From Classroom to the Real World

A Final Year Project-Service Learning Initiative

The 3rd to 7th of September 2007 marked a meaningful learning experience for 5 students from the School of Applied Sciences (SAS). Jason Sim, Ethan Toh, Noor Atikah Abdul Manan, Hasbullah Kamaruizaman and Samuel Goh had embarked on Final Year Project (FYP) unlike any other, in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Thanks to them, a primary school in the rural hilltribe communities is now empowered and independent. Sustainable gas for cooking and lighting can now be harnessed through the use of a low-cost biogas reactor recycling elephant dung, which the students had researched, produced and implemented.

With considerable support and research from their their advisor and facilitator - Matthew Wong, the SAS students first constructed a scaled-down replica of the biogas reactor on campus before the implementation phase. The mock-up tank exposed them to as many real life obstacles as possible such as harsh environment, limited resources, quality and quantity for material which they may encounter during the implementation phase. It has provided students with the space and opportunities to make modifications and improvements to the technicalities of the biogas reactor that would best suit the environment in Thailand.

The project was carried out in conjunction with the Office of Student and Graduate Affairs (OSG) and was aimed to integrate its Service-Learning Programme into the FYPs of schools. This would enhance the students’ learning by applying their relevant core academic knowledge to the real-world social context and needs of the community.

Partnering with RP was MirrorArt Foundation, a reliable and forward-looking NGO which promotes social change through the self-education and empowerment of the local people in Chiang Rai. MirrorArt Foundation also hosted many international service-learning projects for foreign youths. RP hopes to continue this fruitful partnership with them for future projects to come, benefiting both its students and the community.

Finally, when the students were asked if it was a "need" or a "want" to do this pilot initiative in Thailand, one aptly puts it, "Now I realized it is a need for me to be here. Not because our project can benefit the community, more importantly is how much the people here have taught me about life".