Event Name: Learning Recovery Program Visit in Samut Sakorn Province, Thailand

Date: November 2nd, 2022 from 9.00 am – 1.00 pm.

Place: Wat Sophanarum School, Samut Sakorn province, Thailand

Event Objective: 

• Observe, interact, and gain an understanding of what “Learning Recovery” practically means within a micro-context – at the school/sub-national level, including opportunities, constraints, and role of state and non-state actors.
• Be informed of UNICEF’s partnership with the Equitable Education Fund, Thailand, a key advocacy partner and ally in strengthening school education systems in Thailand and the region.    

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Learning Recovery Program’s Objectives:

The pilot, in partnership with a local Edtech startup STARFISH, has involved the designing of a technology-enabled booster learning program involving students, teachers, and parents/community and its implementation in the Samut Sakorn, Thailand, a province affected by long school closures. The objectives are:  

1. To design and implement a learning recovery program for students in Samut Sakhon Province who were affected by extended school disruptions.  
2. To provide and promote tools required for digital and blended learning and assessment, especially those which account for and support learning needs for poor, underprivileged students who are in difficult circumstances and those with special needs. 
3. To promote teachers’ and schools’ ability to use the blended learning system, consisting of on-site classroom learning, and online learning or self-study at home under the supervision of parents or educational volunteers. 
4. To develop a provincial model in education recovery management which is responsive to the needs of the poor and disadvantaged students.  

Conceptual Framework of Learning Recovery Program:

The conceptual framework is designed to enhance teachers’ capacity to support children’s varied learning needs within a single classroom. It involves incorporating the principles of teaching at the right level with a focus on foundational learning and balancing the focus on children’s mental well-being. Teachers are supported on content, pedagogy, and technology utilization through a series of capacity-building activities combined with coaching and mentoring support. Primarily, the project design builds on what already exists in the system with reference to available tools, teachers’ knowledge, and school-based structures to further enhance the capacity at the school level.   

Program Target:

The pilot directly targets 3,000 students, 120 teachers, and 40 schools in the Samut Sakhon Province.  The training resources and content are expected to be available to an additional 13,269 teachers across 750 educational institutions in the self-development school network (TSQP) and indirectly benefit nearly 90,000 students in 42 provinces. It is also expected that the lessons from the pilot will also inform a more structured national approach and guidance to the issue.