THE THAI CHILDREN ASSEMBLY
...TOWARDS THE HAPPY LEARNING EXPERIENCES

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                                                                Dr.Kasama Varavarn
                                                                 Secretary-General of the National Primary Education Commission
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" Wake up, Teachers ! Listen to the pleas of your children and learn more from them..."

If you had been at the National Cultural Centre on Sunday 29 November 1998, you would have had a rare
chance to witness the power of Thai children in the field of education, for never before had they been given
the opportunity to freely and publicly voice their opinions, display their talents and paint their dreams.

Hundreds and thousands of children, parents, teachers, novices, educators, policy makers, supporters,
NGO representatives, celebrities and politicians filled the entire auditorium. The atmosphere was vibrant
with colour, laughter and excitement. Outside in the entrance hall was the exhibition of the children's work:
64 colorful paintings depicting their views on the factors that enhanced their learning experiences and on
factors that caused unhappy learning ; fifty-six shadow boxes portraying their beloved and their unkind
teachers. All these, together with songs and five skits on problems in Thai schools they later performed
on stage, were the genuine, heartfelt and laborious products of the 304 Grade 4 and Grade 5 children,
four from each of the 76 provinces of Thailand, who were selected to participate in the two-day workshop
leading up to the half-day Children Assembly, where they presented their products with pride and joy
at the National Cultural Centre.

The Children Assembly was organized by the Office of the National Primary Education Commission,
ONPEC, of the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with UNICEF and with MAYA, the Art and
Cultural Institute for Development. The objectives of the event were manifold : to enhance the children's
learning potential, to get feedback from school children on the key elements in their learning experience,
their ideal curriculum, ideal teachers, ideal schools, to help facilitate real learning reform and spark
public awareness of children as truly valuable resources for society.

The Children Assembly may be seen as a learner-centred forum to encourage children to express
themselves, their educational needs, their likes and dislikes, their hopes and their aspirations, through
a series of specially designed activities for happy learning experiences.

At the workshop, organized by the MAYA team, which included ONPEC teachers trained by MAYA,
the children were divided into small groups, each with one assistant teacher. They were motivated by
questions and in finding answers to those questions, they learnt to explore, brainstorm, discuss, reason,
select and produce the desired outcomes of their learning activities. Throughout this learning process,
the children were active, happily motivated, enthusiastic and responsible for their tasks without any sign
of misery, boredom or tiredness. They enjoyed all the activities and every minute of them. There were
five main areas of activities : "We are friends”, for children to get to know each other, "Children Power”,
for children to display their potential, "Ideal Subjects”, for children to express what they would like to
learn and what they disliked, “Ideal Teachers”, for children to give examples of what they considered
good and bad teachers and "Classroom of the Future” for children to express their needs and desires.

Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai arrived on the dot to preside over the first ever Children Assembly,
accompanied by Deputy Minister of Education, Mr. Somsak Prisananuntakul, Deputy Minister of
Education, Mr. Arkom Angchuan, Permanent Secretary of State for Education, Dr. Surat Silpa-Anan,
Dr. Kasama Varavarn, Secretary - General of the National Primary Education Commission and
a group of children from those taking part in the workshop. When Prime Minister Chuan was asked,
instead of cutting a ribbon, to draw a picture for the children on a framed white board, he simply drew
a lotus bud. In the traditional oriental interpretation, the lotus bud symbolizes innocent children, the
hope of the nation, who, given time, will blossom into the wise and valued human resources of the
country. The message seemed appropriate to the occasion.

The programme started with a riveting rhythmic standing drum dance, performed by a large troop of
pupils in shocking pink, lemon yellow and striking red, from Khao Thong School, Nakhon Sawan.
Despite the clash of colours, their performance told of unity and cooperation. They were followed
by a song "Determined Teacher ", sung by pupils' representatives from the four regions of Thailand.

A Highlight of the day was the five skits, written, produced and rehearsed by 56 children who
participated in the Children Assembly Workshop only in the afternoon before the show. They were
divided into five groups according to their regions, except for the first group, which consisted of school
children from the north among whom was one boy from the south, Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The first show was by the children from the north; the second and third featured children from the
central region; the fourth from the north-east, and the fifth from the southern region. They all spoke
in their native dialects, which added a fascinating linguistic variety to the show.

First came a rod puppet show, "The Stone-Aged Teacher", featuring a bad-tempered teacher who
punished children for no justifiable reason. The questions raised at the end of the skit were " Should
there be teachers who behave unreasonably ? And how are you going to deal with them? "

This was followed by a dramatized story, " Dear Friend, Real Friend and the Exam ", about a
school girl, pressured by the approaching exam, the threatening words of her parents, her fear of
failure, her attempted suicide by jumping from a highrise building, until she was comforted and
saved by her true friend. Her opening monologue of despair was echoed by the other performers,
acting as the highrise. The heart-rending issue raised here was " Do parents' high expectations
and well-intended threats drive children to despair and suicide ?"

