Pin Malakul
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mom Luang Pin Malakul''
Mom luang The precedence of Thai royalty follows a system of ranks known as ''thanandon'' (), which are accompanied by royal titles. The Sovereign There are two styles which can be used for a king in ordinary speech, depending on whether he has been crow ...
'' is a Thai
honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...
hereditary title Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often d ...
denoting a royal bloodline; the subject's
personal name A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...
was ''Pin Malakul''.
(; 24 October 1903 – 5 October 1995) was a Thai professor, educator and writer. His contributions to
education in Thailand Education in Thailand is provided mainly by the Thai government through the Ministry of Education (Thailand), Ministry of Education from pre-school to senior high school. A free basic education to fifteen years is guaranteed by the Thai constit ...
include the establishment of various
institutions of higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational school ...
, the introduction of fixed class schedules, and the implementation of teacher-training programmes. In his career he served as Director-General of the Department of General Education, later becoming Permanent Secretary, and Minister, of Education. He was also a member of the executive board of
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
. His writings earned him the title of
National Artist National Artist is an honorary title issued by some states as the highest recognition of artists for their significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the nation. An equivalent title, People's Artist, has been known in countries of the ...
in 1987, and the 100th anniversary of his birth was celebrated by the UNESCO in 2003 as recognition of his contribution to the advancement of education in Thailand and Southeast Asia.


Personal life


Early life and education

Mom Luang The precedence of Thai royalty follows a system of ranks known as ''thanandon'' (), which are accompanied by royal titles. The Sovereign There are two styles which can be used for a king in ordinary speech, depending on whether he has been crow ...
Pin Malakul was born on 24 October 1903 to Mom Rajawongse Pia''
Mom rajawongse The precedence of Thai royalty follows a system of ranks known as ''thanandon'' (), which are accompanied by royal titles. The Sovereign There are two styles which can be used for a king in ordinary speech, depending on whether he has been crow ...
'' also denotes a royal bloodline. Pia Malakul was also known by his noble title as ''Chao Phraya Phrasadet Surentharathibodi''.
and Thanpuying Sa-ngiam Malakul.''Thanpuying'' is a Thai title equivalent to ''
dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...
''. ''Sa-ngiam'' was her
given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
.
He was the sixth of thirteen children (although the fourth, and the only son, to survive past infancy). His father, a nobleman and great-grandson of King Phuttha Loetla Naphalai, had served as King
Vajiravudh Vajiravudh (1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VI. He reigned from 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts to create and pro ...
's guardian during the King's overseas studies and held posts including Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Pia's work was instrumental in the establishment of higher education in Thailand (then known as Siam) and he later became the third Minister of Public Instruction under King Vajiravudh.. Pin recalled in his autobiography that although his mother was a kind and loving figure, his father was rather strict and acted more like a teacher than a father, and that he was often fearful of him. A loyal servant of the crown, Pia introduced Pin to King Vajiravudh when he was seven years old. Another often-recounted story from his childhood is that of how, before having learned to count, when his mother asked him to gather half a bunch of
betel Betel (''Piper betle'') is a species of flowering plant in the pepper family Piperaceae, native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious vine, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plants are cultivated for their lea ...
leaves for her, Pin set down to picking up one leaf with each hand at a time, separating them equally into two piles. At the age of four, Pin began receiving preliminary education from teachers who came to teach at the family home on Damrongrak Road, next to
Varadis Palace Prince Damrong Rajanubhab in front of the Varadis Palace Varadis Palace (; ) is the former residence of Prince Tisavarakumarn, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab on Lan Luang Road in Bangkok, Thailand. The palace was built in 1911 by German architect ...
. He enrolled at
Suankularb Wittayalai School Suankularb Wittayalai School (โรงเรียนสวนกุหลาบวิทยาลัย; Abbreviation: ส.ก. / S.K.) (also known as Suankularb College) literally ''Rose Garden College'' is an all-boys secondary school for g ...
(then known as Wat Ratchaburana School) shortly before turning seven in 1910, and after half a year his examination results placed him at ''Mathayom'' 1 level. In 1914 he was accepted into the Royal Pages School (now Vajiravudh College). Half a year later, King Vajiravudh named him one of eight Royal Page Students () in the king's personal service. Although he did not attend regular classes at the school afterwards, he passed exams at ''Mathayom'' 5 level (grade 11) at the end of the school year. As a Royal Page Student, Pin's duties included various tasks in the royal household as well as accompanying the King in his various activities. The Royal Page Students were involved in plays and sports games held in court and also in activities of the King's scouting-related paramilitary movement, the
Wild Tiger Corps The Wild Tiger Corps () was a national paramilitary corps founded in Thailand in 1911 by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI). Inspired by the British Volunteer Force, it was intended to maintain civil order. The unit brought its Thai name from the ''Suea ...
. Pin also became an editor of the ''Dusit Samit'' Magazine, part of the King's Dusit Thani
miniature city A miniature park is a display of miniature buildings and models, usually as a recreational and tourist attraction open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village, o ...
/
micronation A micronation is a polity, political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from list o ...
project. One memorable task appointed to him by the King was to determine the day of week King
Naresuan Naresuan (1555/1556 – 25 April 1605), commonly known as Naresuan the Great, or Sanphet II was the 18th Monarchy of Thailand, king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and 2nd monarch of the List of monarchs of Thailand#Sukhothai dynasty (1569–1629), S ...
left Ayutthaya for his famous
elephant duel Elephant duels were a historical martial practice where opposing army leaders engaged each other on the battlefield in single combat on the back of war elephants. They are documented in historical records from Southeast Asia, mainly in present-da ...
, a problem Pin was unable to solve at the time, but became the inspiration for his later development of the "Everlasting Calendar". He lived in the royal court most of the time and received a salary of twenty to thirty baht.


