In late December 2026, World Vision Foundation of Thailand and Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO), in collaboration with the Office of Tak Provincial Red Cross Chapter, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna Tak, Tak Provincial Learning Promotion Office, and Tak Provincial Education Office, held the training under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Literacy Support Teachers Programme. The course aimed to develop teaching capacity for teachers, education practitioners, and individuals to be selected as literacy support teachers to teach ethnic children in remote areas of Umphang District to read and write, and to prevent vulnerable children from dropping out of the education system.
The training featured Mr Settha Sirichai, a teacher at the Mae Ramat District Learning Promotion Centre, and Miss Monnapat Thinoi, a teacher at the Tha Song Yang District Learning Promotion Centre, both of whom are highly experienced and served as resource persons sharing knowledge and teaching techniques.
“The training content included guidelines for literacy development, the use of teaching materials and the Mana-Manee workbook, Thai language teaching techniques such as spelling exercises, recommendations for suitable teaching aids, as well as demonstrations and practice sessions. These will enable participants to apply the methods effectively in their local contexts,” explained Mr Settha Sirichai.
The Mana-Manee teaching set is a fundamental Thai language resource currently used in district-level learning promotion centres in Tak Province. It is well-suited to the local context and can be further adapted to improve literacy teaching in a practical way.
Miss Wandee Chakartkarnkit, one of the trainees, shared her motivation for joining the programme, “I want children in my community to be able to read and write because education is key to improving their lives and achieving their goals. Today’s training introduced new knowledge, especially about teaching materials, which are essential for helping students understand lessons more easily.”
Mr Prasong Sriphithakdamrong, Programme Manager for Tak Province at World Vision Foundation of Thailand and Chair of the Literacy Support Teachers Programme partnership, spoke about the project’s objectives and efforts to address school dropout issues: “In Tak Province, one in three children aged 6–11 years—primary school age—are out of the education system. The main reasons include poverty, inability to read, feelings of shame and fear of falling behind, as well as a shortage of teaching staff. This training not only aims to strengthen teachers’ capacity in Thai language instruction but also seeks to recruit individuals willing to serve as literacy support teachers in local communities without facing barriers of travel or dialect. This will be a key mechanism to address the shortage of teaching personnel.”
This training is part of the Literacy Support Teachers Programme under the Local Collaboration Network Mechanism Project for Educational Opportunity Expansion for Vulnerable Groups in Umphang District, Tak Province. The project is jointly implemented by World Vision Foundation of Thailand and NXPO, in partnership with local stakeholders.
