June 20, 2000
An education in protest An experimental school near the Pak Moon Dam is demonstrating a much-needed alternative to mainstream schooling,giving new meaning to self-sufficiency-and the lives of the children The future of Mae Moon Man Yuen children, perhaps like the national flag they are saluting, is hanging in the air. Picture by ATIYA ACHAKULWISUT Vasana Chinvarakorn Even standing up in front of class, Sukanya Janpitak, 15, is barely taller than her students. The serious-looking teenager is one of the dedicated teaching crew at the Mae Moon Man Yuen School, an innovative "academy" run by and for Isan villagers, which aims to teach more than just textbook ABCs. From the outside, Sukanya's school looks extremely spartan and, to be more exact, poor. It's an an open-air shack-cracked blackboards are used as partitions to divide the six different grades, with a corner set aside for kindergarten students. Desks and chairs-if there are any-are definitely hand-me-downs, just a couple of steps away from the rubbish heap. And yet, as Khru Sukanya shows her Grade 5 students how to do a simple arithmetic calculation, their eyes are eagerly fixed on the movements of the stub of chalk in her hands. Then it's time for a quick test, and arms immediately shoot up to volunteer the answer in front of their classmates. Such a cordial atmosphere, which allows the children to assert themselves, is rather atypical of most rural schools. According to Yiamporn Pholsoong-noen, a founding member of the Mae Moon Man Yuen School, it's hard to imagine that these very outgoing students once used to be submissive and fearful of authority figures, not unlike their parents in the past. "Many of these kids have gone through a series of subtle repressions at mainstream schools," Yiamporn said. "Once they are identified as children of protesters, they are singled out and often, have to suffer a whole slew of public humiliations, name-callings, unusually harsh beatings, you name it. "A number of parents came to me to air their frustrations. The kids would be mocked as hard-headed, mobsters, or even communists, just because their families had joined the protest. Once, a 10-year-old boy from our community was absent for several days, and on the first morning that he went back, he was spanked and forced to stand in front of the whole school!" Thus the idea was born of setting up a learning institution that would be more sympathetic to the children's plight. More important, however, was the concern that conventional schooling tends to groom rural children into cheap labourers to supply urban industries. Yiamporn sees the prevalent attitude that alienates the younger generation from their ancestors' traditional way of life as detrimental to all parties involved. "I must admit, though, even a lot of villagers here continue to cherish the dream that their children will one day be able to work in factories upon completing school. They have been taught to 'look down' on themselves. But should the goal of education come down simply to this? "The philosophy of Mae Moon Man Yuen School, on the other hand, is to let children be content with life in the present, to 'look up' and be respectful of their elders' cultural heritage." To achieve such a lofty ideal is far from easy, however. Since February of this year, when the Mae Moon Man Yuen School first began classes, Yiamporn and her volunteer teaching staff have been working to design content and teaching methods. Recruited from the relatively more educated protesters, almost all have no prior teaching experience. Fortunately, the Children's Village School came to their aid. In fact, last year the alternative school from Kanchanaburi helped set up the Mae Moon Man Yuen community's first day care centre, dubbed the Pla Yon (little fish) Kindergarten. The establishment of the full-fledged primary school, incorporating the original day care centre, was largely to meet the rise in demand from protesting villagers. "Actually, I want to study here, but they couldn't organise a Grade 9 class for me. So I think it's a good idea to help out for the time being," said young Sukanya. True, the Mae Moon Man Yuen School has a long way to go before things fall into place. Turnover remains high. At any given time, enrolment can range from 20-plus to over 50, making it difficult for teachers to plan ahead. The majority of students are pre-schoolers. Since the beginning of the new term, a number of older kids have been taken out and put back into state-run schools, sometimes against the child's will, lamented Yiamporn. Fluctuation of enrolment aside, staff at the Mae Moon Man Yuen School continue to build up their organisation's credibility. Right from the beginning, some volunteer teachers have been sent to study the innovative Summerhill- and Montessori-inspired curriculum at Children's Village School. At the end of the academic year there, students are required to take examinations, and if they pass, they receive an official certificate, as the Children's Village School has been endorsed by the Ministry of Education. In a way, the adoption of the philosophy of education from the Children's Village School was an apt choice. The stress on freedom and love can liberate those who have been reared on authoritarianism, as experienced by the villagers at the Mae Moon Man Yuen community. "The greater degree of freedom here has transformed a number of my students," Yiamporn said. "For example, one of the girls used to be extremely shy. If you asked her something, she would just keep bending her head low, and you had to press her very hard for an answer. On the second day, when I tried to approach her, she quickly jumped back away from me. But now she is so talkative! The girl later confessed she did not expect then that teachers