Educational Innovation in Thailand: A Case Study

The Ministry of Education in the country of Thailand recently announced the establishment of two distinct educational tracks – a conventional/ traditional track and an unconventional/ progressive/ alternative track. This decision was perhaps guided by the success of innovative pilot education programs in the country, collectively called “the Lighthouse Project.” This article is concerned with one program in this project – the Darunsikkhalai School for Innovative Learning (DSIL) –detailing what it has accomplished and the challenges it faces in attempting to bring about new definitions of learning and teaching in Thailand. In this article, a detailed description of the school, and the research procedures used to study it precede a full discussion of the primary challenges facing this particular school.