Banpu Cultivates Anti-Corruption through “The Trust” Board Game
Banpu Public Company Limited, an international versatile energy provider, takes part in cultivating morality and good governance through “The Trust” board game as a new learning tool that simulates a scenario for youths to learn about corruption issues that may happen. Under the “Developing Curriculum for Teachers Development Towards Cultivating Morals and Good Governance in the Classroom” project organized by Learn Education Co., Ltd. in collaboration with the Thai Corporate Governance Fund, the project conducted a workshop for more than 300 teachers from across the country to learn about how to play the game and apply the knowledge they gained to cultivate morals and ethics to their students. The Trust can be played by 3-6 players in the duration of 15-45 minutes. Players will learn how to bid for government projects and, while doing so, taking part to check whether there is anyone who commits fraudulent activities and should be punished. The game aims to raise awareness about corruption which can be applied for their real lives.
Mr. Rattapon Sukhunthee, Head of Corporate Communications of Banpu Public Company Limited, said “Banpu has always seen the importance of good corporate governance. We have a clear anti-corruption policy and guidelines also encourage our staff to have strong awareness of anti-corruption in all forms. Moreover, we are a member of the Thai Private Sector Collective Action Against Corruption. We see the importance of instilling anti-corruption mindset among youths. Therefore, we support the “Developing Curriculum for Teachers Development Towards Cultivating Morals and Good Governance in the Classroom” project to spread knowledge and understanding about anti-corruption through the teachers. One of the training courses is learning through The Trust board game using it as a tool to create a learning experience. Understanding Anti-Corruption through a new learning innovation like board games is a different yet interesting and creative way to learn. Banpu believes that trained teachers will use the knowledge to enhance active learning through “The Trust” board game and create an anti-corruption learning experience for students via hands-on trials, allowing them to face the problems and fix them on their own. This is aligned with Banpu’s belief that “”Learning is the Power of Change and Development”.
Mr. Tanin Timtong, Co-Founder and Chief Social Impact Officer of Learn Education Limited, as an organizer of the project, said “Education is important foundation of life. In addition to academic knowledge, the knowledge and understanding of how to live as a good citizen in the society is also very important and it should be cultivated from a young age in order for our children to grow and become quality citizens in the future. This is the reason why we set up this project to provide online workshop for teachers nationwide and enabled them to gain knowledge about morality and good governance and apply for their teaching. In the implementation of the project, we have cooperated with the Thai Good Governance Fund and the private sector. One of the supporters is Banpu Public Company Limited which has offered its support in the production of The Trust board game to be used as an educational tool in this project. This board game is not just to teach but it is simulating a scenario where players could learn, practice, and think critically, raise questions and debate with reasons. This approach fits today’s generation because they will be allowed to try for themselves, learn together and then apply it in their daily lives. They can practice it by checking the classroom’s budget or budget for sport day activities. And in the future, they can apply it to their work as well.”
Mr. Passakorn Yuthasoontorn, The Trust board game developer, discussed the anti-corruption board game and inspiration behind his work that “Initially, we saw the existing problem of corruption issue in Thai society and in other countries. Creating “The Trust”, we are trying to simulate corruption scenarios where players take on the role of contractors to bid on various projects in specified budget. As the game progresses, if any player starts doing something against the terms, that means a corruption has occurred. The remaining players will be responsible for validating and accusing those cheaters of corruptions and bring them to be punished. If they are unable to find evidence of wrongdoing, defendants can also sue for defamation. In the game, everyone will have one right to check for corruption per round and if any player does not keep their eyes and ears open, it means that we might open a loophole allowing the corruptors to be free. The players must learn that if they are afraid to check or choose to be silent, it can have a negative impact on society. This makes it clear that the duty to look after possible fraudulent activities does not belong to any person but it’s about all of us who must work together to help reduce and end it.”
Banpu hopes that “The Trust” board game and this workshop will provide the participating teachers with knowledge, understanding, awareness and encourage them to instill anti-corruption behavior to youths, which will be an important force that drives Thai society for betterment.
Source: Ogilvy Bangkok
