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Cradle and Festival Republic visit Thailand
Pakklong is a small school in the Kapong District of Thailand, north of Phuket. Currently there are 110 children between the ages of 3 to 12 years old attending the school. There are only five teachers. 

The school caters for a region of approximately 177 families. Over 80% work in the local rubber plantations and fruit farms. They earn roughly 5,000. - bht/month which is the equivalent of just over £19.00 a week. If the children of the Kapong District are to develop and thrive academically they will need financial support and it is crucial that they receive funding for a new building, new classrooms and basic schoolbooks. 

The Pakklong school is in a state of utter disrepair. It has only one building, which is over 40 years old and dilapidated. 

The lack of space affects both the quality of the lessons and the students’ ability to work. Children who differ in age and who are at various stages of learning are being taught in the same classroom – effectively hindering any chances of academic progress and individual development. Also, as the school caters for a variety of age groups, younger children are forced to share washing facilities with older students which means that they have difficulties reaching the taps and other facilities. The school’s principle reported this to Thai Authorities and Education Councils on a number of occasions but he has yet to receive even an acknowledgment of their situation. 

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