Conflict, Legitimacy and Government Reform: Equitable Allocation of ...

Panel Discussion
transition for China from an authoritarian system to one based on
democracy and the respect for human rights.” 5
India, the world’s largest democracy, has no fear of vibrant debate
or expressions of public opinion. However, the size of its enormous
political system and wide disparities of income and opportunity give few
Indian children experience in grassroots democracy. Indian educators
were skeptical initially that the United States had much to offer to India
in the field of democracy education. However, when they saw Project
Citizen’s implementation in neighboring countries such as Malaysia they
recognized its potential contribution to Indian students. Project Citizen
has spread there from pilot projects in eleven schools to hundreds of
schools throughout the country. Most recently, the Jawahar Navodaya
Vidyalaya (JNV) schools, founded by assassinated former Prime
Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, have adopted it. The JNV schools are free
academies with the mission of providing a good quality, modern
education to talented children predominantly from rural areas. Many of
the children are the first in their families to attend school.
Our work with KPI in Thailand aims to increase civic and political
participation, and to strengthen tolerance and respect for human rights
and the rule of law among young people. We have used the Project
Citizen curriculum I mentioned earlier for several years and are just about
to introduce the Foundations curriculum widely in Thai schools.
A program initially focused largely on Bangkok and larger cities is now
becoming truly national in scope and has held very successful trainings
and showcases in the South and Deep South. I’m very pleased that I will
have the opportunity to travel Sunday to Songkla for the first time and
see the great work being done there first hand. Tolerance is a core value
of the democratic principles and practices contained in our materials and
a special emphasis of KPI’s programs in the South and Deep South.
We are also encouraged by an insightful decision by Dr. Borwornsak
to include Project Citizen as an integral part of the training provided to
5 Recorded by the author at a training session in October 2006. Unfortunately, the
name and location of the official cannot be provided without some risk.
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