Bamboo School Marks Educational Revolution in Thailand

His name is Khun Mechai Viravaidya. His legacy is the Mechai Pattana Bamboo School (yes, it’s made out of bamboo), a private secondary school that brings quality education to Buriram, one of the poorest provinces in Thailand.

Mechai students pay their tuition through everyday work. Each year, they plant 400 trees and complete 400 hours of community service – working in temples, cleaning hospitals, and helping the elderly.

Students receive free meals, thanks to the school’s built in agriculture courses. They learn how to raise livestock animals and plant fruits and vegetables, applying scientific techniques in order to grow the best high-priced products. Part of the harvest goes to students and their families while the rest is sold to support the school’s development.

The Mechai school is especially unique in that the curriculum is based largely on the students’ choices. They have a role in selecting the topics they want to learn, the projects they want to do, and even the teachers they want to have for the year. Students also take part in the purchasing committee where they learn how to make business decisions, such as those involved in planning, negotiating, and budget balancing.

Of course, the school is still in its experimental stage. Many teachers were trained in the traditional Thai system and find it difficult to implement such innovative methods. And student-centered learning only works if students are taught to properly utilize such freedom of choice.

Regardless of the challenges, the Mechai School demonstrates that quality education can be achieved even under scarce circumstances. Students are discovering that hard work and a little imagination go a long way. “I’ve learned at this school that things can change if we want them to,” said Puy, an eighth grade Mechai student.