10 Years of Building Good Teachers for Community Development: Local Conservation for Sustainable Development

Loei Rajabhat University’s Kru Rak Thin Project aims to produce and develop a new generation of teachers who are committed to reducing inequality and increasing educational opportunities for the needy and underprivileged. This project is a collaboration between the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) and Loei Rajabhat University. The project selects disadvantaged students from rural areas who have a passion for teaching and provides them with the opportunity to pursue a high-quality bachelor’s degree. After graduation, these students return to their local communities to work as teachers. The Kru Rak Thin Project has selected 33 students from rural areas covering eight provinces, namely Buriram, Nakhon Ratchasima, Roi Et, Chaiyaphum, Mukdahan, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani, and Loei. The project began producing students in the academic year 2020, with the goal of creating competent and dedicated teachers for the community and fostering sustainable development. Loei Rajabhat University plans to continuously support and develop the selected students from the production stage until their recruitment as government teachers in local schools over a ten-year period. The university has designed the Kru Rak Thin Student Development Project (Enrichment Program) to meet the Teacher Professional Standards of 2019, the characteristics of Kru Rak Thin, and the identity of graduates of the Faculty of Education, Loei Rajabhat University. The project focuses on developing teachers who are passionate about their local communities and who possess the necessary qualities to build a sustainable settlement. The project follows a ten-year plan for the development of these teachers. In the first year, the emphasis is on teacher cultivation, while the second year focuses on being well-versed in teaching. The third year aims to develop innovative teaching methods, and the fourth year is dedicated to contributing to society. The fifth year focuses on becoming an assistant teacher, while the sixth year emphasizes knowledge acquisition and hard work. In the seventh year, the focus is on self-development and work development, while the eighth year is dedicated to teaching like a professional. The ninth year emphasizes community development, and the tenth year focuses on sustainable settlement development.