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Culture preservation project at Wat Pong School
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Located in Pong sub-district, Wat Pong School has
initiated a project whereby its pupils are taught to preserve Thai culture
in all of its aspects. Students study at the kindergarten and secondary
level, but lessons in Thai dance, music, and cultural ceremony are also a
hallmark of this little known school.
 Thai
traditional dance
The school’s director, Manoon Kaewrung explained about
the facility’s cultural project. “Our school enrollment is rapidly
growing as it is located close to Pattaya City and families are moving in
from other parts of the country for jobs. We now have 50 pupils in
kindergarten, and 605 children studying at the secondary level, and at
present we are a bit overcrowded and don’t have enough classrooms.
Nonetheless, the school is well respected by parents because we not only
provide a modern curriculum for our youngsters, but support cultural
activities which aim to preserve Thai culture.
Students
play traditional Thai music.
“The school’s cultural project has set up classes to
teach Thai music and dance, as well as Thai cultural and religious
ceremonies. Our children are very talented and we hope this intensive
training in Thai culture will allow our pupils to perform at various
activities in Pattaya such as weddings, religious ceremonies, house
blessings and openings of office buildings,” Manoon said.
 The
famous Thai ‘wai’
The music equipment is sponsored by Pong temple abbot,
Phra Kru Thammaeangseewisut, parents, and generous community leaders. The
school also provides free vocational courses including dressmaking, hair
cutting and makeup techniques which help the boys and girls make their own
costumes and prepare for performances.
Another admirable activity included in the school is the
conservation of Thai traditional dress. Started in 1983, the idea was the
brainchild of Niyom Surakot, the school’s former director, and is still
being practiced. Every Tuesday pupils don traditional clothing dating as far
back as Rama VII.
Students
play Thai traditional instruments.
Wat Pong School has received many prizes for Thai
cultural preservation. They were the 1998 provincial winners in Thai dance,
provincial winners of Thai traditional support in 1999, received a
certificate from the National Cultural Committee Department in 2003 for the
teachers dressing in Thai silk, and the winners in the youth category of the
local tom-tom contest for the 1st Pattaya City traditional boat race.
Winning those prizes made the students and teachers very proud that they
could still entertain people with Thai culture in a society which is
increasingly centered on technology.
Manoon Kaewrung said, “Thai children must not forget their rich
heritage. The school realizes this; therefore we preserve and support these
ancient cultural activities. Our students and teachers are proud of their
achievements and we all thank our benefactors for supporting us.”
High quality international education arrives in Samui
Dulwich International College opened an interim school on Samui on
Monday, September 20. Dulwich Nursery and Infants School is located in the
Bo Phut area in a modern and spacious building.
Dulwich International
College has opened an interim school on Samui.
The new school caters initially for children from the
ages of 18 months (pre-school) to 6 years old (Year 2) in two composite
classes. The school has acquired the services of Mrs Kim Duffy who has
taught in her native South Africa, at the New International School Thailand
(NIST) and in Australia. She is ably joined by Samantha Griffiths and
Sandra Panjan, both of whom have previously worked in schools on Samui.
Several assistants and helpers have been selected to work alongside the
teachers, and the school will shortly advertise for a Thai Studies teacher.
In order to maintain the highest standards, Dulwich
International College in Phuket will send staff over to Samui on a regular
basis, the idea being for them to support in class and, where necessary, to
provide training for the Samui staff.
The curriculum in the interim school is a modified
version of the curriculum used in Phuket, which was derived from the
Foundation Stage Curriculum and the English National Curriculum, both from
the United Kingdom. The learning goals and objectives for each age group
will remain consistent with those used in Phuket, whilst the topics taught
will be on a three year cycle to make allowances for the fact that the
children are taught in composite classes.
Fortunately for Samui, the new school might not have
eventuated without the work of a small committee who realized the island
was in dire straights without quality education for their children. In
another stroke of luck, Dulwich in Phuket had a surplus of high quality
resources ordered from the United Kingdom, which were to be used for three
new classes. Luckily for everyone the new classes were postponed until
September 2005 and the resources are now in the Samui school.
Given the reputation of the College in Phuket it is
expected that all forty places within the interim school will be rapidly
filled. The College has not ruled out the possibility of expanding the
interim school and, if demand is sufficiently high, of opening a junior
class for the older age groups.
Plans for the new campus are rapidly taking shape. The
new campus will have state-of-the-art facilities similar to those at the
Phuket campus, and is expected to be completed in the academic year
2005-2006. The interim school is seen by the management team in Phuket as
an ideal way to ensure that the pupils coming in to the new campus will be
ready and able to realize their full potential.
“The ‘Early Years’ is a crucial stage for laying
the foundations for a child’s development, not just academically, but
also in terms of sporting, artistic, social and emotional development
too,” stated DIC’s Head of Primary, Neil Smith. “By working with
these children early Dulwich hopes that in the years to come they will
become the backbone of the new campus and go on to achieve excellence in
everything they do.”
Those parents who have enrolled in the interim school before Friday,
October 15, will benefit from preferential rates when the new campus opens
within the next two years. For more details on the Dulwich Nursery and
Infants School, Ms Kim Duffy can be contacted on 09 591 4946 or [email protected]
Alternatively, parents are welcome to pop into the new school at 101/17,
Moo 1, Bophut.