Life in Europe

In 1922, when Pin was eighteen years old, the Ministry of Public Instruction, in accordance with the King's wishes, granted him a government scholarship for a tertiary education in ancient Eastern languages in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. He departed aboard the on 23 January 1922 and arrived in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
on 7 March. During his first two years, Pin studied
Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
and
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...
and lived with Mr and Mrs L. J. Marshall of 23, Portland Place,
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
, from whom he also received additional instruction in mathematics, English, and French. Such was his talent in mathematics that Mr Marshall, who was head of Mathematics and Surveying at Brighton Technical College, wrote to the Superintendent of Siamese Government Students recommending that Pin major in mathematics instead and saying that his skills would undoubtedly warrant a university scholarship for mathematical studies. This, however, did not suit the requirements of the Ministry of Public Instruction, and so Pin did not continue his mathematics education. Nevertheless, his interest in the field did not waver, and he continued to produce works on the subject. Among these are his publication in 1927 in ''Samaggi Sara'', the journal of Samaggi Samagom (the Thai Association in the UK), of a formula which he called the "Everlasting Calendar", upon which he later based the development of a set of
slide rule A slide rule is a hand-operated mechanical calculator consisting of slidable rulers for conducting mathematical operations such as multiplication, division, exponents, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry. It is one of the simplest analog ...
s which could be used to calculate the day of week for any given date, and his publication of ''Miscellaneous Problems'', a collection of various mathematical problems he had worked on, later in 1960.. In England Pin formed close friendships with fellow Thai students Prince Dulbhakara Worawan, Visuddhi Krairiksh, and Phanom Thephasdin, the first of which with whom he had been friends since their time as Royal Page Students. He also developed a taste for
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
and
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
, on which he recalled spending quite a disproportionate amount of his scholarship's allowance, eventually building a collection of 317 records. Pin was accepted into
Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...
of the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
in 1924, where he studied in the Honour School of Oriental Studies for four years. He graduated with a BA degree on 28 June 1928. He then enrolled in a one-year course in education also at Oxford, according to the wishes of the Ministry of Public Instruction. He practice-taught at
The Latymer School The Latymer School is a Voluntary aided school, voluntary aided, Selective school, selective, Mixed-sex education, co-educational grammar school located in Edmonton, London. It was founded in 1624 by the will of Edward Latymer to provide educat ...
during the school year, but fell ill during the winter and again near the end of the school year late in the spring of 1929, which adversely affected his studies. He was later awarded the Oxbridge MA degree on 15 October 1931. After finishing his studies, Pin accompanied Princess Kalyanga Sombati Kitiyakara on a one-month trip in Europe. Upon return to London, he attended the First World Conference on Adult Education on behalf of Siam, but during the same time his health deteriorated further, and he was diagnosed with
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. Accordingly, his return trip to Siam had to be postponed in order for him to recover in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. There he spent almost two years in
Davos Davos (, ; or ; ; Old ) is an Alpine resort town and municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of (). Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian ...
and later
Klosters Klosters is a Switzerland, Swiss village in the Prättigau, politically part of the Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality of Klosters-Serneus, which belongs to the political district Prättigau/Davos Region, Prättigau/Davos in the Cantons o ...
, until September 1931 when he attended the
League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
annual conference before returning to Siam via a
Nippon Yusen The , also known as NYK Line, is a Japanese shipping company. The company headquarters are located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It operates a fleet of over 820 ships, which includes container ships, Tanker (ship), tankers, bulk and woodchip carrie ...
ship departing from
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. He finally arrived in Siam on 23 October 1931, after spending over nine years abroad.


