Issues on education in Thailand entail complexities in many aspects, be they dimension, structure, and underlying indicative factors in each region and individual that are all varied. Therefore, there are numerous governmental, private, and civil societies, including educational foundations, that are aware of the problems in Thai education, albeit from different perspectives. This has led to many pathways toward solutions and forms of support, which are all very interesting to explore.
“Siam Vijjalaya Learning Center” is also one of those organisations. The Learning Center focuses on helping learners learn through ‘self-directed learning’ and achieve ‘lifelong learning’ through distance education with the view that equal, accessible, and sustainable education is of paramount importance. This is especially the case for increasing educational opportunities for people who do not have the ability to learn in the mainstream education system available.
Today the Matilda Foundation is delighted to have the privilege to converse with Aj. Jill and Aj. Chy, the two people behind Siam Vijjalaya Learning Center.
Jill and Chy, how did your interest in the problems in Thai education began?
(Jill) At first, I started by helping my father with his Thai traditional medicine school, “Pataravej Siam School”. At that time, my understanding in education was still limited. I was only aware of the operative problems in the school because the students were all adults aged between 18 – 80 years old and each of them has different and varying needs. I tried to find answers to these issues and did what I have always done when I am curious about something, which was to go “study” about it. I started my PhD on Non-formal Education and Lifelong Learning. When I did, my perspectives and mindset completely changed. I understood that the students are “learners” and not “clients”. When I understood the difference, how I approached them also changed because now I knew what they really needed.
And how did you start working on Siam Vijjalaya?
(Jill) We saw groups of students that lacked educational opportunities, which made us realise that problems in education were no small issues, but large structural problems. Therefore, we wanted to do something to help these students. That’s how we started working to fill in this gap.
How do you choose your target group?
(Jill) When one of the topics I studied for my PhD was ‘Lifelong Learning’, I became aware that there are varied forms of education, which includes (1) formal education, (2) non-formal education, and (3) informal education. Most people in the society attach importance to formal education and send their kids to mainstream schools, which already enjoy continuous governmental support. However, there are also students with specific needs that cannot fit in with the formal education system. Therefore, we established non-formal education on online platforms that no one else did. Kids who study with us can also use the qualifications earned from the Learning Center to apply for further studies or career because the Ministry of Education has already approved that Siam Vijjalaya have met their indicated standards.
What are some of the obstacles you have faced?
(Chy) There were some obstacles in the establishment of Siam Vijjalaya because there are many laws involved, and some of them contradict one another. The process is also limited by the language framework. For example, we cannot use the word ‘School’, but we have to use ‘Learning Center’ instead. This difference alone entails a different establishment process.
Another hindrance is that “each region works differently” even if they are all under the same umbrella of the Office of the Basic Education Commission. The method in Chiang Mai cannot be used in Nonthaburi or Chanthaburi, for example. Therefore, we needed to negotiate and follow each province’s rules and process accordingly. We gritted our teeth and moved forward like that…
Actually, we are not blaming the officials for hindering our work. We understand that our chosen format is distance learning via online platforms. Although these educational formats are not new, they are neither widespread nor visible. There is a fixed mindset overshadowing the diversity in education that good education means going to famous schools only. For Siam Vijjalaya, a private entity that wanted to help fill in the gap in education, also using an online-platform at that, it was no wonder that they did not know how to work with us in the beginning.
Furthermore, one big problem we faced was regarding some laws and regulations that are still discriminative to certain groups of people. The most recent one, which we are still fighting to solve, was about “age limits''. This is also affecting homeschool students. The regulations posit that we cannot take in students older than 18 years of age. This remains an issue today. We realise that we will not be able to find a solution any time soon, so we established another learning center called ‘H Parc Learning Center’ in Chiang Mai, which operates in another format especially for students older than 18. This Center focuses on ‘Work Integrated Learning’ in contrast with Siam Vijjalaya that focuses on ‘Project-Based Learning’.
What is Siam Vijjalaya’s goal or vision?
