May 25, 1999
Higher education A monk in Chiang Mai's Hod district gives free schooling to poor hilltribe children becausehe believes it is the key to solving the problems faced by highlanders Chompoo Trakullertsathien By being ordained as novice monks, boys from poor families can get an education like these youngsters at Wat Mae Paa Phai in Chiang Mai's Hod district. Growing up as a poor hilltribe boy, Ton, 12, knows what it's like to be looked down upon because he couldn't read and write. He promised himself he would do anything to get an education. He knew he would never be able to attend the local government school because his parents couldn't afford it. So when he heard that he could study if he became a novice at Wat Mae Paa Phai in Chiang Mai's Hod district, he jumped at the chance. "I kept asking my parents if they could afford to send me to school. But they were evasive. I never got an answer. So I knew I had to seek outside help," said the skinny boy, looking prim and proper in the saffron robe. Novice Ton does not have big dreams. He just wants to avoid the traps other hilltribe children fall into when they are uneducated. They are obvious even to a child of 12. "In my village, illiterate peasants are often cheated by the educated city people. Many parents allow their daughters to go with the flesh trade agents. Some of my friends were lured into drug trafficking." Thanks to Phra Poonchai Thanwuthitho, abbot of Mae Paa Phai Temple, Ton is among some 100 hilltribe boys who are now attending school after being ordained in April. According to the head monk, education is not about getting good grades. Rather, he sees it as a process of acquiring values and knowledge which will later serve as one's moral compass. A monk shaves the head of a hilltribe boy in preparation for his ordination as his Karen mother looks on. _ PICTURES BY SOMKID CHAIJITVANIT "That's why I want them to be ordained. As novices, the boys will have a chance not only to get an education, but also to learn about dhamma and to value moral principles," said the 48-year-old abbot who was honoured as an outstanding social worker in 1993 by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. At the ordination ceremony, most of the hilltribe boys who came from various villages in Hod were accompanied by their parents. They sat outside the temple hall waiting for their turn to be ordained. After the ceremony, many parents will not be able to see their boys for years because they cannot afford to take the trip to visit them. Like other parents, Prapai Meesri of Baan Mae Paa Phai said her children's future is more important than her own grief at being apart from them. "I feel sad and guilty not being able to afford my children's schooling. So when the monk told me my boys could study if they lived at the temple as novices, I did not hesitate."She then let her two sons become novices. "When I saw them dressed in yellow robes, I cried. I hope they grow up as good men with a better future ahead of them."To provide both secular and religious knowledge to the youngsters, the monk established a community education centre in the grounds of his temple in 1992. The centre was founded after the monk had witnessed many social problems faced by hilltribe people during his religious pilgrimages in the area. Among the main problems are deforestation, drug addiction and prostitution. "I met many poor hilltribe children who have no chance to continue their studies. They left school only to become street kids, drug addicts and child workers while some spend their time in the rice fields only taking care of the buffaloes. They should have the chance to widen their horizons like their city peers," said Phra Poonchai. He believes the number of children suffering these hardships is increasing and has come to the conclusion that education is the key to solving their problems. "If our ethnic minority children have a better education, they will be able to have a better standard of living and solve their problems in the future," he explained. During his religious pilgrimages to many hilltribe villages in Hod district, Phra Poonchai collected data on the children who needed help. His target groups are orphans, drug addicts, and the boys from broken homes and very poor families. Determined to give them an education, he set up a shelter for some 70 boys. "Most of them were overjoyed when they knew they had a chance to study," he said. There are currently some 100 hilltribe boys from different ethnic backgrounds studying at the temple under the Education Ministry's non-formal primary education programme. After completing Pathom 6, the novices will continue their education in the district's schools with financial support from the monk. Beside the community education centre, the monk also established a preschool centre at the temple in 1993 to care for toddlers while their parents are working. According to Phra Poonchai, most villagers of Ban Mae Paa Phai earn their living by collecting things from the forest, leaving their children unattended at home. The preschool is funded by public donations which go to pay for the teachers' salaries and the children's milk. In addition, the abbot is helping the hilltribe adults to become literate. Under his literacy programme, volunteers are dispatched to teach the hilltribe farmers how to read and write for two hours a day. At first, the villagers refused to attend the literacy class. "They kept saying it was a waste of time. It took them years to see the value of literacy. Now, more than 50 percent of villagers are literate," said Phra Poonchai. To help keep villagers abreast of news in the outside world, the abbot also set up a community library stocked with donated books. Apart from helping the hilltribe people to be literate, the monk also aims to involve them in environmental conservation. When the villagers understand the adverse effects of deforestation, he said, they began guarding their forests more strictly and planting new trees.""Now they understand that it takes years for the forests to return to their original state. So they have become more careful with their wood."To expand his project into other villages, the monk set up a second educational centre in 1994 at Wat Doi Mae Lai Duang Chan, another temple in Hod district, which has since been turned into a non-formal school giving some 100 underprivileged hilltribe boys the chance to get an education. "Though the government spends an enormous budget on expanding educational opportunities into the rural areas, many remote communities, especially the ethnic minorities, are still neglected," said Phra Poonchai. "We can't wait for the government's help so we have to do anything we can to give poor children a good head start in life," he added. According to the monk, the parents of most rural children can afford only compulsory primary education. But Phra Poonchai believes this is not enough and that temples can help fill the gap. "Temples have ample facilities. Monks have the time to teach. The public likes to donate to temples and this money should be channelled into helping needy children," said. "Given these social assets, temples can and should lend a hand to help society in shaping the lives of young people for the better," he said. Apart from supporting the underprivileged children's schooling, the monk also provides financial support to six schools in Hod district and one in Mae Sa Rieng district, including basic equipment such as desks, tables, chalk and blackboards. The students also get free uniforms and educational supplies every year. In addition, they get scholarships to see them through high school and, in some cases, university. So far, the monk has provided financial support to about 200 graduates. But his good works may soon have to be cut back. Since the economic crisis began, donations to the two community education centres have been steadily declining which limits the number of boys who can study there. Some students have had to quit school because the monk can't provide them with financial support. "The money coming from donations is not sufficient to support all the children. We have been cutting down expenses to the bare minimum. Kids have to share books with one another. Older students give their old clothes to the younger ones. The worst thing is that we cannot take in the boys who need help," he said. Faced with such a daunting task, however, the abbot is optimistic. "I'm doing every thing I can to help as many boys as possible. My only hope is that they are true to their commitment, return to the villages and use their education to prevent their communities from being exploited."u"We Care" is a weekly series honouring people who believe in giving. You can show you care by supporting the projects featured here each week. You can also let us know about people who selflessly help others so we can honour them in these pages. Fax "We Care" on 240-3666, or call 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Alternatively email sanitsuda@bangkokpost.net Info for donations: Name of Organisation: Wat Mae Paa Phai *Contact person: Phra Poonchai Thanwuthitho *Address: Baan Mae Paa Phai, Moo 5, Tambon Na Kor Ruea, Hod district, Chiang Mai. *Bank account details: Phra Poonchai Thanwuthitho, savings account number 505-0-172-674, Bangkok Bank, Hod branchAlternately, send your cheque payable to Post Publishing Public Company Limited (For Wat Mae Paa Phai). Send it to Kusuma Mintakhin, Editorial Manager, 136 Na Ranong Road, off Sunthorn Kosa, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110. Her telephone number is 240-3700 ext 3224-5. Please also include your name and address with your cheque so we can send you a receipt.		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