Marriage

Pin married Miss Dussadeemala Krairiksh,Later known as Thanpuying Dussadee Malakul Na Ayutthaya. daughter of Chao Phraya Mahithon and Thanpuying Klip, on 7 March 1932. They lived at the Krairiksh family home before building a house on the Damrongrak Road property, and finally settled at Soi Chaiyot on
Sukhumvit Road Sukhumvit Road (, , ), or Highway 3 (), is a major road in Thailand, and a major surface road of Bangkok and other cities. It follows a coastal route from Bangkok to Khlong Yai District, Trat border to Koh Kong, Cambodia. Sukhumvit Road ...
in 1938.Malakul 1989, p. 129. They had no children.


Work


Early years

Upon Pin's return from Europe in 1931, Public Instruction Minister Prince
Dhani Nivat Dhani Nivat, the Prince Bidyalabh Bridhyakon (; 7 November 1885 – 8 September 1974) was a member of the Chakri dynasty and Thai courtier. Previously known as Prince Dhaninivat Sonakul (หม่อมเจ้าธานีนิวัต โ ...
appointed him as a government official under Krom Vichakan, a department of the ministry. He also served the Prince in a somewhat unofficial capacity, assisting the Prince's work and observing the ministry's various goings-on. Under the Prince's directions, Pin became an instructor in mathematics, Thai, and English at
Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...
, in addition to the various duties he performed for the ministry. In 1934, he became head of the university's teacher-preparation programme and headmaster of the Horwang Secondary School of Chulalongkorn University, which served as the country's first demonstration (teacher training) school. He began developing projects for the school, although few of them were realised at the time. One such project was the creation of the country's first school
workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...
. In 1938,
Plaek Pibulsonggram Plaek Phibunsongkhram; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964) was a Thai military officer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and again from 1948 to 1957. He rose to power as a leading member of the Kh ...
, as President of Chulalongkorn University, assigned Pin the duty of overseeing the establishment of Chulalongkorn's University Preparatory School according to the National Education Plan of BE 2479 (1936 CE). Although given a tight time frame of only three months, the new school was created on the location of Horwang School, and gradually absorbed the older school, the entire staff merging within a few years. Pin became the first director of the school, the country's first
coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
al school, now known as
Triam Udom Suksa School Triam Udom Suksa School (, ; lit.'university-preparatory school') is a State school, state school in central Bangkok, Thailand. It admits Education in Thailand, upper-secondary students (''mathayom'' 4–6, equivalent to grades 10–12) and has t ...
. It is widely regarded as one of the best schools in the country. During his term as director, which lasted until 1944, he developed and implemented a fixed class schedule system, along with a mechanical
timetable A schedule (, ) or a timetable, as a basic time-management tool, consists of a list of times at which possible tasks, events, or actions are intended to take place, or of a sequence of events in the chronological order in which such things ...
used to assign teaching periods, which is still in use today. As
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
reached Thailand in December 1941,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese troops raided and occupied the school, forcing teachers and students to evacuate and relocate to temporary locations around Bangkok, and later to various other
provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...
. At one point, Pin disguised himself as a janitor to smuggle important documents and cash out of the school. In 1942, not long after the invasion, Prime Minister Pibulsonggram assumed the post of education minister himself, and appointed Pin as Director-General of the Department of General Education. Although resources were limited due to the war, Pin was able to manage the budget and personnel to allow a countrywide 12 baht salary for rural local schoolteachers. During his term, every province was provided with at least one upper-secondary school. He also became involved in frequent school migrations due to both the war and changing policy. One issue with which Pin was deeply concerned was that of the country's teacher-training system, an issue he stressed during an audience with King Ananda Mahidol after the war in 1946, and would later address during his term as Permanent Secretary of Education.


