Hi all. Can anybody tell me if a farang child (not Thai parents) can attend a Thai government school in Bangkok?

My boy is aged seven, and I want him to enrol in a Thai government elementary school, if that is possible.

 

If that is NOT allowed for farang kids, can anybody recommend a budget priced private school in the lower Sukhumvit area for him? We cannot afford the fancy international schools, just a "reasonably priced" private elementary school.

Any helpful suggestions and advice appreciated.

I am not sure if he can attend, but is your son fluent in Thai?

- If not, then the government school I think is the wrong area to go to school

1 minute ago, HampiK said:

I am not sure if he can attend, but is your son fluent in Thai?

- If not, then the government school I think is the wrong area to go to school

He would be fluent in Thai after a few weeks in the government school where no one is speaking English to him.

Children not holding Thai nationality cannot be issued with any of the school certificates that are recognised by the Thai Government. (High School Certificate (M3), High School Diploma (M6), etc)

 

Many non-Thai nationals, usually stateless, do attend Thai schools.

 

However your case would be seen as odd on racial grounds, financial grounds and lack of necessity. The school would probably refuse. If you pushed and made a donation, anything is possible.

BMA schools take migrant children, so quite possible although unlikely if he's not already fluent and/or literate in Thai (even though he would be very quickly if he were allowed entry).
A bi-lingual school may be a better (and easier for your child) choice.

I would strongly suggest a bilingual school.   I know a few people who have sent their children to Thai schools and the results were not very satisfying.    In a bilingual setting they will get all the lessons in both English and Thai and this will insure that they are learning more than just a language.  

 

Best of luck and keep us posted.  

 

2 hours ago, Scott said:

Best of luck and keep us posted.

 

Thanks for ALL replies... very helpful. Yes i think that a bilingual school may be the way to go, as his Thai language is basic.

 

So can anybody suggest or recommend such a private school in the lower Sukhumvit area? Preferably, with a school bus service to collect him from home in the morning and deliver him back home after school?

Not sure there are too many around lower Suk.

 

For a boy, you could try St Dominic's on Phetchaburi near Asoke, Assumption or Bangkok Christian on Sathorn. All those are boys only. Amnuay Silpa near Phaya Thai but they are similarly priced to some international schools. 

 Sarasas Ektra School in Yannawa, recommended by a number of people in earlier posts, is also worth looking into and is said to have a bus service. 
https://www.ektra.ac.th/indexEng.html

I used to know a few teachers and the English Director from Ektra school, he died some years back.   It was the first of the Sarasas schools and from what I saw and heard, it had a very good program.   Most of the Sarasas schools have school vans that transport students.

On 11/8/2018 at 3:21 PM, Briggsy said:

Children not holding Thai nationality cannot be issued with any of the school certificates that are recognised by the Thai Government. (High School Certificate (M3), High School Diploma (M6), etc)

 

Many non-Thai nationals, usually stateless, do attend Thai schools.

 

However your case would be seen as odd on racial grounds, financial grounds and lack of necessity. The school would probably refuse. If you pushed and made a donation, anything is possible.

1).  Without a sizable 'donation' doubtful that a typical Thai government school want the hassle.

 

2). 'He would be fluent after a few weeks.' A few weeks - not true. He would get a lot of negative / taunting attention not looking like typical Thai kid, then the trauma of not understanding what other kids are saying and laughing about in the bus and in the playground and not understanding what the teacher is saying all day / all week. And very possibly the teacher doesn't know how to handle this, partly because the teacher can't speak English so the teacher ignores the kid. 

 

How awful, traumatic, hurtful for the kid. 

 

 

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

1).  Without a sizable 'donation' doubtful that a typical Thai government school want the hassle.

 

2). 'He would be fluent after a few weeks.' A few weeks - not true. He would get a lot of negative / taunting attention not looking like typical Thai kid, then the trauma of not understanding what other kids are saying and laughing about in the bus and in the playground and not understanding what the teacher is saying all day / all week. And very possibly the teacher doesn't know how to handle this, partly because the teacher can't speak English so the teacher ignores the kid. 

 

How awful, traumatic, hurtful for the kid. 

 

 

More, given the much discussed very poor quality of Thai education, what parent in their right mind would subject their child to basic government school education? 

 

Basically a negative life sentence.

 

On 11/8/2018 at 2:15 PM, Ganador said:

My boy is aged seven, and I want him to enrol in a Thai government elementary school, if that is possible.

 

If that is NOT allowed for farang kids,

Of course, he can attend, but you'll have to pay about 4k/term (on top of the usual costs).

Same as all the Burmese and Cambodian kids in Thai government school.

He'll be fluent in Thai in no time.

 

My 7-year-old is half Thai but looks 100% English, no bullying problems so far although the girls seem to give him a lot of attention. 

 

There were 2 American blonde-haired, blue-eyed kids in his kindergarten, they didn't appear to have any problems either.

 

Can't believe the bigoted racist replies you've been getting from most posters in this thread, I expect they have no real interaction with Thai adults or children.

On 11/8/2018 at 3:22 PM, chatette said:

BMA schools take migrant children, so quite possible although unlikely if he's not already fluent and/or literate in Thai (even though he would be very quickly if he were allowed entry).
A bi-lingual school may be a better (and easier for your child) choice.

A bilingual school would be a much better choice with likely better teaching and teacher accountability; and not very expensive compared international schools.

Are you sh—-ting me? Are you trying to raise someone almost completely illiterate?

Thai gov’t schools are the pits. Why do you think Singapore and Malaysia speak English so much better than Thais? Because the government schools all SUCK. I sure would hate to have someone like you for a parent.

On 11/8/2018 at 3:16 PM, HampiK said:

I am not sure if he can attend, but is your son fluent in Thai?

