Dr. Paul Apivat Hanvongse to Pilot a Fully Integrated, Blended Solution in Thailand for English Learning

Through The Head Foundation’s Request for Proposal 2, the Foundation in 2017 supported Dr Paul Apivat Hanvongse to test a fully integrated, blended-learning English language solution in Thailand.  Of 16 million students in Thailand, 5 million, which accounts for 30%, are underprivileged. At a global scale of 57 million out-of-school students, 2 million of these children are in Thailand (UNESCO & UNICEF). At present, 60% of Thai students are entering the labour market with less than a high school diploma and with only a junior high school diploma. The country lacks about 50,000 teachers in the education system in which English teachers account for the highest demand of 7,444. In a recent survey by English First’s English Proficiency Index, Thailand ranked 62 out of 70 respondents. While English language interventions have been explored in the past, few agencies have offered a full-scale, fully integrated solution that truly responds to the skills needed to thrive in today’s workforce.

At present, 60% of Thai students are entering the labour market with less than a high school diploma and with only a junior high school diploma

Dr. Paul Apivat Hanvongse from Learn Education is a beneficiary of the The HEAD Foundation grant that aims to teaching English through blended learning. The project details the development and pilot testing of a fully integrated, blended-learning English language solution. The research results will inform the organisation’s product innovation direction instrumental to the development of an English language learning solution. Learn Education’s solution builds on a model that has successfully integrated technology for science and mathematics with promising results to expand to other disciplines and with the aim to develop teacher capacity and leadership for English language at scale. The plan is for the adoption of the integrated blended English language solution to serve not only Thai schools but also expand to other schools in the ASEAN region. The research direction aligns with The HEAD Foundation’s mission to produce usable knowledge and to achieve broader outcomes in education that will yield impact not only locally, but regionally. The research outcomes will be instrumental to inform our product development in English, which will impact students learning at scale and provide an opportunity for advancing their social mobility. The HEAD Foundation is also supporting another Blended Learning project in Cambodia.