To assist communities in creating practical plans for creating learning cities, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) established the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC).
A learning city is one that, through effective participation from all sectors, mobilizes resources, collaborates, and manages resources to enable all inhabitants to live together equally in the local region.
It establishes an environment that supports education, increases access to knowledge, and accommodates the diversity of the city’s population.
At the moment, seven Thai cities—Phuket City Municipality, Hat Yai City Municipality, Chachoengsao City Municipality, Chiang Rai City Municipality, Chiang Mai City Municipality, Phayao Province, and Sukhothai Province—are involved in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC).
Many other provinces, most notably Yala, are also making progress toward creating learning cities. One of the three provinces bordering the south emphasizes the importance of the city’s educational sector. It has also been acknowledged as a city with a distinctive personality in several domains, chief among them the exquisite urban design that supports the city’s growth in every regard. Additionally, it was granted a UNESCO World Award.
Research project on ‘Yala learning city: Participatory urban development process based on biodiversity and cultural diversity’ by the Sirindhorn Anthropology Center in collaboration with Yala youth groups and local civil society networks. There was also coordination and cooperation until receiving support from the Program Management Unit on Area-Based Development (PMU A) from the Office of the National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO). It is a set of research projects that lay out guidelines for developing Yala into a learning city, focusing on creating social networks and learning spaces that reach all groups of people in Yala based on the concept of A Lifelong Learning Society.
It is evident from this research that Yala is an “aesthetic city” with social, cultural, and physical capital. Administrators possessing a defined city development policy and vision have learned valuable lessons and developed tactics to bring about change at the local level. This can be combined to create policy recommendations, such as 1) encouraging and supporting the establishment of city-level cooperation mechanisms; modifying the Yala Municipality’s work role to that of a space creator, and supporting partners’ efforts to create opportunities for partners to play a role; 2) encouraging learning sparks; and 3) building a knowledge base for urban development, which values local knowledge as cultural capital.
For many years, the Yala people have always trusted Mr. Pongsak Yingchoncharoen, the mayor of Yala Municipality. Due to years of instability in the Yala region, the economic system and the tourism industry had previously reached a standstill. There is an unfavorable perception of the city. Even the lives and means of subsistence of the local population are impacted. As a result, Mr. Pongsak looked for methods to advance Yala and foster an environment that would enable it to grow into a city known for learning as well as long-lasting happiness.
The mayor of Yala Municipality, Mr. Pongsak Yingchoncharoen, stated that the city’s development plan will implement the smart city approach, including the following goals:
1. Improving security management standards and mitigating the city’s unfavorable reputation for safety;
2. It improves citizen quality of life and delivers public services that meet international standards.
3. “Building Yala into a strong city in the past and become even stronger in the 21st century” as a selling point to regain its position as a regional economic and investment hub. “Towards Yala, a city with the quality of life of international standards.”
With educational institutions at every level, including the National Sports University, and Deep South Campus, Yala is the hub of the region’s educational system. Mr. Pongsak stated that the motto of Yala City Municipality is ‘Creating a livable city to produce knowledge for all the masses,’ which outlines the organization’s clear goals for its operations.
Mr. Pongsak highlights that everyone can learn throughout their lives in green spaces. Because they serve as both living and learning spaces, the Yala Municipality has a policy to continually develop the city’s green spaces. The conversion of the Yala Municipality Youth Center into “Yala Learning Park,” also known as TK Park Yala, the biggest learning park in the southern region, is one outcome of this approach.
A genuine effort is being made to transform Yala into a city of learning by following the mayor of Yala Municipality’s vision. As part of developing a learning city, we understand how important it is to improve the quality of human capital in the area and establish an environment that supports learning as much as possible. There is a link between many sectors in planning municipal development initiatives to propel Yala jointly.
Using the ‘Yala Stories’ event in 2022 as an example, this event showcased many viewpoints on Yala. Additionally, it helps the younger generation feel a part of the city. According to information from the Public Relations Department office, Mr. Pongsak has declared his goal of transforming Yala into a city of education. Saying at one point that “Yala Stories is a picture of the concrete success of driving Yala towards a city of learning” represents a further expansion of the economy. According to the framework of UNESCO’s global network establishment, knowledge from research and the efforts of Yala’s youth was shown to indicate preparedness to advance towards being a learning city. This work is a component of the ‘Yala Learning City: Participatory Urban Development Process Based on Cultural Variety and Biodiversity’ research project.
In the meantime, another significant institution that helps Yala become known as a learning city across the board is the Equitable Education Fund (EEF). For instance, in the “Yala Identity of Finding” activity, scholars or other knowledgeable members of the Nuan Sakul community are invited to share the tales of Yala with the young Yala to impart information. To discover the distinctive patterns and charms of Yala City, the children had to go on a strolling and exploring expedition to identify the patterns, colors, and shapes of buildings that appealed to them. They may then utilize these patterns to produce fabric designs or carry on with their original works, including Yala City patterns.
Through learning and the cultivation of local wisdom by local philosophers, this kind of activity seeks to implant the concept of environmental conservation. Additionally, it gives the neighborhood its own identity. In order to produce social value and contribute economic value to the home market in the ASEAN region, this enables young locals to provide knowledge, which is a cultural capital.
Furthermore, the Yala province’s vulnerable and impoverished populations, as well as children and youth, are among the key target groups that the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) has supported through additional efforts. The Equitable Education Fund (EEF) operations contribute to bridging many sectors to collaborate to foster knowledge and innovation, lessen inequality, and promote lifelong learning. To become a fully functional learning city, Yala City has integrated spatial data from the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) into the surrounding environment.
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