As Permanent Secretary of Education

Pin became Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education in 1946. In this capacity, he oversaw the founding in 1949 of the Higher Teacher Training School at Prasanmit, now
Srinakharinwirot University Srinakharinwirot University (abbr: SWU; ; abbr: มศว) is a public autonomous university in Bangkok, Thailand. Founded in 1949, the university was the first upper-education institution to concentrate solely on teacher training. Srinakharinwir ...
, and the drafting of the first national education plan. Administration-wise, Krom Vichakan (or the Department of Curriculum and Instruction Development) was re-created in 1952 and the Department of Teacher Education was created in 1954, along with the expansion of the Higher Teacher Training School to become the College of Education, of which Pin served as
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
until 1956. He later oversaw the creation of the college's Prasanmit Primary Demonstration School. Pin also pioneered the field of
distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...
via the "educational radio" broadcasting station, which was set up at Thung Maha Mek Technical College in 1954. Despite obstacles and limited support, the programme proved successful and continually developed, and is now under the authority of the Centre for Educational Technology. He also continued to teach at Chulalongkorn University, where he was appointed an
adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...
in education in 1954. As permanent secretary, Pin acted as the head delegate for Thailand to the third
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
General Conference in
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
in 1948, where Thailand was an observer, and represented Thailand as the country filed for membership in 1949 and was accepted as the fifty-fifth member state. He served as director and coordinator for the Seminar on Rural Adult Education in
Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, that year, and regularly represented Thailand in subsequent UNESCO meetings. He was elected to two terms on the UNESCO Executive Board from 1952 to 1956, during which he supported and helped advance UNESCO's programmes for promotion of universal compulsory education in Asian countries. His representation also lead to cooperative projects between the UNESCO and Thailand, including the Thailand UNESCO Rulral Teacher Education Project and the Thailand UNESCO Fundamental Education Center at Ubon Ratchathani Province, among others. Even after his term ended as permanent secretary, Pin was still involved in UNESCO activities in Thailand. He facilitated the establishment of UNESCO's regional office in Bangkok, which opened in 1961, and was among the founders of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization.