ISR pupils join in mass
beach cleanup in Jomtien
Ban Amphur Beach readies for tourists
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Students from the International School of Regents (ISR)
along with students from the Agriculture and Technology College of Chonburi
and district cleaners joined hands to clean Ban Amphur Beach in Jomtien on
September 25 as an exercise in environmental conservation.
ISR
students, students from the Agriculture and Technology College of Chonburi
and district cleaners joined hands to clean Ban Amphor Beach.
The group of 85 picked a nice sunny day for the cleanup.
Although hot and dirty work, they lent their backs to the job and stripped
this little known beach of rubbish and a lot of debris which had washed
ashore from fishing boats. Cleaning equipment and a garbage truck made the
job a little easier and at the end of the day the beach was in pristine
condition.
Najomtien sub-district councilor Tuanjit Srapna,
responsible for public health and environment said, “Ban Amphor Beach is
usually taken care of through coordination of the Najomtien municipality,
the local school and the public. These activities have been organized all
year and have succeeded by following the initiative of Najomtien
municipality’s mayor Sompong Sainapa to make Ban Amphur Beach one of
Chonburi’s prominent tourist beaches. Since it is still a wildlife
preserve and is not well known, it needs to be developed and promoted.”
Tuanjit was pleasantly surprised that there was very little garbage and
litter from beachgoers. “The municipality sends cleaners to this beach
every day to keep the beach as clean as possible. Most of what we gathered
during this exercise washed ashore from fishing boats or was debris blown in
from recent rainstorms. This means that beach users are becoming more aware
of how important clean beaches are to the region,” he said.
Buddhism learning center for children opens at Wat Thepprasart, Sattahip
Youngsters will learn there is more to life than mere money
Pacharapol Panrak
A Buddhist learning center was recently set up at Wat
Thepprasart in Sattahip to assist Thai youngsters in learning Buddhist
values. Phra Boonsong Chantimo, vice-abbot of Wat Thepprasart Sattahip,
along with Sattahip municipality mayor, Narong Boonbanjerdsri presided over
the opening of the center, which was built with funds donated by the local
community.
Phra
Boonsong Chantimo, vice-abbot of Wat Thepprasart Sattahip, and Sattahip
municipality mayor, Narong Boonbanjerdsri presided over the opening of the
center.
Buddhist monks will teach the children courses in
Buddhist history, the teachings of Buddha, guidelines for living, religious
ceremonies, and meditation. The classes will be held every weekend and are
geared to help youngsters grow up as responsible members of society.
Every
weekend, Buddhist monks will teach children about Buddhist history, the
teachings of Buddha, guidelines for living, religious ceremonies, and
meditation.
Phra Boonsong said, “If kids are taught to walk on the
right track in life from the beginning, we would have fewer problems in our
society. The teachings of Buddha will help mold them into a good people in
every dimension. These children will grow up to become good citizens and
help make our kingdom a peaceful place in which to live.”
The abbot pointed out how today’s children often waste
their time with frivolous pastimes such as TV, video games and are too
focused on materialism. He said the center will be a place where they can
cleanse their hearts and minds and the meditation courses will help them
better focus on their studies.
“Parents are now too busy making money to teach their children ethics
and provide a spiritual base for their kids. Since that is the case, it is
our job as monks to see that they get a more holistic education. Children
should not only be taught courses in business and technology. Our center
will provide a way for them to learn the art of clean, wholesome living and
social responsibility. Hopefully they will grow up to be caring and kind
adults,” the abbot said.
Children compete in prayer contest at Three Kingdoms Park
Competition honors HM the Queen’s 72nd birthday
Suchada Tupchai
Three Kingdoms Park director and member of the
Srifuengfung Foundation, Jate Sopitpongsathorn, presided over the opening of
the “Sor-Ra-Panya prayer group prayer contest in honor of Her Majesty the
Queen’s 72nd birthday celebration.
 Jate
Sopitpongsathorn presided over the opening of the “Sor-Ra-Panya” prayer
group contest in honor of HM the Queen’s 72nd birthday celebration.
The contest took place at the park on September 24.
Representatives from 15 schools in Pattaya City participated in the contest
and monks from Pattaya City temples and members of the public judged the
competition.
Buddharika Suwannakaln, GM of the Three Kingdoms Park
explained the contest. “We lend support to these children by encouraging
them to learn more about Buddhism. The children can easily understand
Buddhist ethics by using ‘The Three Principles’ for this contest, which
is normal prayer in school. The competition has been dedicated to Her
Majesty the Queen in tribute to her 72nd birthday.”
Buddharika continued, “The competition helps youngsters
learn about teamwork and harmony. They also learn the finer points of
Buddhist prayer, the proper use of the Thai language, and how to concentrate
and perform well in public. The participants were provided with a tape of
Buddhist prayer so they could hear the correct rhythm, diction, and
pronunciation.
“This is the first time we have held a prayer contest
like this. We believe that if youngsters are introduced to Buddhism early in
life, they will understand that its principals and guidelines are not
boring, but in fact very interesting. When they understand the teachings of
Buddha they will be able to adapt them to their everyday lives. In today’s
society, young people need strong guidance to reject the many negative
influences around them. A sturdy foundation in religious morals can help
them choose the right path in life,” Buddharika concluded.
The contest will narrow the field to 7 teams from a total of 15 for the
finals on October 23. Scholarships and certificates will be presented to
participants. The public is invited to attend the finals at Three Kingdoms
Park. For further information please call Three Kingdoms Park at tel. 038
421428-9.
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