A Thai Teacher’s Quest for Literacy

“The lingering question of illiteracy in children has been around for decades and is still with us today. Many are still baffled to learn of this issue. But more important is the question of “why” this problem persists. There are many factors that hinder students from correctly spelling and intonating words that remain as they progress to adulthood, as most learn through memorization of words and their different forms.”

That was a part of a conversation with Naiduangta Patummasoot or Khru Koi, an academic from Tung Sakasome Learning Center, who is a participant in the “Read and Write with Ease for Juniors”, 1 of 3 campaigns from Bai Mai Pun Suk Foundation, an initiative from Bangchak Corporation Public Company Limited to conduct educational and environmental projects for a better quality of life for Thai youths.

A Starting Point on the Journey with Thai Teachers

The foundation of her passion began from working closely with her father, Assistant Professor Siwakarn Patummasoot, who was aware of the problem and used his experience to pen a textbook in 2004 and initiated campaigns to address the problem of illiteracy. This was an opportunity for Kru Koi to train teachers and administrators across the country as an assistant speaker, which led to the discovery of her true passion.

“Although I am not a certified teacher, my experiences and education were in the field of the Thai language, and I have always been involved in teaching whether as a community volunteer teacher or as a special university lecturer. After immersing myself in teaching, I discovered more of myself and found happiness and joy in the quest to unravel how reading and writing should be taught.”

Working Together with Bai Mai Pun Suk Foundation

In her close cooperation with teachers to drive and alleviate the issue of illiteracy in children, in collaboration with the Bai Mai Pun Suk Foundation, to tackle problems and to sustain literacy in children and diving deeper through a tangible and measurable 4-step teaching Thai program - an important tool in teaching Thai language - to simultaneously prevent and solve the problems and that can be tangibly measured.

The cooperation began from a conversation that led to discovering shared key motivations and goals which were the dedication to child and youth literacy and the need for periodic evaluations and follow-ups. There was a sense of empowerment and joy on the realization that we would go on this endeavor together as partners to build the future of the nation.

Khru Koi continued that, to address illiteracy in schools is to try and adjust the attitude of teachers and administrators, a personal experience she garnered while working with communities. If the attitude of the administrators can be focused on the outcome for the children and rectifying illiteracy, then the teachers will also change and when they do, it will be of enormous benefit to the children.

On her path to realize literacy for Thai children and the joy she has found all along, Khru Koi concluded that “Reading is essential - because the ability to read and write are skills that are more important than we realize as it will help a child grow up and be successful in life. If a child enjoys reading, it will open up various opportunities to learn, to discover one’s preferences or potential for enhancement that will be an opportunity for a better life for the nation’s youth.”