Bangkok University Students Undergo Service-Learning at SU

Seven students from Thailand are currently in Silliman University for service-learning from July 16 to August 4.

Service-learning is a teaching pedagogy that connects theories and principles learned in the classroom with actual community experience.

The eight students from Bangkok University (BU) are Tanvarat Athipattanadachagorn, Supakorn Bumrungkit, Tanaporn Bunruang, Ivia de Jesus Madeira Lay de Camara, Parames Muensai, Natnicha Osiri, Jantakarn Panpinij and Jeeranun Panyanon. Joining them is Dr. Ramiah Nena Thamavithya, adviser and professor at the School of Humanities.

They are divided into groups and are each assigned a Social Work major from Silliman as their partner. Each group stays with a partner agency of the Service-Learning Center (SLC) to maximize interaction and exposure to the Filipino way of life. There are five partner agencies for this BU batch: La Casa Esperanza, Little Children of the Philippines Foundation, Inc., Dumaguete Child Foster Care Project, Inc., Gawad Kalinga and Dumaguete City Habitat for Humanity, Inc.

Silliman is among few academic institutions in Asia which actively promote service-learning. Its program under the SLC, headed by Coordinator Prof. Emervencia Ligutom, enjoys a growing popularity, drawing into the campus students from different countries like Japan, Korea, India and the United States.