“My aim is to graduate and go back to teach in communities where they can’t speak Thai, helping to develop my own village,” said Chanasit Wachirapongpan, one of the pioneering students of the Kru Rak Tin project who had always dreamt of being a teacher. Having been born into poverty, funds and opportunities were limited and it was only because he joined in this initiative that he is now considered, ‘the hope of the village’.
Chanasit Wachirapongpan
Chanasit’s village is not unlike so many others across rural Thailand. Far from any meaningful development, these villagers on average only have 10% of their students entering universities due to the financial burden on the families being too great. This is the reason why so many thousands of Thais fall through the educational cracks, losing out on opportunities which would only have enhanced their futures.
Apart from poverty, one of the greatest concerns is the educational disparity between urban and rural children. The problem arises in the lack of quality teachers in more remote areas of the country due to the fact that many transferred to these locations request to be moved to more convenient ones; this constant transfer and changes affect the overall quality of education many children in remote areas have access to.
These two challenges led the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) to initiate the Kru Rak Tin (teachers who love their locales) programme, starting by working with seven selected universities across Thailand, with the purpose of placing them in over 2,000 remote schools in current need of teachers. The programme targets students who are financially restricted who wish to become teachers back in their own home communities. These students receive scholarships, including tuition, boarding, educational tools as well as cost of living for the duration of their education. Once graduated, they are then immediately placed back in their village schools.
Chiang Mai University’s Primary Education Department of its Faculty of Education, was one of the seven universities chosen to join this pilot programme, due to the fact that it is already academically strong as well as also having a long track record of working closely with remote highland communities. Graduates of this programme will leave with an excellent education, adding to their deep understanding of the cultures and societies in which their students live.
The recruitment process of finding Kru Rak Tin teachers
To date, five graduating classes have matriculated (2020-2024) with most students being average grade students with a deep love of teaching and of their home communities. The first 31 students of the Chiang Mai University’s programme came from Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Lampang, Lamphun and Phayao.
Because they come from such remote areas, often with great disadvantages themselves in terms of education, upon entering the university students are offered classes in social studies as well as academic tutorials by which to catch up with the remaining student body. Some are students from various tribal groups whose entry into student life is daunting, leading to the repeated question, “Can I make it?”
While the task may be intimidating, both students and teaches are learning together, due to the fact that this experiment has not ever been done before. Chiang Mai University may be academically strong, but paving the way for rural teachers to return, with value, to develop their communities, requires a multifaceted approach.
Dr. Wichita Pewkam
“When we first looked at selecting students to join the programme, because of their remote locations, many were very fearful of expressing their English language skills to their city-counterparts. We were seriously worried as to whether the first graduating class could survive. We adjusted how we ourselves taught so that rural students wouldn’t be intimidated, focusing on their pride of their own cultures. When discussing early learning tools, for instance, we ask these students to share toys from their cultures, giving them space in their classroom to talk of what they are proud of and sharing stories with all the other students in the classroom. In the first year, we also ask students in the Kru Rak Tin project to take the classes up to their communities. Students were put in charge of organising the entire trip; finding accommodation, food, and working with the community itself, with the local school, going through the university’s administrative system and working with all the students to make this happen. It builds confidence and the ability to make decisions and become a leader,” explained Dr. Wichita Pewkam, one of the faculty working on the Kru Rak Tin project.
With three years now under the project’s belt, results are being satisfactorily revealed. Students are showing clear signs of leadership, they are building upon their analytical skills, activities to find solutions to communities’ many problems have emerged such as the vocational development of communities project, amongst many.
According to Assistant Professor Dr. Natthapol Jaengaksorn, “Our process is very important. It is necessary to slowly mould the students to accept and eventually effect change. This starts with community participation. In the past we would invite a school principal to come and talk about what they needed in four years’ time. What qualifications, what skills, etc. We ask students to interview retiring teachers, asking them what their concerns are. In one case a teacher told a young student that no one in the village knew the skills of making broomsticks anymore, the student showed such interest we helped them realise the dream of returning the skills to the community.”
Assistant Professor Dr. Natthapol Jaengkasorn
While learning how to make a broomstick does not sound impressive, what in fact is, is the analytical skills used to make such a decision. Being a school teacher in a remote area does not just require academic acumen, it requires an arsenal of tools and skill sets to not just help the individual students, but the community at large.
“We really emphasise the importance of analytical skills in all areas,” added Assist. Prof. Dr. Natthapol. “A good teacher doesn’t just teach; they help develop the entire community which surrounds the students. They need to understand the lives of their children, what happens if there is an outbreak of disease, for instance. The job of a Kru Rak Tin is to use all their skills to find solutions, to help and care for students and their surrounding environment. This requires thought and analysis, as well as discipline and knowledge.”
“Our Kru Rak Tin will be no less qualified than their city counterparts. They will teach the Thai language and any other skills needed, especially in primary school, helping to develop quality students who will, in turn, develop a quality community.”
The students who will one day become the army of qualified rural teachers, are the hope of many remote communities. One day these communities will have the teachers of their dreams so that they too can use education as a powerful weapon to fight poverty and end educational disparity. This army of educational warriors will return home, heroes, to develop a sustainable future for their people.