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The Mercy School System:
Mandate
To install in slum children a love of learning. To provide poor children with an effective head-start program - a well-rounded preschool education that prepares them for state-sponsored primary schools.
Program Director
Wannee Kidswad
Contact
wannee@mercycentre.org
Phone: (66 2) 671-5313, Ext. 257
Number of Mercy Preschools
30
Number of Students
4,183 (2004)
Community Coverage
30 poor neighborhoods in Bangkok School Curriculum
Thai, English, arithmetic, hygiene, Thai history, folklore, dance, song, sports, and the arts.
Nutrition
All children are given a nutritious lunch with milk, fruit, and protein snacks every school day. Almost 20 percent of our incoming students are malnourished, and these children's health and weight are closely monitored throughout the school year.
A Community Partnership
The communities help construct and staff the schools located in their neighborhoods. The HDF receives a 10-baht fee from parents each school day - less than 1/10th the cost of most Bangkok preschools. School fees are waived for over 250 families who cannot afford them. Approximately 10 percent of our students also receive additional aid for school supplies, uniforms, etc.
Additional School Program Benefits
The HDF provides financial counseling for parents and teachers. We also coordinate with social welfare agencies and community leaders to address a variety of family and child problems when they are identified. In this way the schools have become the core of our community outreach.
Origins/History
In 1973, the HDF opened its first one-baht-a-day school in the slaughterhouse district of Klong Toey, and continued building new schools as other slum communities requested them and funds allowed. Within ten years, we were operating twelve schools. Today, with 30 schools, the Mercy School system is the largest of its kind in Thailand. Over 35,000 children have graduated from our schools. For generations of poor children in Bangkok, the Mercy Schools have become a major rite of passage in their young lives as they begin many of life's bigger lessons.
The Challenges
The government school system, which children enter at age 7, requires a level of pre-schooling along with a stable family environment that are often lacking for slum children. Without pre-schooling, most poor children experience difficulty and frustration when they enter government primary schools. Many of those ill-prepared drop out during the first or second year.
Success Stories
When we opened our first Mercy school in 1973, poor urban children did not go to school. Education in the slums was considered an unaffordable luxury. As we opened more and more preschools throughout the city, perceptions began to change and attendance steadily increased. Today, most neighborhood children go to school; and nearly 100 percent of our graduating students continue their education.
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