Social exclusion and violence:
Education for social cohesion

Ban Saen Sook School's Project

Srakeo province, Thailand

The Ban Saen Sook school's project is a project on community culture, community participation and peace education. The village school emphasizes the integration of their students within the activities of the community. In this warring nation, this school is opened to the children from both home and abroard. There is no discrimination towards the public, the school tries to avoid conflict.

The project helps survivors to remain in life: it has set up a war museum and developed an integrated curriculum about the local Prasat Noi, an ancient khmer styled temple ; the new program combines classic acquisitions with learning about local history and culture in the school curriculum ( visits to the war musuem and to Prasat Noi Sri Chompoo ancient monument ).
The school involves community development through students participation and lifelong learning. It successfully implemented an « agriculture for nutritious school lunch program » since 1999 (chicken and duck raising, fish farming, vegetables and fruit growing using bio-mass fertilizer and non chemical insecticide).

The school is one of the last situated few meters away from the Thai-Cambodian border and has suffered from spillovers of the Cambodian war many times in the past when some of their students were wounded and one killed. It is trying to bring both nations together. The school now has some Cambodian pupils who cross over and attend the elementary classes.

Savitri Suwansathit
Inpector General
Ministry of Education
Thailand
Sa_vitri2000@yahoo.com

Teachers and administrators
of Ban Saen Sook School
Aranyaprathet district
Srakeo province, Thailand
UNICEF

1996

Outstanding award for students health and sanitation in school 1996 National Primary Education Day Outstanding award for hemorragic fever prevention in school, top award for pre-school teaching at district levels, and value and moral education outstanding award 1996, 1997, 1998