Written by our Thailand Team
Thailand COVID-19 Update.
The current COVID-19 Situation in Thailand is improving. Currently Thailand has not found any new cases as a result of community spread for 45 days. The only positive cases are resulting from Thai nationals returning to Thailand after being abroad. The arrival process in regard to testing and quarantine is very thorough and although there are cases, they are being quarantined properly and no spread is happening. In country we are getting used to the concept of the “New Normal” as restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, small shops, and schools have all re-opened.
The lockdown still continues, although it is expected to end by end of July, the government is still worried about a second round of infections and so is keeping a watchful eye to make sure everyone is being safe!
Education Curriculum Update
This month, the Thai team updated our Education curriculum specifically to support government school students make sure they have extra activities to support their education. We added new topics to give additional information on top of their regular academic lessons, and even added an environment module for the students to go through.
Education Homework Box
The Education homework box began during Covid19 time to address the issue that students were not in school and had to miss 1 month and a half of their studies. The government strategy has been through DLTV (Distance learning television) and our homework boxes include additional homework resources to supplement the DLTV within English, Life Skills and Environment. For P1-3 (Grad 1-3) we created 5 modules. For P4-6 (grad 4-6) we created 6 modules and for M1-3 (grad 7-9) we created 7 modules. In total 475 students across 9 partner schools have received these homework boxes. In total, more than 320 hours was spent developing the curriculum and homework boxes as well as compiling and distributing. Each homework box cost approximately $2 AUD to develop and deliver.
Health Curriculum Update
The Thailand team has also recently updated our Health curriculum to include more topics and opportunities for student engagement and activities during the COVID-19 time. After researching what the Thai Government desires their students from P1- M6 (grade 1-12) to know, we amended our curriculum slightly to make sure that we engage students in activities that also included the needs set by the government. We aligned our FutureSense Health promotion curriculum with the Thai Government’s curriculum to provide further information regarding the highest risk factors and causes for premature death in Thailand. Currently, we plan to deliver workshops related to the following 8 topics;
- WASH
- The Human Body & Systems
- Nutrition, Physical activity & Healthy behavior (including substance abuse)
- Illness & Disease (NCDs & CDs)
- Mental Health
- Reproductive Health (Sex education)
- Pre- & Post Natal Care
- First Aid & Safety (This is a syllabus of its own delivered by paramedics)
Health Homework Box
Mainly focusing on Human body, Nutrition, Physical Activity & Healthy Behavior for all grades across all 9 partner schools, an additional 220 + hours was spent on developing and delivering the Health Homework boxes. Of the 475 students across 9 partner schools, 375 have received them this month and the remaining 100 will receive them in the coming week. The Health homework box cost only $1.55 AUD for each child! This will be a great opportunity to add to the Education homework boxes sent out and should keep our student beneficiaries engaged in their education and the health!
Start of the new semester
On the 1st of July, all government schools plan to start back but with tight safety measures such as temperature checks, hand sanitizer, masks required, and with a limit to the number allowed in the class (25 students only). Classes over 25 will have to separate with a weekly rotation, half having 1 week at school while the other half learns online, and then switch. Our school partners are worried that although the classroom will maintain social distancing, the children won’t be able to do so during play times. Teachers will ensure everyone is masked and washes their hands thoroughly after they return from play. It is their plan to maintain as many health rules as possible to keep the students safe and maintain the parent’s trust.