As Minister of Education

In 1957 Army Commander
Sarit Dhanarajata Sarit Thanarat (also spelled Dhanarajata; ; born Siri (); 16 June 1908 – 8 December 1963) was a Thai politician and military commander. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (from ...
executed a coup and installed
Pote Sarasin Pote Sarasin (25 March 1905 – 28 September 2000) was the ninth prime minister of Thailand from September 1957 to December 1957. He belonged to the influential Sarasin family. He served as foreign minister from 1949 to 1950 and then served as ...
as prime minister. Pin subsequently received "an offer he could not refuse" to join his cabinet as Minister of Education and of Culture. Pin was also included in the following cabinets of
Thanom Kittikachorn Thanom Kittikachorn (, , ; 11 August 1911 – 16 June 2004) was Prime Minister of Thailand from 1963 to 1973, military officer, who supported and initiated military coups and became Thailand's defence minister. He rose to power when he staged a ...
and Sarit himself, with Sarit holding power as Thailand's
strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...
leader until his death, after which he was succeeded by Thanom. Sarit pushed for a revival of the monarchy's importance, which was aided by Pin's royalist ideals, and school textbooks were revised to feature the monarchy prominently. Pin served as Minister of Education until 1969, when general elections were held and the Prime Minister reshuffled the cabinet, replacing the six most senior members. (The post of Minister of Culture was terminated in 1958.) As Minister of Education, Pin established the Regional Education Development Project including higher education, which aimed to study the needs and limitations of education systems in the provinces. Spanning over two years, results of the project included the improvement of cooperation between government officials and
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
locals in the four southernmost provinces, recognition of the need for children living near the Malay and
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
n borders to be able to learn the Thai language before starting school, and the experimental development of a curriculum based on learners' needs and interests at
Suranaree School Sura Nari Wittaya School is a secondary school in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The school is an all-girls school for grades 7–12. It was founded on 11 May 1905, and named for the city's 19th century heroine Thao Suranari. It is "Nakhon Ratchasi ...
. As part of the project, Pin made preparations for the founding of
Chiang Mai University Chiang Mai University (CMU; ) is a national public research university in northern Thailand founded in 1964. It has a strong emphasis on engineering, science, agriculture, and medicine. Its instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, ...
, planning the campus and beginning construction, but the authority over the project was ultimately transferred to the Office of the Educational Council. He served three terms as President of
Silpakorn University Silpakorn University (SU.) (; ) is a national university in Thailand. The university was founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Tuscan–born art professor Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name Silpa Bhirasri when he became a Thai citizen. It began as ...
from 1965 to 1971, during which he founded the university's Sanam Chandra Palace Campus. There he intended to established a
collegiate university A collegiate university is a university where functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the Coll ...
system following that used at Oxford, as advised when he was Permanent Secretary of Education by Prime Minister Pibulsonggram, and Thap Kaew College was opened in 1968. However, the college system turned out to be unsuccessful, lacking support from both the student body and the government, and was dissolved. At Thap Kaew, Pin also arranged for the construction of the Sound Library, a remotely accessible on-demand audio collection.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any Thai monarch, the longest on record of any independent ...
donated recordings of his speeches to the library, and later remote access via radio from Bangkok was developed, but the library was not maintained after Pin's presidency ended and thus fell into disuse. As minister, Pin also oversaw the construction of the
Bangkok Planetarium The Bangkok Planetarium (, ') is the oldest planetarium in Thailand and Southeast Asia. It is located on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok as part of the Science Centre for Education, which is operated by the Department of Non-Formal Education of the Mini ...
, which opened in 1964, and of the new
National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...
building at Tha Vasukri, and the revival of the
King's Scholarship A King's Scholar, abbreviated KS in the United Kingdom, is the recipient of a scholarship from a foundation created by, or under the auspices of, a British monarch. The scholarships are awarded at certain public schools and colleges in England ...
, among other things. After his ministerial term ended in 1969, he served two terms as member of the Senate and another as a member of the National Legislation Assembly.


Later life

Pin spent much of his retirement working on various tributes to King Vajiravudh, who had died while Pin was studying in England. In 1970 he began working with a few others with the intent to secure and catalogue the King's various literary works, some of which by then were at risk of disappearing. He and the group made records of Dusit Thani, obtaining old photographs and other documentation, and organised a "guided tour" of Dusit Thani of old in November that year, which was presented to Princess Bejaratana, among others. The group's work continued, and the Fine Arts Department established it into an official committee, with Pin as chairman, to make preparations for the 100th anniversary of the King's birth, which would be recognised by UNESCO. Pin lobbied for the construction of Vajiravudhanusorn Hall, a museum displaying the King's works and duties, at the National Library. The hall was opened in 1981, despite budget problems during construction, which Pin had to sell part of the property on Damrongrak Road to help fund. The committee also conducted research on the Wild Tiger Corps, and determined the location in
Photharam District Photharam (, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the northern part of Ratchaburi province, western Thailand. History Photharam was a district (''khwaeng'') of ''Mueang'' Ratchaburi in the 19th century. In 1836 the district office was relocated fro ...
,
Ratchaburi Province Ratchaburi province (, ) or Rat Buri () is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') lies in Western Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram and ...
, of Ban Rai, where King Vajiravudh often set up camp with them. Pin initiated the construction there of a statue of the King in Wild Tiger Corps uniform, which was unveiled in 1988, and the surrounding area was developed into Khai Luang Ban Rai scout camp, which also contains a medical station and kindergarten. He was also a member of the Committee for the Renovation of Sanam Chandra Palace, but did not live to see the restoration completed. Mom Luang Pin Malakul died on 5 October 1995, at the age of ninety-one.


