Prapapat Niyom
Associate Professor, Licensee of Roong Aroon School, Thailand
Vice President, Research and Academic Affairs, Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts, Thailand
After over 20 years of teaching at the Architecture School, Chulalongkorn University and three years working as a Deputy Governor of Bangkok (City Planning, Building and Infrastructure, Community Development and Waste Management.), Assoc. Prof. Prapapat Niyom founded the Roong Aroon School in 1997, under the support of the Roong Aroon School Foundation. Based on Buddhist principles, the school applies a holistic approach to teaching and learning – from kindergarten to high school – that enables the students to learn life skills from farmers, hilltribe villagers, environmental management workers and gardeners. To strengthen and broaden the concept of holistic education, Roong Aroon School also offers special training programmes to teachers and parents.
Assoc. Prof. Prapapat has initiated several learning networks in various sectors, including education, arts, alternative agriculture, green architecture and self-sustainable communities. She has extended her 10 years of experience at Roong Aroon School and the knowledge gained from the networks to establish a Master Degree programme at Arsom Silp, Institute of the Arts for Development. The Holistic Education and Architecture for Community and Environmental Development courses are designed to emphasize problem solving and research-based learning, encouraging the students to “de-school” and “re-learn” on their own to create interaction learning processes continuously.