Wat Lukkae School is a typical wat school like many hundreds of others throughout the country. For many centuries, wats or Buddhist temples have served as educational institutions for young citizens of Thailand. Though the influence of the western educational system has led to many changes, wat schools still function within the social context of the temples.

As the "outstanding Extended School of Kanchanaburi", Wat Lukkae School has carried out many practical projects under Principle Mr Thawach Waleephitakgdej. One of its most successful projects, ‘The Outstanding Classroom’, goes to the heart of educational reform. This project, carried out four times annually, is designed to maintain teaching competence, class management and the best use of the equipment.

Two other projects are the ‘Green Classroom Project’ and the ‘English Home Project’. It was the latter which caught our interest. The concept can be clearly observed in every classroom. Each item, be it in a small green garden, a tidy mini-library or on a bulletin board, is labelled in English. Desks and chairs are arranged into groups, reflecting a student-centred way of teaching. The overall atmosphere in classrooms is clean, clear, tidy and systematic.

Elsewhere in the school, at the back of a well-equipped science lab next to the computer centre, there is a model ‘English Home’ where, once again, every item is labelled in English. "Our main goal is to create classrooms as a model home for our pupils, and we’ve extended the idea to more than 100 students’ houses," Archarn Thawach explained. "There is a student’s home nearby, about 500 metres away, if you’d like to have a look," he added.

When asked why he was so keen on the ‘English Home Project’, he explained, "As you know, Kanchanaburi is one of the main tourist spots. Thousands of tourists visit each year. I think we should prepare our students for this," he said.

"The success of our school comes from very hard-working, dedicated, and conscientious teachers and other school staff. Quite often we work seven days a week. This convinces the community of our good intentions and it fosters excellent cooperation from government and private bodies," Archarn Thawach concluded.

Visit a very different school in the South.