Khon Kaen, Thailand – Khon Kaen University (KKU) and the Khon Kaen Secondary Educational Service Area Office (SESAO Khon Kaen) are collaborating to develop a youth theater curriculum for secondary school students. The initiative, stemming from the long-running “Kaen Isan Wat” creative youth theater project, aims to equip young people in the Isan region with self-awareness, cultural roots, and a global perspective through theatrical practice.
On October 2, 2025, Assistant Professor Dr. Pachaya Akkapram, Deputy Dean for Research, Innovation, and Arts and Culture at KKU’s Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, and Chair of the Kaen Isan Wat project, along with Ms. Surangkana Haumachai, a cultural academic from KKU’s Art and Culture Center, met with educational personnel from SESAO Khon Kaen. The meeting included Dr. Kachen Kongpila, Director of the Supervision, Monitoring, and Evaluation Group, and several other education supervisors, to outline the framework for this collaborative curriculum development.
The new curriculum, targeting both junior and senior high school students within SESAO Khon Kaen’s jurisdiction, is expected to be finalized and ready for implementation in the 2026 academic year.
Assistant Professor Dr. Pachaya Akkapram explained that the Kaen Isan Wat project, initiated in 2019, has been continuously supported by KKU’s Arts and Culture and Creative Economy departments. Over seven years, it has served as a creative learning space for Isan youth and teachers, exposing them to art, culture, local wisdom, and community through community-based theater processes. The project has produced over 70 youth-created plays, engaged more than 2,000 Isan youth, and trained over 50 teachers in theatrical knowledge. It has also developed more than two innovative learning curricula using theater processes. A strong network of Kaen Isan Wat theater teachers continues to facilitate learning through theater in schools across the Isan region.
This seven-year endeavor has led to the formation of school drama clubs and, significantly, has helped students discover their interests and talents through theater, leading many to pursue higher education in performing arts or related fields like education, communication arts, and political science.
In its seventh year, under the concept of “Hug” (meaning love/care in Isan dialect), the project chair refined the training processes for teachers and youth, identifying five key competencies aligned with 21st-century learner development. This led to an “innovative learning management using theater as a tool for student development.” Dr. Pachaya believes that if these five competencies and the Kaen Isan Wat theater process are further developed and expanded into secondary schools, it could create a “new learning space in secondary schools aimed at helping youth develop competencies, understand their cultural roots, and gain a broad, contemporary worldview,” thereby enhancing their wisdom, emotional well-being, and social skills.
Dr. Kachen Kongpila, Director of the Supervision, Monitoring, and Evaluation Group at SESAO Khon Kaen, confirmed that the proposal received approval from Dr. Sakda Chaipai, Director of SESAO Khon Kaen, who pledged full support. Ms. Suchira Sakong, a senior education supervisor, has been assigned to lead the initiative, focusing on four key tasks: 1) developing the Kaen Isan Wat youth theater club curriculum, 2) training teachers to use the curriculum, 3) organizing a symposium in the 2026 academic year to showcase student, teacher, and school theater productions, and 4) establishing a Memorandum of Understanding between SESAO Khon Kaen and KKU’s Performing Arts program. All tasks are slated for completion, with the curriculum to be implemented in pilot schools in the 2026 academic year.
This collaboration marks a significant step for the Kaen Isan Wat project, not only as a creative learning platform for students and teachers in Isan but also as a source of new theatrical knowledge connecting youth, education, and community culture. The project’s innovative learning model, rooted in theater, offers a valuable educational tool to foster creative competencies in the new generation, helping them navigate the modern world while staying connected to their cultural heritage and community.
For updates on the project, interested individuals can follow the “Kaen Isan Wat” Facebook Fanpage.