(Jill) We will take in students that cannot study in the formal education system. Currently, there are kids with legal/criminal records that have been expelled from their schools. We accept them all whether they are teenage mothers, drug addicts, or kids that the formal system won’t accept.
(Chy) Actually, people consider that not being able to study is the students’ fault. However, the system itself also discriminates against kids or does not provide them the opportunities.
(Jill) Right now we have about 100 students. The youngest ones are in lower secondary school and the oldest are at senior high school level. A part of our students are kids within the judicial process and some have special needs. For example, kids with autism spectrum disorder or down syndrome. There are also some students who are aware that formal education is not suitable for them. These students include national junior athletes.
(Chy) The largest portion is the students that are within the judicial process. We have provided support to almost every province in the country in this regard. We also offer scholarships for those who have been released. Many of these students cannot return to their previous schools even after bail and cannot access the non-formal education provided by the Department of Learning Encouragement because they missed the application period, or they may not have the means to study at all, even through the ones provided by the Department.
As for normal kids that realise that the formal education system is not suitable for them, these are students we really admire for being self-aware. They looked up information to know the options available to them and they also successfully convinced their parents and got their approval also.
(Jill) Without learning centers like Siam Vijjalaya, their only option would be the Department of Learning Encouragement. However, the Department of Learning Encouragement only receives applications once a year. If kids are released from the judicial process during the wrong timing, they would miss the opportunity to study completely because they wouldn’t be accepted in normal schools.
How do students know about Siam Vijjalaya?
(Chy) Some parents are quite active. When they are moving their kids’ schools, they contact the Secondary Educational Service Area Office in the area to enquire about the options for education and the Office will give them information about Siam Vijjalaya. This is the advantage of being included in the governmental organisation’s database. Upon the ease of COVID-19 when schools were reopening again, some parents realised that their kids had problems at the school because they didn’t want to return. This can be due to bullying or other forms of harassment. Some of these parents saw us as a viable option and came to us.
For kids within the judicial process, kids in youth detention centers, for example. Siam Vijjalaya coordinated with the Ministry of Justice, who know about the Learning Center through our network of friends like the CYF Thailand, a youth organisation in Nakhon Phanom who founded the ‘Nakhon Phanom Model’, and asked us to help assist the kids within the judicial process so that they can continue to receive quality education.
How do you see the future of Siam Vijjalaya?
(Jill) For now, we aim to fight so that we can accept students older than 18 years of age in Siam Vijjalaya’s education format. We believe that everyone has the right to study. It is still in the process. We do not know when it will end, but we will continue the fight for this right.
How helpful is ‘alternative education’ in solving the problems in Thai education?
(Jill) I think the world has changed. People are beginning to understand that it is not an absolute necessity to study only in schools. Non-formal and informal education are emerging as an alternative. Everyone has the opportunity to choose the form of education that suits them. Kids should also know from a young age that they have choices.
People look at alternative education and worry that kids may have problems socialising or have no friends. What would you say to them?
(Jill) If you send your kids to a school in the formal education system, your kids will have their 50 classmates as friends that they will meet every day. However, if your kids study with Siam Vijjalaya, their social circle will be beyond what any classroom can offer, it would be limitless. They will be able to do internships or do volunteer work, for example.
People also view that alternative education or learning online results in discipline issues since kids can wake up whenever they want. They have the option of not studying, in contrast with studying in the formal education system where kids have to obey rules and regulations. What would you say to them?
(Jill) Self-directed learning that Siam Vijjalaya adopted requires intensive discipline. Without discipline, students will simply not pass. They have to schedule their own classes, plan their studies, and create their own portfolios without having teachers telling them what to do. Therefore, the students have to be able to plan and manage their own life. Without discipline, this will not be possible at all.
How much involvement do parents have?
Parental involvement is crucial for kids with special needs in the CAN Programme because the Learning Center has to co-design the courses with parents in order to address the students’ real needs. For example, with muscle development. However, for other kids, they have to develop discipline on their own and manage their own studies with minimal dependence on teachers or parents.
