Khon Kaen Education Initiative (KKEI)

The Khon Kaen Education Initiative (KKEI) was formed in the spring of 2006 as a joint project between the mayor of Khon Kaen, the municipal school district, and local NGOs as an alternative approach to teaching English in Thailand. Starting in October 2009, KKEI will become an autonomous network of progressive teachers rather than a formal program under the management of the local government.

KKEI seeks to help students and teachers find alternative, hands-on educational practices and reconnect local schools with their surrounding communities. KKEI is trying to break the mold of standardized formal education by implementing a curriculum that emphasizes the process of learning through the development of creative lesson plans that integrate English into other subjects and gives students the skills and interest to learn outside the classroom.

A key objective of the Initiative is for the Thai teachers to participate in and have ownership over educational changes being made in Khon Kaen’s schools. KKEI aims to gradually change the way that Khon Kaen thinks about municipal education, starting from the ground up.