The second project, entitled ‘Let’s read and play’, is a project of the Asia Foundation. This is a non-profit organization for international development that, with 70 years of experience and local knowledge, devotes itself to improving lives and enhancing opportunities in Asia and the Pacific. The objective of this project is to promote reading as an important resource in pre-school education to improve the results of Thailand’s education system. Reading is a fundamental skill that enables everyone to participate in society. Despite many improvements in the Thai education system, it appears that young children are far behind in terms of basic reading skills, which has a drastic effect on their ability to continue to complete their education.
The objective of this project is to enhance the early reading skills of children in disadvantaged communities around Bangkok. For this purpose, this initiative works together with pre-school education centers to develop basic reading skills and to teach strong reading habits. Moreover, parents and families are involved through means of weekly home activities that are aligned with the curriculum, digital communication channels with teachers and reading events in the community. In addition, the project will produce a series of twenty captivating Thai storybooks, which will be freely accessible through the Let’s Read digital library. The project is expected to have a direct impact on 1,600 young students at eight different schools and 7,000 additional family members through community-oriented activities. Sixty-four teachers and assistants will receive professional training in a method that teaches children how to read while they are playing.
With the addition of the books to the public digital library, another tens of thousands of readers will be influenced indirectly.