Literary works

During his years as Royal Page Student, Pin closely served King Vajiravudh and became learned in Thai literature. He was a prolific writer and produced a great number of literary works, including 25 compilations of poetic works, 57 works on education, 58 plays, 8 travel writings, and 56 other works. Among these are the following works in English: *Writings on education :*''Seminar on Rural Adult Education'' :*''Education during the Time when H.H. Prince Dhani Was Minister of Public Instruction'' *Plays :*''School in the Village'' :*''Somsak in Trouble'' *Others :*''Miscellaneous Problems'' (1960) :*''Miscellaneous Problems or An Autobiography of a Would-be Mathematician'' (1972) :*''The New Republic'' :*''Dramatic Achievement of King Rama VI'' :*''King Vajiravudh: Thailand's Prolific Writer''


Awards and recognition

Pin was awarded the title of
National Artist National Artist is an honorary title issued by some states as the highest recognition of artists for their significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the nation. An equivalent title, People's Artist, has been known in countries of the ...
in Literature by the National Culture Commission in 1987 for his diverse contributions to the domain of Thai literature. He received the ASEAN Award in 1992 "for his outstanding achievements and contributions to literature". UNESCO celebrated the centenary of his birth in 2003, recognizing the value and impact of his contributions to the development of education in Thailand and Southeast Asia, and to the literary arts and the safeguarding and conservation of historical monuments and sites. On the occasion, Darakarn Building, the headquarters of UNESCO in Bangkok, was rededicated as the Mom Luang Pin Malakul Centenary Building and Room 57, Building 1 at Triam Udom Suksa School, Pin's former office, was set up as an archive of his original works. Pin received various decorations and medals, including the Orders of Chula Chom Klao, the White Elephant, the Crown of Thailand and Ramkeerati, and the
Dushdi Mala The Dushdi Mala Medal (, ) is a civil decoration in the Orders and decorations of Thailand, honours system of Thailand, and the highest-ranked medal among those granted for services to the state. The award was established by King Chulalongkorn ( ...
, Border Service, Chakrabarti Mala, Royal Cypher, Red Cross CommendationONCC 1987, p. 14. and Red Cross Awards Medals. Foreign decorations he received include the West German
Federal Cross of Merit The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...
, Belgian
Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...
, Japanese
Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...
, South Korean
Order of Diplomatic Service Merit The Order of Diplomatic Service Merit () is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of enhancing national prestige and promoting amity with allies. ...
, and Republic of China
Order of Brilliant Star Order of Brilliant Star () is a civilian order of the Republic of China (Taiwan) recognizing outstanding contributions to the development of the nation. The order is instituted in 1941 and can be awarded to both domestic and foreign nationals. ...
. He received
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
s from
Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...
,
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, Silpakorn, Srinakharinwirot,
Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...
and
Ramkhamhaeng Ramkhamhaeng (, ) or commonly known as Pho Khun Ramkhamhaeng Maharat (, ) was the third king of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, ruling the Sukhothai Kingdom (a historical kingdom of Thailand) from 1279 to 1298, during its most prosperous era. He is c ...
Universities. He also served as Fellow and Honorary Fellow in Literature of the Royal Institute of Thailand and Honorary Member of the Education Society of Thailand.. He was awarded the Elder Teacher's Pin and named Exceptional Contributor to National Education by the Teacher's Council of Thailand,Malakul 1989. and received the Golden Phra Kiao for outstanding contributions to the Thai language from Chulalongkorn University.


Notes


References


Footnotes


Bibliography

*. *. *. *.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malakul, Pin Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Pin Malakul Pin Malakul Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure 1903 births 1995 deaths Pin Malakul