Midnight University
A virtual university for free education and a forum to discuss social and political issues
Initiator(s)
Somkiat Tangnamo
Description
Midnight University is a free educational project and an academic forum online. The project was committed to democratic ideals and social justice. Since its foundation, it has been a dissenting voice in the country's larger political landscape becoming a valuable resource for artists, academics, and activists. After Thailand 2006 coup, the University website was temporarily shut down after some scholars led a protest in Chiang Mai againts the Junta's draft interim constitution. In May 2014, Thailand’s military junta blocked access to the ‘Midnight University’ website. The user was redirected to a Junta's annoucement that stated: Temporarily closed down according to the order of the National Council for Peace and Order.
Goals
The primary task of this website is to be an educational tool for citizens, providing a forum to discuss social and political issues.
Beneficial outcomes
The Midnight University website receives over 2.5 million unique visits per month and offers users from around the world access to over 1500 scholarly articles. Most of the materials are in Thai and some are in english.
Location
Thailand, Online
Users
Students
Maintained by
Midnight University
Duration
1997 - 2014
Category
Scientific
Pedagogical
Politics
Urban Development
Economy
Environment
Social
