Saha Christian Suksa School: The School

Saha Christian Suksa School

The sign welcoming you to the Saha Christian Suksa School

Saha Christian Suksa School(SCS) in English translated to United Christian School, is a Christian School on the border of Myanmar and Thailand. Saha Christian Suksa School is under the Church of Christ in Thailand and was founded in 1965 with 2 teachers and 36 students the first year. The school was moved about 35 years ago to its current location as a result of flooding after the dam was built in Tongpapum. Throughout its 51 years, the school has continued to grow, and currently has 622 students and 29 teachers.

The office and teachers room

The students are mostly from the Karen hill tribe (about 80 percent) with the rest of the students being Thai, Mon, Hmong, and Burmese. The students are around 50 percent Buddhist and 50 percent Christian. There are chapel services every Monday morning in which all 622 students attend together as well as the teachers. The older ones help the younger ones get into place, and sit with them to keep them quiet. (It’s precious). Each class also has one hour of bible class per week. The teachers have devotions together at 7am before school each day. Teachers are encouraged to share their faith and you can often see homeroom teachers praying with their class to begin the day. I personally pray with the students at the beginning and end of every class I teach (except when I forget, but don’t worry the Buddhist students are usually the ones to remind me when I forget to pray).

The newest building, currently meeting room and sixth grade

Saha Christian Suksa School is about 20 kilometers from the town of Sangklaburi in the Province of Kanchanaburi. It takes about 7-8 hours by van or bus to get from Bangkok(the capital) to Sangklaburi. The area is mountainous and surrounded by the jungle.

Many of the students families gather vegetables or go fishing in the jungle and bring it back to the village to sell for a living. Others are rice farmers or have rubber plantations. Many also raise chickens, pigs or cows. There are many small family run shops that sell things, and then also use what they sell for their own use. Others make Karen clothes by using traditional weaving that they either use themselves, or sell. While many families are quite poor, they are grateful for what they do have, and don’t want to have too many things. As long as they are fed and clothed and have each other, that is enough for them. I love this simple way of living and wish I could embrace it more than I have.

The fifth grade building

Other students live at a number of children’s homes in the area. Some homes accept students that live far away that have no opportunity to receive an education, while others parents can’t afford to take care of them for some reason or another. Other homes mainly accept orphans, or children that only have one parent, but for whatever reason that parent can’t or doesn’t want to take care of the child. The school also has a dormitory that around 50 students stay at usually because there isn’t a school with a good education here they live, so they come to live at the dorm and attend SCS School.

Meeting Room

If you have any other questions, or think of something else that should be included, please let me know and I’ll be more than happy to update this page.