Introduction

Thailand has moved from a low-income society to an upper middle income country in a few decades and has become a key contributor to the economic growth of the Southeast Asian region. At the same time, Thailand has enacted major education reforms and invested a significant proportion of its national wealth into educating its youngest citizens. However, not all sections of society have benefited equally from this expansion. Half of Thai students in school are not acquiring the basic skills required for their own success and the country’s continued development. (OECD/UNESCO, 2016)

       Thailand has embarked on an ambitious series of reforms towards addressing these challenges. However schools and teachers have not been given the support and skills they need to implement this new approach. The country lacks the capacity to ensure that its national tests reinforce the aims of the curriculum and support reform efforts rather than undermine them (OECD/UNESCO, 2016).

       In the present Thai educational system is composed of two distinct strands which derive from the other countries. The first, pure abstract knowledge in various fields of thought which is derived from the Western tradition of liberal education, and the second, practical knowledge and technical skills relating to sciences and technology which emerged as a result of the recent industrial and technological revolutions. This system divides knowledge into various separate subjects and disciplines, thereby making it partial and fragmentary and it separates knowledge from real life, thereby making it abstract and irrelevant to living. Therefore Thai learners are not interested in education. This is the main cause that Thai educational standard fall down.

       The country needs to develop Thai concept and strategy for education reform. that goes beyond the formal educational system, focusing on life centered, area based learning, and global knowledge applying. Hence community based education is an appropriate education concept in Thailand. In pursuit of the above definition of the issue, this paper will examine community based education efforts in Thailand to discern how they are best understood.       

       The main development policy of Sai Yoi Community is environmental development policy. Sai Yoi community focuses on reducing global warming. Community connects community development policies with global agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For this reason, the researcher choose this area to study. Because life skills and community based education is necessary to link the concept of individual education to a global level.

Research Question

The objectives of this research is to analyze key success factors of life-Skill and community-based education in Sai Yoi community, Phitsanulok Province.           

Literature Review

            1) Life-skill based learning (UNICEF, 2003; Learning Liftoff, 2018; Thoughtful Learning, 2018)

            2) Community based learning (Melaville, Berg, and  Blank, 2006; Howard, 2001)

Research design and methods

       This research was divided into 9 steps:

       1) select a location and gain approval from local education administrative officials and community’ leaders in Phitsanulok province, select a location 1 community include 440 representatives from school administrative staffs, teachers, students from 7 schools, community leaders, and the other stakeholders from 93 communities via questionnaires,

       2) collect both secondary and field data by community survey, participatory and non-participatory observation, individual and group interviews of community’ leaders, etc. and share information with selected community,

       3) synthesize and analyze that both of quantitative and qualitative data,

       4) identify educational problems and opportunities to resolve them,

       5) rank opportunities and develop life-skill and community based education plans,

       6) adopt and implement the life-skill and community based education concept in selected community,

       7) follow-up, evaluate and disseminate concept,

       8) move the concept to broader society,

       9) push the concept into national policy formulation.

The conceptual framework demonstrates life-skill and community based education concept. The concept is relationship between practice learning, participatory action research (PAR), and national policy formulation in Sai Yoi community. Integrating these three together, the education concept is argued to be appropriate, especially for the community today as shown in figure 1

The results of analyze key success factors of develop life-skill and community based education in Sai Yoi community, it found that life-skill and community-based education concept that is useful for practice, research, and national policy discovered by this research is can be summarized in terms of a PPP concept. Practical learning at community level; Participatory action research at academic level; and Policy formulation at national level. However life-skill and community based education is an appropriate education paradigm in Sai Yoi community, but the present status of the education model in Thailand is an alternative educational paradigm, and has a limited role informal education system. This model has been used only in some communities by NGOs. and minority educators, such as alternative school. Because the weak point of the model in the present is linking between community knowledge and global forms of knowledge.This model in Thailand does not fit smoothly with capitalism and national productivity improvement efforts. Therefore life-skill and community based education is still minority paradigm for educational development and needs to be articulated in educational policy. From this research result, the key attributes of the paradigm is “participation”;1) participatory curriculum design; 2) participatory learning process and resources; 3) participatory measurement and evaluation; and 4) participatory educational tangible benefits and utilization This study confirms the viability of life-skill and community-based education model for the development of community educational system. However, the adoption of life-skill and community education model should consider many elements such as the roles of education, learning styles, community etc. So this model will be the light of wisdom and the enlightenment of Thai education with participation.

Learning Liftoff. (2017). The Importance of Life Skills-Based Education. [Online]. Retrieved November, 22, 2021, from https://www.learningliftoff.com/the-importance-of-life-skills-based-education/. Melaville, Atelia, Berg, Amy C. and Blank, Martin J. (2006). Community-Based Learning: Engaging Students for Success and Citizenship. Washington D.C.: Coalition for Community Schools. Thoughtful Learning. (2018). What are life skills? . [Online]. Retrieved November, 22, 2021, from https://k12.thoughtfullearning.com/FAQ/what-are-life-skills. OECD/UNESCO. (2016).Education in Thailand: An OECD-UNESCO Perspective, Reviews of National Policies for Education. Paris: OECD Publishing. UNICEF. (2003). Life skills: Implementation models. [Online]. Retrieved April 22, 2017, fromhttps://www.unicef.org/lifeskills/index_10485.html.