and students could act friendly toward one another. She thought we belonged to two different classes." At the Mae Moon Man Yuen School, the schedule is not necessarily a dictatorial matter that must be followed to the minute. Of course, school begins at around eight o'clock with a salutation of the national flag accompanied by a chorus of the national anthem. However, it is quickly followed by the Forum of the Poor song, urging young minds to unite in their fight for justice in society. Generally, morning is devoted to regular subjects, while the afternoon is geared toward vocational training and appreciation of local wisdom. Students take turns trying their hands at different skills, from fishing to mat weaving, under the supervision of older villagers right in their own community. Others engage in growing chemical-free vegetables, which will be used for school lunches, served daily free of charge. Strapped for cash-there is no collection of tuition fees and the sole financial support has come from the Children's Village School-the Mae Moon Man Yuen crew just try their best to make do with whatever resources they have at hand. If they can't afford a blackboard eraser, a rag will do. Nobody is concerned, either, about what uniforms the students are wearing, and quite a few go barefoot on a regular basis. "All we care about is the children's readiness to learn," said Chat Jankaew, a volunteer teacher. Ironically, the best and most expensive educational opportunity for these Isan children is available right next to the school itself. Situated near the Pak Moon Dam, the students of Mae Moon Man Yuen School have had a unique opportunity to study at close range how a state-imposed development project has wrought tragedy in their lives. While distant bureaucrats and academics debate fiercely the efficacy of the controversial fish ladder, the Northeastern children here have been regularly taking study trips to the concrete blocks, seeing with their own eyes if and what kinds of fish can navigate their way through the dam. At a recent performance these youngsters staged for outside visitors, the fish ladder evidently failed the test. At the centre of the stage, a mock ladder was erected-an ingenious creation of old bamboo and patches of used paper. One by one, the Mae Moon Man Yuen students pretended to be different species of fish trying to swim through the makeshift structure. One by one, they were invariably bounced back. A song titled Fish Ladder-Robber of Our River was chanted as the young actors engaged in this simple choreography. The music was jolly, but its message was undeniably melancholic. Theatre is just one channel in the educating process at this school. Students at Mae Moon Man Yuen School have already tried their hand at self-governance through participation in their own "assembly", a feature adopted from the Children's Village School. Every Friday, these youth of Isan sit in a weekly meeting where they exchange opinions on how to improve the schools. Even teachers, added Mr Chat, are subject to a reprimand for slack performance or demonstration of uncivil manners. The bonds between students and teachers at this rustic school could be attributed to the fact that they both share the same plight, victims of modernisation. To live at Thailand's first protest village of Mae Moon Man Yuen is to be exposed first-hand to a variety of problems, from the environmental impact of a dam, to forced relocation and loss of livelihood. The young Sukanya, for example, grew up witnessing the disintegration of her village due to the construction of the Sirindhorn Dam. The fish were gone, she said, putting an end to her parents' fishing career. A large number of people have migrated to the cities, eking out a living as manual labourers or even garbage scavengers. Twelve-year-old Phornpan Pimkhong may not be able to cite the names of the fishes that have disappeared, but the young girl said she missed the old Moon River where her parents used to fish and her siblings used to swim, so free from care. "Now the river has been polluted. You can't drink from it anymore. Besides, you get itchy going into the water. I was told people can contract some serious diseases, too," Phornpan said. As the future of thousands of other Isan folk at Mae Moon Man Yuen village is hanging in the air, Yiamporn says she can not foresee in what direction her school will be heading. The optimistic woman insists, however, that she will try her best to maintain it, even should it eventually be moved from its current location. For too long, both Isan parents and their children have been marginalised in the development process, said Yiamporn, and thus education by and for locals was indeed one crucial path toward self-sufficiency. Info for donations: - Name of organisation: The Mae Moon Man Yuen School - Address: Mae Moon Man Yuen Community, Pak Moon Dam, Khong Chiam District, Ubonratchathani 34220 - Phone: (01) 916-1478 - Contact person: Yiamporn Pholsoong-noen - Bank account name: Khrong-karn Pla Yon (The Little Fish Project, referring to the original daycare centre) - Bank Account Number: 338-1-13249-0 - Bank account: Krung Thai Bank, Khong Chiam Branch - Bank account type: savings The Mae Moon Man Yuen School is also accepting donations of books, toys and stationery. "We care" is a fortnightly series honouring people who believe in giving. In addition to supporting these causes, you can let us know about people who unselfishly help others so we can make more people aware of their efforts. Fax "We care" on 240-3668 or call 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Email can be sent to . For a comprehensive list of charities covered by Outlook's "We Care" series, see the Bangkok Post Web site at .		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