MSU WAI KRU CEREMONY 2011

On July 14 MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito presided over the MSU Wai Kru Ceremony held in the MSU gymnasium. The Wai Kru ceremony is an important traditional event held at some point during the year in every single educational institution in Thailand.

Pictures of students bowing at the feet of their teachers in a show of respect may annoy some of those unfamiliar with Thai custom. In Thailand showing respect for teachers is an important part of the cultural fabric of Thailand. The respect shown by students is also returned in respect of the students from their teachers.

The Wai Kru ceremony is also an important reminder to the teachers (Ajarn) of their responsibility in guiding their students towards a better future in their lives – lifelong learning. To attend a Wai Kru ceremony is to gain a better understanding of this mutual respect between teachers and their students in Thailand.

The bond between many teachers and their students in Thailand extends beyond the classroom. Students drawn from all twenty Isan Provinces live on or close to the campus and are away from their family and friends; many for the first time in their lives. Therefore besides their alumni classmates, students look to their lecturers for more than just classroom learning. Many, many teachers are available and willing to give advice and encouragement outside the classroom environment, treating students as they would their own children.

If you spend some time at Mahasarakham University you will come to realise the Wai Kru ceremony is not a ceremony of subservience; it is a public celebration of reaching towards a common goal of lifelong learning equally applicable to both student and Ajarn. MSU is more than an educational institution. At times it feels you are part of one very large family.

The Wai Kru ceremony is just one reminder of how Thailand is a very special kingdom.