School of Liberal Arts Hosts Education and Community Development Project for FY2025
On August 30–31, 2025, the School of Liberal Arts, University of Phayao, organized an educational development and local community engagement initiative under the fiscal year 2025 program, “Bilingual Storytelling from Phayao Soft Power: Enhancing Teacher and Student Skills in Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking.”
The project was supported by funding from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and facilitated with the collaboration of the Phayao Primary Educational Service Area Office 2, aiming to strengthen teaching practices using community-based storytelling. The initiative also sought to enhance students’ literacy and critical thinking skills in both Thai and English by encouraging the creation of stories inspired by local narratives while promoting Phayao’s cultural “soft power.”
The event took place at De Wande Hotel, Chiang Kham District, Phayao Province, and brought together Thai and English language teachers, as well as student representatives from five local schools under the jurisdiction of Phayao Primary Educational Service Area Office 2 including Ban Khun Kamlang School, Ban Phuang Phayom School, Ban Sak Thung School, Ban Luang School, and Phu Sang Kindergarten School (Ban Don Tan).
In addition, teachers from schools that participated in similar projects during FY2023–2024 also attended the event to engage in a knowledge-sharing and review session on contextualized storybook media development. These schools including Ban Waen Khong School, Ban San Luang School, Ban Thung Kluai School, and Ban Sob Bong School.
The project was officially opened by Asst. Prof. Dr. Komgrit Tachom, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Liberal Arts, who delivered opening remarks and summarized the project’s objectives and key activities.
Workshops and lectures were conducted by experts from the School of Liberal Arts and external organizations, covering the following topics:
“Creating Thai Storybooks from Phayao’s Soft Power Narratives”
by Mr. Ruangsak Pinprateep, children’s book author and Managing Director of the Books for Children Foundation
“Developing English Storybooks from Phayao’s Soft Power Stories”
by Mr. Albert Lisec, Lecturer in English, School of Liberal Arts, University of Phayao
“Designing Pre- and Post-Reading Assessments Based on Storybooks”
by Asst. Prof. Dr. Khomkrich Tachom, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Liberal Arts, University of Phayao
“Illustrating Storybooks”
by Ms. Warissara Wonghhangngoen, Educational Officer, School of Liberal Arts, University of Phayao
This project represents a vital step toward integrating local culture into education, improving student literacy and analytical skills, and fostering sustainable community development through academic mentorship.