【Welfare】RAINBOW SCHOOL THAILAND

We were honored to welcome the Chief Representative, Bangkok office of our valued partner, who has long supported the business activities of the ECOTS Group, on a visit to “Rainbow School” which we continue to support.

(https://www.rainbowschoolthailand.com/en/home-english/)

We are pleased to share his contributed article based on his visit and observations.

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About Borders
“This article was contributed by our valued partner.”

Since being stationed in Thailand, there is something I have become increasingly conscious of “borders”

Conflicts along the Thailand–Cambodia border, and the presence of scam operations in areas near the Myanmar border through daily news, I have come to feel more acutely than ever before the profound impact that the lines called “borders” have on people and society. What exactly are borders, and what happens in places close to them? As I went about my life in Thailand, these questions gradually began to occupy my thoughts.

Around that time, during a visit to the Thai subsidiary of Japan ECOTS Co., Ltd. one of our valued clients. I was told by President Oda about a school run by Japanese individuals for children who do not hold Thai nationality, a school that he himself continues to support. With the arrival of the New Year, I decided to visit the school.

A Place of Learning in the Forest Near the Thai Border
-Visiting Rainbow School-

About six hours by car from Bangkok, in Sangkhlaburi, a town in Kanchanaburi Province in western Thailand near the Myanmar border, and further along winding mountain roads, a small school surrounded by forest comes into view. This is Rainbow School Thailand. Upon arrival, I was warmly welcomed by Principal Tomoko Kataoka, whose gentle smile made me forget the fatigue of the long journey.

Around the school buildings, children ran barefoot, while others worked together in the fields. It was a place where classrooms and daily life, learning and living, blended naturally into one.

Many of the children attending this school come from ethnic minority groups such as the Karen and Mon peoples. Due to family circumstances, poverty, and histories of migration across borders, many have not had sufficient access to education. Children of different ages and backgrounds live and learn together, and it was striking to see older children naturally caring for the younger ones.

Education here goes beyond conventional academic subjects. Farming, cooking, and cleaning daily activities themselves are treated as essential parts of learning. On the day of my visit, it was a program called “Rainbow Day,” during which the children chose what they wanted to learn and worked on it independently. Rather than being instructed, they think, choose, and act for themselves. Their energy and vitality were truly remarkable.

At the same time, behind this bright and peaceful school life lies the harsh reality that these children face. Many of them have grown up in Thailand without holding Thai nationality, which imposes significant restrictions on their access to higher education, employment, and freedom of movement. Acquiring Thai nationality is essential for expanding their future opportunities, and to that end, they devote themselves daily to studying the Thai language and academic subjects. The seriousness in their eyes as they bent over their notebooks conveyed a determination beyond their years.

As a regional bank employee, my daily work is framed within corporate activities, economic systems, and financial structures. The financial sector exists within a strictly regulated and protected framework, forming a core part of national institutional design. Precisely for this reason, the reality faced by children whose choices are severely limited simply because they lack nationality struck me as a heavy issue lying outside the boundaries of state systems. It was a sobering reminder that behind economic growth and cross-border business, there are indeed people left behind in the gaps of institutional frameworks.

A border, on a map, is nothing more than a single line. Yet for those who live near it, that line is a reality that can shape the possibilities of their entire lives. I felt that Rainbow School is not merely a place that shelters children from such harshness, but a place that equips them with the strength to face reality and carve out their own futures.

On my way back, as I looked back at the school buildings nestled in the forest, the questions “What is education?” and “What is a nation?” lingered in my mind. I did not ask directly about the meaning behind the name “Rainbow School,” but I am certain that it represents a small yet steadfast bridge one that embraces diversity and connects futures beyond borders and systems.

What I witnessed at this school on the frontlines of the border has led me to reflect deeply on my own work and on how I engage with the next generation.