Educate at-risk girls, end poverty cycle: Thailand

We are excited to share with you some of the most recent activity and achievements at Dhammajarinee Witthaya School.

Thailand’s Academic Year begins in mid-May.

After the new and continuing students arrived in early May, the fun began with teambuilding games to build relationships and develop a sense of belonging within the K-12 grade school community. 

Vocational Training and More Electives

In addition to the Thai national curriculum, the school is very focused on offering vocational training to help students who might not be able to pursue a four-year college education. This year, Ratchaburi Polytechnic College and Pak Tho Industrial and Community Education College will teach new courses, including fundamental electrical engineering, design for computer programs, industrial design and packaging, creative portrait arts, royal Thai sweet making, carving and crafts, and agriculture. 

Also this year, Dhammajarinee will offer a greater range of electives. Classes include Chinese literature, Chinese culture, English, fastmath, algebra, computer graphics, video editing, software development, art, music, archery, and pastry-making. 

Samsung Donation and Planning to Go Paperless with Google Classroom 

Just in time for the new school year, Samsung kindly donated 20 Galaxy tablets. These tablets are much needed and greatly appreciated, as the school is going paperless starting this school year. This initiative centers around using Google Classroom for students and teachers. The application will enable students to develop digital literacy while creating and submitting work online. Our teachers will be able to manage classes, assignments, and grades digitally. We are thrilled that the shift will also help the environment by saving endless stacks of paper.

Online Math for Grades 1-6 

Dhammajarinee is beginning its third year with Matific, an award-winning online math program that was recently featured in TIME as one of the world’s best EdTech companies of 2024. Matific uses research-based methods to develop digital stories and problems personal to each child to encourage critical thinking and conceptual understanding..

A DWS math teacher reported about Matific, “Students really like the program and always are waiting for math class. Students enjoy creating teams and competing with each other.” We are thrilled that our students improved an average of 30% last year, across all grades. We feel that this is significant, because lower math scores can hinder students’ ability to grasp foundational concepts essential for more advanced STEM subjects. 

New Waste Management System for the Kitchen

In May the school completed a much-needed new waste management system for the kitchen. The school composts all food scraps. However preparing the food, washing the dishes, and disposing of leftover waste create a substantial amount of sewage, and there had been no effective waste disposal system in place. Now the school is enjoying a safe, hygienic, sustainable system of waste management.

Support from Three Thai Foundations 

The  Dhanin Tawee Chearavanont Foundation, in collaboration with the Buddharaksa Foundation and the Buddharaksa Brothers Association, led by Dr. Chawalwat Ariyawararom, Chairman and Founder of Shellhut Entertainment Co., Ltd., and T&B Media Global (Thailand) Co., Ltd., along with Khun Tippaporn Ariyawararom, Chairperson of the Buddharaksa Foundation, and all executives and board members, brought joy to the students with a special, delicious lunch. We are grateful for their kind support. 

Our Sincere Gratitude

We are sincerely grateful to each of you for your continued support of our students. You are allowing them to develop holistically and giving them the confidence to go after their dreams.

Please enjoy this short video in which a few of our students share their dream careers.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hdbJGXdbcHc