After their lunch break, dozens of junior high school students run out of their classroom at Angsilapittayakom School in Chon Buri, each holding a small cup. It might look like they are seeking water, but in fact they are on the hunt for mosquito larvae.
After 20 minutes of searching in ponds on the school property, the laughing children walk back into their classrooms with glasses of water filled with larvae -- and even a few extra amphibians. The goal isn't to destroy mosquito breeding grounds, a regular activity to prevent dengue, but to learn about climate change.
This learning activity is significant because mosquito-borne illnesses are one of the many global challenges accelerated by climate change. If global temperatures rise, disease-carrying mosquitoes will have a longer breeding period and be able to spread to parts of the world where mosquitoes don't usually survive winter seasons. According to the World Health Organization, reported cases of dengue worldwide increased from 500,000 to 5.2 million between 2000 and 2019, with children being more prone to experiencing severe symptoms.
The activity is part of a Unicef-supported drive to promote and improve STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teaching and learning in Thailand's education system. Unicef Thailand is working with partners -- including the government's Ministry of Education and the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST), alongside forward-thinking private sector businesses -- to improve STEM learning outcomes across the country.
"The future of work is changing at a global and local level," said education officer Dr Chalita Thanyakoop. "As Thailand seeks to continue the remarkable economic progress it saw in the 20th century, improving the teaching of STEM subjects in schools will be crucial.
"That's why Unicef is working with the Royal Thai Government and other partners to improve STEM teaching for all, with a particular focus on building the capacity of teachers and targeting the most disadvantaged schools, particularly small or rural schools with limited resources. By taking these steps, we can create a new generation of students fully prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century."
Angsilapittayakom School supports its students to pursue their educational passion by creating groups around specialist learning areas such as sports, science and languages. Netnapha Juntajitr, a 13-year-old, is a science enthusiast, and was among the 36 students taking part in the climate change learning activity. Netnapha loves learning about the natural world and science, and has a particular interest in chemistry, climate and plant cells.
A student at Angsilapittayakom School conducts an experiment.
"I like to ask questions about things around me. I know that I don't have enough knowledge yet, so I came to find more answers. Science answered my needs," she said.
Kanlayathip Thapthim, a biology teacher at the school, added: "Being based in this area is an advantage, because we have many learning resources to choose from.
"When we want to see marine animals, there is an aquarium for us to learn. If we want to take children to see animals such as shellfish, we take them to explore nearby Bang Saen beach. In the community, there is also a crab bank where we can take our students to see the life cycle of crabs or observe the way of life of fishermen. Burapha University is also nearby and sometimes provides additional learning support to the school."
Despite the clear advantages of "in the field" learning, Kanlayathip and her fellow science teacher, Phakamon Rittirongsakul, regrets that students are unable to experiment or work in the field to practise STEM learning as often as they would like, due to a lack of equipment or limited budget.
"We want them to try learning outside the classroom and go to science camps with equipment and learning material for every child," said Phakamon. "But we have to limit the number of participants due to lack of space or budget.
"The more we let students see scientists working in this field, the more they will be inspired by how they work. For example, we recently took the children to compete in a national environmental science research competition. They didn't win, but they were interested in projects that others had worked on and talked to children from other schools. It was evidence of how eager these children are to learn."
Netnapha Juntajitr, right, and her friend inspect mosquito larvae.
It's particularly important to encourage girls to learn STEM subjects, as Thailand's science and technology workforce is still male dominated. In 2021, the National Statistical Office of Thailand found that there were approximately 4.6 million science and technology workers in Thailand, but only 1.44 million were women.
One of the reasons may be that girls with an interest in science are not encouraged by those around them.
"When I began learning science, I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up. I wanted to invent, experiment and create new things," said Netnapha. "But people around me told me not to have such high hopes as they may be too far to reach for. I think being a scientist means you have to be very good, and I'm not that good yet, I have to gain more knowledge. So, I lowered my goal to maybe becoming a doctor, but I still love science."
Another factor holding back female STEM enthusiasts is a lack of teaching capacity and resources. Teacher Phakamon says her hope for the next 10 to 20 years is that every school will be able to provide an environment ready for science-minded students, with opportunities for hands-on exploration and investigation to encourage thinking skills. While the government has developed a new national science curriculum, not all schools or teachers are ready to deliver it. Putting in place proper resources and training for teachers is essential if more children are to take the STEM pathway in learning.
As for teacher Kanlayathip, she hopes her students grow up to be innovators who can develop and strengthen their communities in a sustainable way. Learning about climate change instilled in children the idea that they are an important force that can bring about progress.
To help children have a say in the climate conversation, Unicef recently kicked off the #CountMeIn campaign. This effort encourages young people to share their worries and ideas on how to tackle climate change, making sure their voices aren't overlooked in the bigger discussion.
"Many factors contribute to climate change, but the main factor is humans," said Netnapha. "The environment is important to us because if the world continues to warm, animals will die, and the food chain will disappear. I am interested in what we can do to help the world and prevent the environment from being destroyed."
