Twenty-four first-grade (Prathom 1) students swing their arms and dance rhythmically along to the Thai traditional song Kang Kao Kin Kluay during a recreational class at Baan Sri Ngam School in Sansai district, Chiang Mai.
Despite mimicking the moves made by a teacher on a TV screen, their enthusiasm for learning the steps is high. Learning from a screen and not a live teacher seems to make no difference to their interest levels -- or perhaps even improves them.
The video, a televised link from Wang Klaikangwon School in Hua Hin district of Prachuap Khiri Khan, was filmed almost 1,000 kilometres away. The dance class was part of the so-called distance learning (DLTV) programme, launched by the Ministry of Education last year.
Homnuan Ngoi, or Tamoy, a 10-year-old Shan girl, was perhaps the most enthusiastic pupil in the class as it was her first day at the Thai school and also the first time she had experienced the programme.
Tamoy moved from Shan state in Myanmar to Chiang Mai with her parents a month ago. Her parents work at a construction site nearby the school.
"Learning from TV is so much fun because there are motions, cartoons and songs. In my hometown, I learned only from books," she said.
Baan Sri Ngam School is one of 15,369 small-sized schools nationwide that use DLTV as a learning aid in their curriculum and a tool to help cope with teacher shortages.
The move has paid off at the school, where students' Ordinary National Education Test (Onet) and National Test (NT) scores increased on average compared to last year, an achievement which the school attributes to distance learning, as it helps kids to stay motivated and involved.
Last academic year, the average Onet score came in at 52.34 for Grade 6 pupils, and the average NT score for Grade 3 pupils reached 61.90 -- both higher than the average scores for those tests nationwide.
Figures reveal that 97% of teachers at DLTV schools are also performing better, as they are able to update their teaching skills and knowledge by watching the televised lessons.
According to Nikom Phatsan, the principal at Baan Sri Ngam School, in the past when tackling teacher shortages, the school was forced to merge students from different grades to study in the same class and one teacher had to teach every subject.
"It's impossible one teacher could be an expert in every subject and it's unlikely a small school like ours will have expert teachers for every class or subject, but with DLTV the gap has been filled,'' he said.
The distance-learning programme is helpful as it consists of various instructional media such as videos and cartoons that capture students' attention. It also provides students access to lessons taught by well-trained teachers, Mr Nikom added.
Pirida Vinyanngeuak, or View, another pupil, said learning through television is more fun and easy to understand than learning from her class teacher was.
Nipaporn Duangpansingha, a Prathom 1 teacher at Baan Sri Ngam School, said the school now uses distance learning to teach students in every subject as it is more efficient than the face-to-face teaching style.
Class teachers summarise what students have learnt and hold a quiz at the end of each class to make sure the students have learned the material.
If students fail the quiz, they will have to study again with their class teacher and retake it until they pass, she said.
"My students are always happy when they learn from DLTV and from my experience, whenever students are happy in class, it pays off in good grades and depth of learning,'' said Ms Nipaporn.
One seven-year-old student said he now looks forward to going to school.
"At first I didn't like school much because I miss my parents, but now I like going to school because I can watch TV," said Chanon Loongcham.
Deputy Education Minister Surachet Chaiwong said the success of the Baan Sri Ngam School model shows the Ministry of Education is moving in the right direction as it strives to improve the quality of small-sized schools.
The ministry plans to expand the DLTV programme to 15,553 medium and large schools nationwide in the next academic year.
The project will be funded with a budget of 5.8 billion baht and will change its name to the distance learning information technology (DLIT) programme.
The programme will broadcast lessons taught in prestigious schools to schools in remote areas and allocate funding to schools for the purchase of laptops, LED TVs and set-top boxes for the DLIT programme.
"This is a true educational reform as it will help reduce inequality in education. Students in remote areas will have more learning tools and a chance to study with expert teachers, the same as urban students,'' he said.