Teaching traditional values

Words of wisdom from the Guru Granth Sahib

TSIS girls hard at work

It seems to be written in stone these days that young people have no respect for their elders, property or each other. How often have we heard this mantra from all corners of society?

Walk in to any school and, it is true, you’ll find young people who fit this description. But they are in a minority. The vast majority of young people genuinely want to learn, to give, to share and become better people because of it.

It is this belief in the decency of youth that drives the raison d’etre of Thai Sikh International School (TSIS). “If education doesn’t prepare people to educate themselves throughout their lives,” it goes, “then it is a failure, no matter what else it may seem to accomplish.”

Originally part of the beautiful Sikh temple in the Pahurat area of Bangkok, TSIS eventually moved to a purpose-built campus in Samut Prakan, around the time that more open legislation allowed international schools to flourish.

High class reading in the library

Today, there are over 400 students of different nationalities. Most are of Indian descent with around half coming directly from the Thai Sikh community. However, other religions also represented, ranging from Hindu to Muslim and Christian. Thai Sikh is so named because it is partly funded by the Thai Sikh Foundation based in Pahurat and its voluntary aided status enables the school to charge some of the lowest tuition rates in the country.

In August this year, the Junior school, which is presently housed in Pahurat, will move to a specially designed campus on Prachadhipok Road in the Rama 9 area. Here, children will be able to enjoy the latest facilities in a brighter and more spacious environment.

Dr Daya Singh

Although TSIS is a secular school, the guiding principles of Sikhism are central to its curriculum and so-called “values education” is an integral part of the school day.

“We give priority to human values,” says Dr Daya Singh, Principal of Thai Sikh International. “A child that passes through this institution must have compassion and respect their elders and parents.”

Whatever their religious persuasion, students are encouraged to follow the three main principles of Sikhism which are:

Kirat Karna – do your duty. Whatever job is assigned to you, do it honestly.

Vand ke shakna – whatever you have got, share with others such as friends and needy ones.

Nam Japna – remember God. He has given you everything.

“We try to inculcate these values in our children by organising various activities,” explains Dr Singh. Each school day, for example, begins with daily prayer and reflection on one of the values. Students will tell stories of heroes from across the spectrum of humanity who exemplify the guiding principles and one student will read out a piece of wisdom from the Sikh holy scripture, or ‘Guru Granth Sahib’, which is meant to form a central thought for the day.

Certain days throughout the calendar are dedicated to special themes designed to facilitate learning and discussion on various topics. There is Brotherhood Day, for instance, where children raise money and donate it all to various charities. Outside organisations, such as the spiritual group Art of Living Foundation, come in to deliver workshops to older students and generate discussion on such issues as respect and responsibility.

On Peace Day, regular lessons from Computer Science to English are geared to revolve around the subject of world peace. During Indian Day, the school hosts a ‘Community Kitchen’ where children cook and serve traditional Indian dishes for the local community to taste free of charge. They also bring in presents that are then delivered by the students to orphanages and old age homes.

There is much to be learned from days like these. “The Art of Living people come and teach students to be positive, not to brood on the past, think about today and value that,” explains Dr Singh. “Students are encouraged to plan for the future, learn to smile and ward off adversaries and have faith in the Almighty. We believe He has brought you into this world and He will look after you.”

The advantage of having people come in from outside lends gravitas to each event. “A child’s mind is very fertile, a child likes to fly,” claims Dr Singh. “They have got a lot of questions. We can provide answers to those questions but we feel it is better if outsiders come in and they can put across their questions to them.”

Finally, all secondary students go on annual camp away from the school. Younger pupils visit a Red Cross camp where they learn first-aid skills and techniques on how to help people in need. Senior students (years 10 and 11) spend a week away in the country discussing weighty topics related to their own religion. This all links to the ethos of values education.

Whilst values education is important, the nuts and bolts of individual learning are also given careful attention. TSIS works within the framework of the British National Curriculum and senior students are prepared to take up to ten GCE ‘O’ Levels from the EDEXCEL examination board in the UK. Recent results have been good with a high majority of students gaining grade A-C in most subjects.

Headmaster Trilok Singh Oulakh

The Headmaster of the school, Mr Trilok Singh Oulakh, says that the British Curriculum fits well with the ethos of the school. “With this curriculum, they get a broad-based education, they do not have to specialise too early,” he says. “In India, one has to know if one wants to specialise in the Arts stream or Sciences by level 8 (around 14 years old). But a child is too young to know their potential at that age. Here, they have more chances at realizing their potential and making sure they move in the right direction.”

In keeping with one of India’s core conservative values, boys and girls are taught separately. Assemblies and other whole-school activities, however, allow students to mix and, by all accounts, the students are comfortable with this.

