Part II.pdf - MTB-MLE Network

• The content of the materials was relevant to the learners.
• Villagers supported and participated in material production. They were interviewed,
requested to tell stories and helped edit the materials. They were empowered through
the bilingual literacy project.
7. Challenges of the Project and Possible Solutions
This is the first year of the pilot project. We attained the main objective which was to develop
bilingual literacy materials. If we consider it as a ‘Learning Project’ for the facilitators, there were
many lessons learned. However, there are some challenges and potential solutions:
Project administration: There are a number of NFE personnel involved in the project, from the
Central NFE office, Bangkok; Regional NFE centre, Lampang Province; Chiang Mai NFE provincial
centre; Omkoi NFE district; and Nong Ung Tai Community Learning Centre. It is almost
1,000 km from Bangkok to the village site. Such a long distance effects working together as
a ‘research team.’ Besides the difficulty in travelling, there is also difficulty in communication
with each other, whether by telephone or letter. Sometimes, contact is lost.
Bilingual approach is very new to NFE: The aim of the literacy programme is actually to teach
people to read and write in the Thai national language. When the bilingual literacy programme
was introduced, we were reluctant to implement this new approach. Many questions arose that
could not be immediately answered. (Is it an effective approach of literacy programme How
long does it take to build the literature bridge Who is going to do what and how)
Sustainability of the project: Even though Pwo villagers were involved in the project from the
beginning, some questions still arose. For example, why do they have to learn their own language
when they have not had a Pwo writing system for more than 200 years It’s challenging to see
how the project can be sustainable, and what factors will make it so.
The development of a literacy programme is not an easy task. It takes greater effort to run the
project because of the target group’s constraints. The bilingual project is more difficult because it
was necessary to begin with developing a writing system. In addition, there is a paradigm shift
from “making for” to “making with” the people. This is more challenging.
8. Future plans
Facilitators/Teacher training
There are now four Pwo Karen teachers (3 are CLC NFE teachers working for 2 CLCs and the
other is a cross-area supervisor). Through discussion and agreement of the teachers with the Director
of Omkoi NFE District, one Pwo teacher will work for each CLC from now on. So there are three
CLCs working with the bilingual literacy programme. The project plans to train about four more
Pwo Karen teachers in Omkoi district to work with this approach.
In addition to the teachers, there are a group of six out-of school youth – both male and female.
They have been actively involved in the project from the beginning. This group of Nong Ung Tai
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