon as the founder is gone. As long as the "Great White Father" is around to prod things along, things may progress. Left to carry on after he's gone, they'll fall right in line with the rest of the Thai schools. TIT and that's just how it is and how it is going to remain until/unless parents start being responsible for their child's education - which will be never...

Edited June 10, 2013 by SNGLIFE

[Bagwan]

Still at school when14-15? I thought it was commonplace in Isaan that 9 year olds left school to work in the paddies, especially for the girls..

[dighambara]

in stead of putting 300 billion in the rice scam, 100 billion in that car scam, 350 billion in water scam ... they should have use the money to educate the supposedly future of the country, but thailand needs no education people and farmers to be controlled as the educated can voice their opinions, which that poor majority lacks off ....

why not let educated / pensionned expats (with too much free time) help the thais ? no, they like to put so many imposible conditions like work permit, money in the bank, etc.. that will stop most expat from wanting to help for free, as they might be deported, jailed or worse, for their good intentions ...

abuse of that possible system of volenteers ? well, the expats are already living here on non-o or business visa or whatever, it is not like giving tourists with bad intentions to be able to get a longstay visa like in the ED scam where you pay 30.000 baht a year, to learn nothing, never attending , just for the previlege to be able to spend your money here all year long

The goal is to keep people poor and uneducated to reinforce the strength of the upper class - the clown HySos.

From History, the Thai people were 'planted' in the area of Ayuttaya by the Indian masters of yester Era. Soldiers from Divaravati captured Tai mountain folks to be farmers and slaves and that culture still exists.