Bangkok: Education in the five southern border provinces of Thailand is taking a step towards a new dimension of development. The Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC), the network of private Islamic schools in the southern border provinces, and the Institute for Academic Quality Development (IAQD) are jointly promoting Active Learning through the GPAS 5 Steps systemic higher-order thinking process in the area for three years. This collaboration aims to develop the potential of teachers and students to align with 21st-century skills while preserving the religious, linguistic, cultural, and way of life of the people in the area. The ultimate goal is for children to be able to think, analyze, act, solve problems, and apply their knowledge in real-world situations.
According to Thai News Agency, Dr. Phinya Rattanavorachart, Deputy Secretary-General of the Private Education Commission, stated that the Private Education Commission oversees approximately 3,000 private schools nationwide, with around 2 million students. In the five southern border provinces, a large number of students are enrolled in private schools, particularly over 300 private Islamic schools. These provinces have unique educational models, encompassing both general subjects and Islamic studies. Therefore, improving the quality of education in these areas requires selecting processes appropriate to the local context and practically applicable in the classroom. One key aspect is developing teachers' roles to shift from knowledge transmitters to facilitators of learning, providing opportunities for students to ask questions, research information, engage in practical activities, and construct their own knowledge.
The three-year goal is to concretely improve teaching methods and have a long-term impact on student quality. This collaboration also emphasizes the development of Islamic education alongside general subjects, as the Office of Private Education Commission (OPEC) oversees private Islamic schools, religious institutions, and Islamic education centers located in mosques for a large number of school-aged children in the area.
Dr. Abdul Hafiz Hile, Chairman of the Network of Private Islamic Schools in the Southern Border Provinces, stated that this academic collaboration will help complement the development of teachers, learning materials, lesson plans, and Active Learning processes that can be applied to both general and Islamic studies. The main goal is to ensure that academic development goes hand-in-hand with religious principles and community life. The GPAS 5 Steps can be applied as a thinking and learning process to create a balance between modern knowledge and the religious and cultural foundations of the area. Another important potential of schools in the southern border provinces is their linguistic diversity; many students have a foundation in Thai, Malay, Arabic, and English.
Mr. Masukri Sideh, President of the Association of Private Religious Schools in Narathiwat Province, stated that many schools are continuously developing language programs, including English, Malay, and Arabic-English Programs. They also involve teachers from abroad in their teaching, and some schools are expanding into international education. The integration of Active Learning and the GPAS 5 Steps program provides an opportunity to enhance existing potential, enabling students to connect language skills, religion, science, and local knowledge to create tangible results.
Dr. Saksin Rojnasranrom, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), stated that the GPAS 5 Steps process aims to build long-term critical thinking and learning skills in students. Even as future social and environmental contexts change, children with a strong foundation in critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving will be able to adapt these processes to new situations. This approach also allows teachers to connect cultural capital and community resources with learning, such as using local ingredients, herbs, or fruits to develop halal food projects. By integrating scientific knowledge with religious principles, students learn from their immediate surroundings and develop these skills into their own projects or portfolios.
Throughout the three-year period, the project will support the implementation with learning materials, documents, lesson plans, an e-book library, a team of trainers, as well as continuous teacher development and supervision. Meanwhile, a network of schools in the area will collaborate, driving the initiative from the administrative level down to the classroom. The ultimate goal is not merely to introduce new processes into schools, but to create a learning system appropriate to the context of the five southern border provinces. This will empower teachers with the tools to develop students, equip children with essential future skills, and allow them to fully leverage their religious, linguistic, cultural, and local resources. This represents another step in educational development in the southern border provinces, connecting "academics - religion - language - identity - innovation" to create quality education that grows from the local context and can continue to grow sustainably.