- If not, then the government school I think is the wrong area to go to school

Hi people,

 

I have a Chinese daughter arriving in Khon Kaen in a little more than a week. She is 8 years old. No Thai and only basic English.

 

Any suggestions gratefully received.

I suggest you look up the NIST:

https://www.nist.ac.th/

 

It is on Sukhumvit soi 15 - right up the top near Klong Saen Saeb - and Is an international school with lower rates than most.

On ‎11‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 3:21 PM, Briggsy said:

Children not holding Thai nationality cannot be issued with any of the school certificates that are recognised by the Thai Government. (High School Certificate (M3), High School Diploma (M6), etc)

 

Many non-Thai nationals, usually stateless, do attend Thai schools.

 

However your case would be seen as odd on racial grounds, financial grounds and lack of necessity. The school would probably refuse. If you pushed and made a donation, anything is possible.

Not true... My eldest daughter had a British passport and was issued a High school diploma (M6). With the M6 she was admitted to a Thai University. She obtained a Thai passport when she was 20.

On ‎11‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 7:24 AM, BobbyL said:

Not sure there are too many around lower Suk.

 

For a boy, you could try St Dominic's on Phetchaburi near Asoke, Assumption or Bangkok Christian on Sathorn. All those are boys only. Amnuay Silpa near Phaya Thai but they are similarly priced to some international schools. 

Are you serious?  Sending the poor boy to some freaky Christian school.... and one for BOYS only!!!  Are you setting him up to get molested?!

I will suggest OP to find a bilingual school, or so-called English Program (EP) school – if it's in any way possible to afford it; some of them are not that expensive. Not being a Thai citizen, there is not muh future in a Thai school, where teaching is mainly based on Thai language.

 

I had my own (half Thai) daughter attending an EP school from K1 (kindergarten) to P6, and many – if not most – Thais that can afford it, will send their child/children to either an EP school, or a private school, or even an international school; the last mainly from M1, equaling Year 8 international.

 

Quality of primary Thai government schools can be quite different, however probably better in Bangkok than some other places.

????

hmmm.... going to Thai govt school means your child will become stupid.... it’s the nature of “ the land of smiles”.... the govt smiles because then they can control the person

Why would anyone sane send a poor child into a thai government school. 10 hours per day without learning much...

11 minutes ago, Austrian26 said:

Why would anyone sane send a poor child into a thai government school. 10 hours per day without learning much...

Probably because I want my son to be able to fit in with the locals and make friends with the locals.

The Thai kid across the road goes to a private school, spends an hour on a bus each day, doesn't really fit in with the other kids in the street.

He learns to speak Thai in school, at home we only speak English.

 

As for the quality of Thai government school, can't really say, but my daughter (2nd year at uni) seems to be doing OK looking at her grades last week. (Doi Saket Temple school followed by Mae Rim Wityakom)

 

My Thai step daughter came to the UK when she was 6.  Went to school within a week.  Couldn't speak any English but within weeks she was speaking English just like her classmates.  Came back to Thailand when she was 15 and had to learn to read and write Thai.

Conversely, my luuk krung daughter came to Thailand from the UK when she was 5.  Couldn't speak Thai but again after a few weeks, she spoke Thai like her classmates.  Now at 20 years old, she's back in the UK working in London and doing very well.

1 hour ago, Estrada said:

Not true... My eldest daughter had a British passport and was issued a High school diploma (M6). With the M6 she was admitted to a Thai University. She obtained a Thai passport when she was 20.

Your daughter was a Thai national from the day she was born.

Thank you for proving my point.

Ignore all the posts about bullying and teasing. Thai schools aren't like typical western schools in this respect. It does happen, but nothing like in the west. I sometimes wonder how a flamboyant 12 year old 'ladyboy' or openly 'tom' couple of 16 would last in a typical western school, but it's all tolerated in Thai high schools.

 

As other have suggested, a bilingual school might be best. It is essential for your child to pick up decent Thai, if you want them to fit in, and kindergarden/primary school is the place to do it. You will need to think carefully about options for high school, to give the kid the best opportunities, and need to make sure Thai/English skills will be adequate.

They're doing you a favor not allowing even if they did why would you? ????

On 11/8/2018 at 3:16 PM, HampiK said:

I am not sure if he can attend, but is your son fluent in Thai?

- If not, then the government school I think is the wrong area to go to school

Thailand is the wrong place to school him !

Whatever your reason for coming to Thailand and bringing your child I'm sure you have a good reason.

I'm sure someone is going to say our opinions are bashing Thais but every independent expert and outside expert will tell you the truth about the government education system here.

I will stick with this opinion and wish your family well and success but sending your kid to a government school unless your plan for your child to stay here and never return it will be going backward instead of forward which will put your child in a disadvantage for the rest of their lives even if you return to your own country they might not ever recover there is no course that he will be given that will ever be accepted by your own country academically thus setting them up in catch up mode.

Do whatever you can to get them into an International school do not put your head into the sand and think the educational system is like the West!

20 minutes ago, thailand49 said:

Whatever your reason for coming to Thailand and bringing your child I'm sure you have a good reason.

I'm sure someone is going to say our opinions are bashing Thais but every independent expert and outside expert will tell you the truth about the government education system here.

I will stick with this opinion and wish your family well and success but sending your kid to a government school unless your plan for your child to stay here and never return it will be going backward instead of forward which will put your child in a disadvantage for the rest of their lives even if you return to your own country they might not ever recover there is no course that he will be given that will ever be accepted by your own country academically thus setting them up in catch up mode.

Do whatever you can to get them into an International school do not put your head into the sand and think the educational system is like the West!

....breathe