Mother Tongue-based Literacy Programmes: Case Studies of Good ...
Mother Tongue-based Literacy Programmes: Case Studies of Good ... Mother Tongue-based Literacy Programmes: Case Studies of Good ...
assumed to face fewer obstacles in adapting to theCentral Thai school system, but research has yet to beconducted.© ONFECAlthough Thailand boasts a high national literacyrate, research into the specific literacy rates of ethnicminorities is lacking. Anecdotal evidence from multiplesources indicates that many children who grow up innon-Thai speaking environments lag behind their Thaicompatriots in educational achievement. A significantportion of the 400,000 out-of-school childrenmentioned in Thailand’s 2005 Education for All (EFA)report are believed to be from ethnic minorities(Charuaypon, 2005).Meaning of “Bilingual Education” in ThailandThe term “bilingual education” has become popular in Thailand. However, it has only been used to refer toschools operating English submersion programmes for Thai students. Bilingual education programmesinvolving minority languages are very new to Thailand, and patient explanation is required to explainthe processes and benefits to minority students. Interestingly, many problems faced by Thai studentsin English submersion programmes are shared by minority students in Thai submersion programs,namely the lack of opportunity to fully develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in the firstlanguage before being forced to use a second language for academic purposes.Policies Related to Mother Tongue EducationSection 46 of the Thai Constitution of 1997 contains specific provisions for the rights of “traditionalcommunities” and their cultures:Persons so assembling as to be a traditional community shall have the right to conserve or restore theircustoms, local knowledge, arts or good culture of their community and of the nation and participate inthe management, maintenance, preservation and exploitation of natural resources and the environmentin a balanced fashion and persistently as provided by law. (Government Gazzette, 1997)As a result of the student-centered emphasis of the 1999 National Education Act, including provisionsfor preserving “local wisdom,” some minority languages are being taught as subjects for a few hoursper week in local formal schools. Chong, Bisu, Lahu Si, Mon, and Northern Thai (Lanna) are examples. 3 Inthe North and Northeast, NGOs and churches have established community-based literacy programmesamong ethnic groups. Sgaw Karen, Lahu Na, Akha, Shan, and Lisu are examples. In the far South, PattaniMalay students study Arabic, Central Malay, and Standard Malay in Islamic Ponoh schools (Kosonen,2005). The Ministry of Education is currently experimenting with the use of spoken Pattani Malay intwelve southern preschools.3 Schools may technically allocate up to 30 percent of the curriculum for minority language/local culture study.(Kosonen 2005)[ 147 ]
Minister of Education Chaturong Chaiseng, who was appointed on 4 August 2005, is committed tocreating educational policies and practices supportive of bilingual education for minority languagespeakers. The experiences of NPKOM are thus informing policy discussions at the highest levels.Origin of the ProjectSince the 1970s, the Office of the Non-Formal Education Commission (ONFEC) and its predecessor, theDepartment of Non-Formal Education (DNFE), had been involved in special educational programmesfor the northern Thai hilltribes. Specialized curriculums were developed. Young, idealistic Thai universitygraduates were posted as volunteer teachers to remote villages, often serving heroically under verydifficult conditions. Nonetheless, all teaching was done in the Thai language, and some officials withinONFEC were frustrated by less-than-hoped-for results. National literacy surveys showed that the Northlagged behind other regions of the country.In November 2001, ONFEC officials attended UNESCO’s Regional Workshop on Functional Literacy forIndigenous People, held in Raipur, Chattisgargh State, India. There they were involved in discussionsabout how mother-tongue-first multilingual education programmes could enhance ethnic minorityeducation. Several consultations between ONFEC, UNESCO and SIL International followed, resulting ina September 2002 proposal for a pilot bilingual education programme among the Pwo Karen people ofOmkoi. This proposal would be followed by additional proposals as the project expanded.Brief Profile of Project SiteNPKOM is situated in two villages of the Northern Pwo Karen ethnic minority, located in the mountainousnorthern province of Chiang Mai. The people of these villages are agriculturalists and have littleopportunity to interact with the outside world. Many wear traditional clothing, crafted on the looms ofvillage women. Although these communities are quite rustic, living conditions have improved recentlydue to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s development projects. These have includedprogrammes to improve health and nutrition (through small gardens), provide electricity (through solarpanels), conserve the natural environment, and build community learning centres (CLCs).Implementation ProcessA Strong Start (2003)In 2003, Stage 1 of the project began when ONFEC received a one-year grant from UNESCO for initialresearch and materials development for NPKOM. Activities in that first year included:•••••Selection of project sites and surveying of learning needs (January-February)Orthography development (March-May)Learning materials production (July-August)Teacher trainingEvaluation of initial results[ 148 ]
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- Page 139 and 140: een forced into bonded labor. Cultu
- Page 141 and 142: cows, bulls, sheep, and goats) kept
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- Page 159 and 160: simple sentence structures and much
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assumed to face fewer obstacles in adapting to theCentral Thai school system, but research has yet to beconducted.© ONFECAlthough Thailand boasts a high national literacyrate, research into the specific literacy rates <strong>of</strong> ethnicminorities is lacking. Anecdotal evidence from multiplesources indicates that many children who grow up innon-Thai speaking environments lag behind their Thaicompatriots in educational achievement. A significantportion <strong>of</strong> the 400,000 out-<strong>of</strong>-school childrenmentioned in Thailand’s 2005 Education for All (EFA)report are believed to be from ethnic minorities(Charuaypon, 2005).Meaning <strong>of</strong> “Bilingual Education” in ThailandThe term “bilingual education” has become popular in Thailand. However, it has only been used to refer toschools operating English submersion programmes for Thai students. Bilingual education programmesinvolving minority languages are very new to Thailand, and patient explanation is required to explainthe processes and benefits to minority students. Interestingly, many problems faced by Thai studentsin English submersion programmes are shared by minority students in Thai submersion programs,namely the lack <strong>of</strong> opportunity to fully develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in the firstlanguage before being forced to use a second language for academic purposes.Policies Related to <strong>Mother</strong> <strong>Tongue</strong> EducationSection 46 <strong>of</strong> the Thai Constitution <strong>of</strong> 1997 contains specific provisions for the rights <strong>of</strong> “traditionalcommunities” and their cultures:Persons so assembling as to be a traditional community shall have the right to conserve or restore theircustoms, local knowledge, arts or good culture <strong>of</strong> their community and <strong>of</strong> the nation and participate inthe management, maintenance, preservation and exploitation <strong>of</strong> natural resources and the environmentin a balanced fashion and persistently as provided by law. (Government Gazzette, 1997)As a result <strong>of</strong> the student-centered emphasis <strong>of</strong> the 1999 National Education Act, including provisionsfor preserving “local wisdom,” some minority languages are being taught as subjects for a few hoursper week in local formal schools. Chong, Bisu, Lahu Si, Mon, and Northern Thai (Lanna) are examples. 3 Inthe North and Northeast, NGOs and churches have established community-<strong>based</strong> literacy programmesamong ethnic groups. Sgaw Karen, Lahu Na, Akha, Shan, and Lisu are examples. In the far South, PattaniMalay students study Arabic, Central Malay, and Standard Malay in Islamic Ponoh schools (Kosonen,2005). The Ministry <strong>of</strong> Education is currently experimenting with the use <strong>of</strong> spoken Pattani Malay intwelve southern preschools.3 Schools may technically allocate up to 30 percent <strong>of</strong> the curriculum for minority language/local culture study.(Kosonen 2005)[ 147 ]
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