SEALNet Project Thailand 2011
Inspiring and empowering students in rural Thailand
When: Sunday June 12, 2011 – Sunday June 26, 2011
Location: Udon Thani, Thailand
Email: projectthailand11 [at] sealnetonline.org
Project Leaders: Parinda Wanitwat, Panchompoo Wisittanawat
Project Blog: pthailand2011.wordpress.com
Executive Summary
In Thailand, a great disparity in academic achievement has manifested itself between the rural provinces and the city proper. PT11 believes the inequity here is one that diverges at a deeper level than a lack of resources: the students’ fundamental lack of motivation, self-expectation, and confidence in their own abilities, stemming from a downward spiral of falling social expectations supported by a rickety educational infrastructure.
PT11 aims to target the matter at its core by traveling to three junior high schools in the province of Udon Thani, located in the northeastern Thailand. As “mentors,” we will be creating a systematic method of identifying and teaching the skill sets that will provide target students with the academic and motivational edge they need. We will then be training “mentees” in these skills before proceeding to tutor students in the “target group” alongside the mentees. To ensure sustainability, the ultimate goal of the project is to finish with a model applicable to the type of the educational community service generally carried out by Thai college students.