How do you evaluate students?
(Jill) Students have to present their mini-thesis and go through verbal exams, presentations, and integrated exams.
You have about 100 students, how many teachers do you have?
(Jill) We are the students’ advisors ourselves. However, we also have around 10 other teachers to help us in the academic subjects. This is done through recorded clips as well as in-person classes once a month. Oftentimes, we also consider the students’ projects and invite experts on those topics to help us.
(Chy) We also have guest teachers. For instance, if the student’s project is related to engineering, we will invite engineers to speak to them. In this way, students get to meet new people and it will also be fun for them.
Are there other similar platforms like Siam Vijjalaya in Thailand?
(Chy) There are many learning centers and foundations that are fighting for the same cause as Siam Vijjalaya. For example, the David Collins Kristen Learning Center. We support each other in working with the Ministry of Justice because there are many provinces in Thailand to cover and one of us simply cannot do it all. We are allies, not competitors. Our education formats are similar in that they are project or work based, with different details depending on our varying expertise. Siam Vijjalaya specialises in assisting vulnerable kids, project-based learning, and consulting and our allies specialise in vocational education, for example.
How can you manage all of this?
(Jill) We utilise everyone to their full potential. We do not have many people working for us, but we know how to plan and operate. We have four people in the team to oversee the management and the system. However, we also have networks of allies and teachers who see similar issues in education and support each other.
In the case where you offer scholarships, where do you get the funding?
(Jill) There are normal students who pay for the education on our platform, so we can use this money to support other students in need. It’s a form of passing on educational opportunities.
Siam Vijjalaya and Matilda
After speaking to Aj. Jill and Aj. Chy, we agreed that Siam Vijjalaya and Matilda have many things in common, which explains why we chose to talk to Siam Vijjalaya today. What we reflected are as follows,
Vision and taking action - The Matilda Foundation views that both Siam Vijjalaya and the Foundation are organisations that see the problem of “People wanting to receive education but are unable to”, and we both take action in order to “Fill in the gaps” in Thai education in our own respective ways. Siam Vijjalaya sees children who cannot access the mainstream formal education because they are simply ‘not accepted’ for many reasons. For example, having special needs or being within the judicial process. Matilda, on the other hand, sees small learning centers that slipped out from receiving governmental support and people who want to further their studies abroad to enhance their potentials but lack the financial means. Although our goals and objectives differ in details, both organisations are groups of people who see the problem in Thai education and do not look the other way. Instead, we took actions in ways that we can and have the expertise.
At the personal level – The team at Siam Vijjalaya embodies Matilda’s values, especially ‘Inquisitiveness’, having curiosity and searching for answers. This was reflected when Aj. Jill had questions about education and looked to gain more knowledge through a PhD in education, which led to changed perspectives towards learners, increased awareness of the problems, and the ability to solve the said problems more efficiently. Furthermore, the Matilda Foundation feels that Siam Vijjalaya is driven by the unwillingness to give up. With a clear goal to increase access to education for Thai youths, when encountered such problems like age limits, the Center knew to neither wait it out or step back, but adapted its methodology and established the H Parc Learning Center in Chiang Mai for those above 18 and wanted to learn, for example.
In terms of network – Siam Vijjalaya does not work alone, but it has networks of allies like other learning centers and foundations that can help support each other in works relating to the kids within the judicial process. The Learning Center also has friends with expertise in various careers and occupations that can perform as guest teachers.
As previously mentioned, the Matilda Foundation is of the opinion that problems in Thai education involve structural issues in many dimensions. These are problems that no one or any organisation alone can address comprehensively. Therefore, having allies is crucial. Although the specific “gaps” that both Siam Vijjalaya and the Matilda Foundation see are different, the gaps are definitely on the same subject of “Thai education”.
The Matilda Foundation is convinced that if we each do our part, the bigger picture will improve eventually. We hope that one day “Siam Vijjalaya” and “The Matilda Foundation” can work hand in hand to further our goals to improve Thai education together.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
(Swahili Proverb)
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