10 Years of Changes, Our Journey, and Ways Forward
During Teach for Thailand's 10th anniversary celebration on November 18, a panel discussion with Dr. Kanwarin Pholanan, also known as Kru Pat, Director of Satitpattana School, and Giraffe-Sorawit Paiboonrattanakorn, our fellows from the first cohort, was one of the highlights.
Giraffe has noticed an increasing number of people getting interested in and wanting to be involved in enhancing Thai education over the past ten years, thanks to his experience as a fellow and in founding the Saturday School Foundation. He observed that the youth of the new generation, the public sector, and the private sector were all aware of the issues surrounding education in Thailand and that they need to be addressed and resolved immediately. Regarding Kru Pat, she has observed the initiatives of multiple organizations that have started to modify instruction and evaluation to accommodate kids with diverse aptitudes, passions, aspirations, and objectives.
While we have seen improvements in the last decade, there are still many obstacles faced by Thai education, particularly with structural issues. As Kru Pat stated, those working in the education sector must draw on their inner power to reach their full potential and support one another due to financial constraints and scarce resources. Giraffe recognizes the difficulty in establishing explicit objectives for students’ growth and in helping teachers within the system reach their full potential so they can continuously improve.
Because structural problems are national issues, we cannot solve Thailand’s education problems all by ourselves. Our Fellowship Program is, therefore, a gateway for people, who do not directly graduate from teaching or education, to participate in Thai education. Additionally, it is a means to unite individuals who have a passion for learning to create a network that will advance education both during and after the fellowship. “I have to admit that without Teach For Thailand, I might not be able to establish Saturday School … There are always friends from Teach For Thailand in various sectors. No matter where you go, we will find people we can talk to and ask for advice.” Giraffe points out his initiative in solving educational problems acquired through applying to our Fellowship Program.
However, if it is not convenient for you to dedicate two years to learning about Thai education issues firsthand from the classroom, contributing to the Teach for Thailand Foundation through donations or working on various projects with us are alternatives for creating a big impact, because “A lot has changed in the world. If we rely only on people in the education system, it is very difficult to make Thai children develop themselves to keep up with the changes.” Giraffe reaffirmed that cooperation from various sectors, including the general public and organizations with specialized knowledge in different fields, can enable all stakeholders to leverage their unique strengths to advance Thai education.
If you want to join us in our journey, you can apply for the Fellowship Program here: https://tft-fellowship.org/