Then came a multi-colour shadow puppet show entitled " The Classroom of My Dreams ", a pun,
as in the play the children asked their teacher if they could have a lesson under an apple tree, with
fluttering butterflies above, and the kindly teacher agreed, then took them to a real temple so that
they could learn about history and religion. It was while they were feeling happy, grateful and
appreciative that the entire scene melted away, replaced by the dull black and white classroom scene.
It turned out that the whole scene was a dream; they were dreaming of their ideal classroom, in class,
and were punished for it. The teacher then carried on with his boring lesson. The skit reflected the
children's desperate pleas :" Must we learn only in a square classroom ?" " If possible, can we have
a lesson under a tree ?" " Why can't our teacher take us out on an excursion so we they can learn
from real-life experience ?"

Next was the cut-out puppet or people-puppet show " Can education improve our community life ?",
depicting a student who returned home to her village after being educated away from home. She
brought home a new set of values and goods that were not relevant to her village life. The question
at the end of the skit : " What is the use of education if it can't be transferred to rural community
development ?"

Last but certainly not least, another multi-colour shadow puppet show "Education of Thai children
in the age of the IMF" . The show opened with a metaphorical scene of the Titanic, symbolizing
wealthy society, heading towards the glacier, the economic crisis, while a girl was humming the
famous theme music from the film in the background. It went on to show that during the recession,
even highly qualified people lose their jobs. When parents are laid off, what can the children do
to help ? It is hard to report the earnest question from the children in such vulnerable conditions :
" What can children do to help their unemployed parents?"

Needless to say, the response was tremendous, the discussions serious from the people in the
auditorium and those watching the programme live on television at home. Mr. Somsak Prisananuntakul,
Deputy Minister of Education eloquently summarized the responses to all the questions raised.
He admitted that the children had, indeed, demonstrated their power, their critical thinking ability
and creativity, to such an extent that adults could no longer think or respond on their behalf; nor
can society afford to deny, ignore or overlook children's opinions. At this Children Assembly,
the children's performances reflected really serious and valid issues.

First, on teacher's unreasonable punishment of children, the Deputy Minster quoted from the children's
exhibition to teachers : " Before you punish us, please think first of your own children." ... " Please
do not scold us, for we are still uneducated." His message for the teachers was: " Being a teacher
means you have a responsibility to understand and educate children. Consider the children's views".
At the Ministrial level, suitable measures will be taken against teachers who punish children
unjustly or more than necessary.

On "Dear Friend, Real Friend, and the Exam", Deputy Minister Somsak stated " Exams have become
a social dilemma. Parents should not put pressure on their children. Children should know what true
friendship is and express real friendship towards one another. Children should realize that we are not
alone in the world, because we have friends. If you make a wrong decision, your parents and friends
will be saddened. On the other hand, if you are successful your parents, teachers and friends will be
glad for you. Everyone needs loving care. There are many solutions to the world's problems; and
many who are willing to help. Do not take an easy way out by yourself."

As for “the Classroom of My Dream”, Khun Somsak understood children’s curious nature and their
eagerness to learn from real life. He was certain that that the new Education Bill would encourage
lessons outside square classrooms, making communities the centres for learning in the near future.

In response to the question whether education has made people forget their communities; it should
not do so, for education should cultivate good conscience and responsibility in children, not only for
themselves but also for their communities. Education must include local wisdom and ethnic culture,
as well as modern technology. Children can then return to improve their rural communities.

As for education in the age of the IMF and economic recession, Deputy Minister Somsak urged
“the children to try to understand their parents and economize. Parents may be under financial pressure,
but they can still provide love and education for their children. The institution of the family is the first
and most important social unit. The nation will be strong enough to withstand any crisis if the family
institution remains strong. Education must be the joint responsibility of the family and the state.
Parents must share the responsibility for providing education for their children, not leaving  it all
to the schools or teachers.”

Deputy Minister of Education Somsak Prisananuntakul concluded with a solemn promise. Next year
the Children Assembly will be held in all the provinces, to enable even more children to participate,
a promise to keep for the sake of the children to whom the twenty-first century truly belongs.

On this happy note, 304 children in their painted T shirts, with bright pink, blue, purple, green, yellow
and orange fluorescent caps and multi-colour back-packs, thronged the stage to sing us a song, Love
and Hope, Thai Children Power, the words they had composed themselves, on the first day of the
Children Assembly Workshop at the Saint Joseph's Training Centre in Nakhon Pathom. The music
was composed by the talented young Head Teacher of Ban Don Phree School from Ubon Ratchathani,
Mr. Sala Kunawut. Again the atmosphere in the auditorium of the National Cultural Centre was vibrant
with joy and happiness, this time not only the happiness of the children but of all involved, most of all,
perhaps, the Secretary - General of the National Primary Education Commission, Dr. Kasama Varavarn,
whose initiative, dedication and faith in children power led to the realization of the Children Assembly.

Dr. Kasama asked the 304 children at the opening of the Workshop. "Yes.." was the answer and, indeed,
they did shine like stars, even in the daylight.

" My inspiration comes from the children. They do not have a chance to express themselves when
they are with adults, who tend to lead or dominate them. So we should give them a chance to consolidate.
If adults have faith in children, they will examine themselves and deliver what they consider is their
best for you." Dr. Kasama concluded as the Children Assembly drew to an end. But it ended with
a new beginning.

Copyright & copy : 1999 MOENet Thailand Service
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