Despite a name suggesting a student population polarised towards the Sikh community, TSIS is as culturally diverse as many other international schools in Thailand. “We have our own culture so we are like a family,” observes Piyush Anandanee, 15, who hails originally from India. “Many of us are Asians and we learn those kind of family values from our parents.”

Secondary students Fateh Kaur, Sapna Kumari, Mana Singh and Piyush Anandanee

Thai student Fateh Kaur, 17, believes she has benefited much from being at the school. “I’ve gained a lot of confidence since coming here,” she says. “I was never so confident before but now I’ve learned self-control and I’ve improved in my studies. The teachers also encouraged me to go up and do public speaking. I was so scared to do it at first but the teachers told me to go and just try. Even if you lose, they said, it doesn’t matter. The teachers are very understanding in the school.”

15 year-old Sapna Kumari from India has been at the school for 8 years and noticed a lot of changes. “The students have become a lot more disciplined and respectful and I have improved in my academics,” she says.

Another student from the Thai Sikh community, 14 year-old Mana Singh, believes that values education has an important role to play in their lives. “We are able to make our own decisions on how people should deal with outside world problems,” he notes, “and the camps teach us a lot of what our previous Gurus have taught.”

At the end of their time at TSIS, most students tend to go one of two ways. Around 10% who wish to study higher education abroad will go to other international schools to complete either ‘A’ levels or the IB (International Baccalaureate). The remaining 90% invariably go to a Thai university where four grade A-C’s at ‘O’ Level are seen as the equivalent to Mattayom 6.

The teachers at Thai Sikh International School all play a much wider role than their educational one. There is a heavy emphasis on pastoral care and individual guidance is seen as conducive to the main principles.

English Language teacher, Dinesh Rodrigues from India, says that he always tries to inspire decent morals in his students through open discussion with them. “I often talk about my own personal experiences,” he says, “because students love that more than if you use someone else as an example. They always like to know what their teachers were like when they were younger, what mistakes they made.”

There are a number of programmes in place which give the students who need it that little bit extra guidance. The Special Assistance Programme (SAP), for example, is designed to give less able students academic support both inside and outside the classroom. From a pastoral point of view, those students who are underachieving can be placed on the Teacher As Guardian (TAG) programme. Each student involved is assigned a mentor who will follow that student carefully and offer motivation and moral support. Mehendra Singh, a Computer Science teacher from Luknow in India, believes this programme to be effective because “it makes the students feel as if they have someone to make a promise to, someone who has expectations,” he asserts. “On top of that, they are constantly being looked after.”

Sandra Montiero, Mehendra Singh, Dinesh Rodrigues

For boarding students, this concept is taken one step further with the Teacher As Parent (TAP) programme. Since all these students are constantly away from their parents for long periods, this service is seen as a crucial one. Sandra Monteiro, another English Language teacher from India, has been at Thai Sikh for nearly 8 years and spent some time as a TAP teacher. “My student was always under me,” she recalls. “If there was a problem in school, the teachers would approach me and I would act as the parent of that child. Guidance and counseling was my job. If the situation was more serious and the parents needed contacting I would do that.” It helps, too, that most of the teachers live in on-site accommodation, so effectively they are on call 24 hours.

TSIS also runs a ‘House’ system whereby students of all ages are put into groups in order to compete in sports and other activities. Rodrigues, Singh and Monteiro are all heads of their respective houses and believe that the system works well as a motivator of students. “Human beings always give their best if there is competition or they are under pressure,” asserts Rodrigues. “It’s part of life and prepares them for later on when they become adults.”

Most of the expatriate families who send their children to Thai Sikh International School have settled in Thailand and, for some, their stay is permanent. “If we want to be part of the society here, we must know the people better and their traditions, ” suggests Principal Dr Singh, “so we must respect and learn the culture of Thais. Children should know such things about their way of worship, respect for elders and royal protocol so they are fully acquainted with the system in which they live. ”

Because of this notion, teachers such as Khun Kulasri Chaychotcharoen, are employed exclusively to teach Thai culture and language. “Through teaching things such as Thai dance and Thai games, our children can understand the culture,” she says. “It’s a subject I’m every interested in and I enjoy expressing that to our students.”

Practicing the ancient art of yoga

Meditation is very much part of Buddhist culture but is also an important practice in many other faiths including Sikh. Every student practices the ancient art of Yoga and they all take it very seriously. “Yoga is not a physical exercise,” says Dr. Singh. “It is the combination of your body movements controlling the nervous system and breathing. It teaches good behaviour, good habits, a balanced diet and sound sleep.”

We all aspire to these values, whichever culture you come from, and it is these values that epitomise the very essence of Thai Sikh International School.

For more information visit: www.thaisikh.com