Multilingualism, Bi/Multilingual Education and Social Inclusion: A Case Study in Southern Thailand

Abstract

In a multicultural-multilingual society, inclusion requires equitable access to quality education as stated – UN Sustainable Development Goals, target 4 (sdg4). In the deep south of Thailand, the majority Muslim population speak Patani Malay in daily life, making language identity an issue as it is not recognized for official use. Students are required to study in Thai and as a result have the lowest academic achievement in the country. Furthermore, parents and the community have no confidence in government schools and some even fear that education is being used to destroy their ethnic identity. This paper presents a participatory action research, a Patani Malay-Thai mother tongue-based bi/multilingual education programme, implemented in Thailand’s Deep South as a case study of academic efforts to create social inclusion. Policies and practices will be discussed and related to the reinforcement of ethnic identity, enhancing educational achievement and tightening social cohesion.