Driving the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy Curriculum to Holistically Enhance Local Students' Quality of Life
The “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy Curriculum Development Program” was undertaken by Walailak University to improve the overall well-being of local schools and students in the community. These educational outreach activities, conducted in collaboration with Chumchon Mai School, Satit Walailak Pattana Community, and various government and private sector partners, have been ongoing since 2020. The primary focus of the program is to manage the curriculum by incorporating the sufficiency economy philosophy, particularly in the promotion of nutritious and safe school lunches for children beyond campus.
The innovative curriculum development program for the philosophy of sufficiency economy at Chumchon Mai School and neighboring community schools is a third-year consecutive program within the framework of the university’s comprehensive enhancement mission of community life quality, known as WU – Social Engagement. The program, funded in the 2022 fiscal year, aims to provide adequate and nutritionally complete school lunches that are safe for students.
The program focuses on education management, curriculum development, and teaching methods aligned with the sufficiency economy philosophy. It also aims to develop vocational skills for entrepreneurs, promote inclusive teaching practices, and advance the sufficiency economy philosophy in schools with the voluntary student-run scheme. The program fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing within the university’s internal departments and external organizations, creating a network to support curriculum integration.
The results of these efforts have been particularly notable in the year 2022:
- Implementing the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy curriculum at Chumchon Mai School involves the dissemination of vital knowledge through a dedicated sufficiency economy core curriculum. This curriculum has developed an innovative set of 12 lessons presented in 2D animation media, aimed at nurturing ideas for students’ future careers.
- The agricultural produce cultivated in the learning center’s fields plays a crucial role in providing safe and nutritious school lunches, ultimately enhancing students’ food hygiene standards. Furthermore, students were furnished with seeds to cultivate at home, ensuring a supply of fresh vegetables for their households as one of the ad-hoc activities. They also had the opportunity to share these homegrown vegetables with their neighbors and generate additional income by selling them.
- The expansion of the farming program to other local community schools reflects a thriving network committed to sharing knowledge about the sufficiency economy. The curriculum has been proposed for three interconnected schools in Tha Sala District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, underscoring the promotion of this valuable philosophy.
On this occasion, the Center for Academic Service outlined the guidelines for the third-year program. Additionally, the program team engaged in discussions with Chumchon Mai School, led by Faisal Yigob, the Director of Chumchon Mai School, and the school’s teaching staff. The discussion focused on advancing and magnifying the “sufficiency economy philosophy” promotion at the school, aiming to become a model institution for promoting this philosophy. It included improving the integrating curriculum of the sufficiency economy philosophy. The program team also worked collaboratively with networks, such as promoting agricultural activities within the school, in cooperation with the Tha Sala District Agricultural Extension Office. Furthermore, the program team will gather information and suggestions to foster collaboration and share knowledge for the application and dissemination of the sufficiency economy philosophy in community schools in the next phase of work.
