Special Education & Outreach House

Education

Chiang Rai

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Created on May 18 2023

By Arlene Thienpont

The Story

11 months ago

Special Ed Outreach House focuses on providing underprivileged and disadvantaged children with equitable and quality education, especially for children with special needs, ethnic minority children, and children living in remote areas in the province of Chiang Rai. The lack of education has left many of the villages illiterate and with learning disabilities like Dyslexia, and Attention Deficit Disorders being unnoticed, or unreachable for help - many of the children grow up without being able to reach their full potential.

Chiang Rai province shares a 327km natural borderline with Myanmar, known as the Moei River. As such it is a gateway for fleeing Myanmar's many years of ethnic conflict, as well as migrants searching for a better life in Thailand. Many children are stateless, lacking citizenship in any country.

Multiple languages, rugged terrain, and poverty combine to make the area of education challenging.

In 2005, Thai MOE found a higher-than-expected number of out-of-school children in Thailand. Special Ed & Outreach House focuses its efforts on the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children including migrant and ethnic minority villages.

Arlene Thienpont is a teacher with extended experience in special education and psychopathology in families. She completed her BA in Psychology degree through the University of South Africa and is currently pursuing her MSc in Psychology and Learning Disability through the University of Portsmouth in the Uk. Special Ed & Outreach House has rented a house in Mae-Sai and Chiang Rai Province. Children living in nearby villages would attend evening classes as well as classes over weekends. During summer breaks we become "mountain teachers" and do outreach to minority groups and faraway villages. Our goals are the following:

Find a suitable property and convert it into a boarding house for these children to live closer and attend regular school.
Develop a "mobile library" during the summer break and bring resources to the minority groups and teach them at least one skill to focus on and master during this time. Asking older or academically stronger children to help their younger or more challenged peers.
Information and Communications Technology is often cited as a potential resource for disadvantaged students in remote areas. If we can teach them the basic skills of using a computer - we could have more regular contact, available to help and update their learning process. The challenges are, however, obtaining and maintaining electronic equipment. ICT may have benefits but improving the daily teacher-to-student interaction will yield more substantial benefits for the children.

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