Non-Christian School options in Phuket

[muratremix]

Hi,

 

I'm looking for both Thai and International private schools in Phuket. My kid is half Thai and unable to speak Thai at the moment. I'm looking for a KG3 level (5 years old) pre-school / kindergarten with Thai education for my son.

 

I've just started and I've found doorawong? (dr.ac.th) and darasamuth for Thai schools. However, both seems to be Christian schools (maybe missionary schools?). I remember there are several Christian private international schools in Bangkok and they are a lot cheaper than for-profit or non-profit (but not managed by Nuns) schools. I like the idea of saving some money for my kid's future, but since I'm not affiliated with ANY religion, I want the same for my son.

 

I'm also looking for International school suggestions for next year (Grade 1). Any recommendations would be appreciated. My location would be somewhere between Kathu and Koh Kaew. I haven't been settled in Phuket yet and I'll choose a permanent location not too far from schools that I'm interested.

[stevenl]

The Christianity of those schools is very low key, dawrong more so than darasamuth, but imo darasamuth is the better quality school.

 

I would not let my choice be decided by Christianity in this case.

[bearpolar]

13 hours ago, stevenl said:

The Christianity of those schools is very low key, dawrong more so than darasamuth, but imo darasamuth is the better quality school.

 

I would not let my choice be decided by Christianity in this case.

Well said, i give no mental respect to anyone adhering to organised religion and i would definitely have no issue sending my kids there even with the nun running it. There's plenty of good kids, good teachers and the facilities are definitely pretty decent for the low price it asks.

[madmitch]

I'd guess that over 90% of the kids at the schools you mentioned are Buddhist anyway.

[muratremix]

29 minutes ago, madmitch said:

I'd guess that over 90% of the kids at the schools you mentioned are Buddhist anyway.

Since my son is half Thai, I don't see much of a problem with buddhist teachings. I've nothing against Christianity in general but I don't like brainwashing and indoctrination of any organized religion into children. My son should get my views about the world, not someone else's with a possibly secret agenda. 

 

While it is a very low risk but what if they teach Creation Theory instead of Theory of Evolution? Is there any other options near Kathu / Phuket Town other than Darasamuth and Dawrong? And no, I don't want Islam schools either.

Edited October 2, 2019 by muratremix

[stevenl]

19 minutes ago, muratremix said:

Since my son is half Thai, I don't see much of a problem with buddhist teachings. I've nothing against Christianity in general but I don't like brainwashing and indoctrination of any organized religion into children. My son should get my views about the world, not someone else's with a possibly secret agenda. 

 

While it is a very low risk but what if they teach Creation Theory instead of Theory of Evolution? Is there any other options near Kathu / Phuket Town other than Darasamuth and Dawrong? And no, I don't want Islam schools either.

"what if they teach Creation Theory instead of Theory of Evolution?"

They don't. My guess would be that only happens in the USA, also at Christian schools in Europe evolution is taught. That would be an off topic discussion though.

Edited October 2, 2019 by stevenl

[eezergood]

KIS - but it aint "cheap" 

[Shot]

17 hours ago, stevenl said:

The Christianity of those schools is very low key, dawrong more so than darasamuth, but imo darasamuth is the better quality school.

 

I would not let my choice be decided by Christianity in this case.

During the first week school at Darasamuth, one of the staff may ask the child if they are interested in learning about Christianity and show them where the Chapel is. That's about it. Very low key. My guestimate of student body is 70% Buddhist and the rest an even mix of Muslim and Christian/Catholic.

 

Edit: There might be the occasional prayer stuff during holidays of open house events.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Shot

[muratremix]

6 hours ago, eezergood said:

KIS - but it aint "cheap" 

Around how much?

[Shot]

7 minutes ago, muratremix said:

Around how much?

Take a look here:

 

https://www.kisp.academy/welcome-to-admissions/school-fees/

 

Add: Transportation, books, supplies and uniforms.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Shot

[steelepulse]

15 hours ago, Shot said:

Take a look here:

 

https://www.kisp.academy/welcome-to-admissions/school-fees/

 

Add: Transportation, books, supplies and uniforms.

If OP is not so concerned with finding a low cost school, there are plenty of international school options which are not religious based.

[muratremix]

1 hour ago, steelepulse said:

If OP is not so concerned with finding a low cost school, there are plenty of international school options which are not religious based.

My budget is around 300k a year for international schools. However, I also want my son to learn his mother tongue, Thai properly. I’ll make my decision depending on my kid’s thai language level. I’ll prefer Thai education for first few years or until mid school if my son’s Thai language skills are subpar. I’ll avoid EP for now since my aim is to make sure my son can speak (and write) Thai. 

[chercheur888]

On 10/2/2019 at 9:58 AM, muratremix said:

My son should get my views about the world, not someone else's with a possibly secret agenda. 

Hmm, interesting.

[steelepulse]

11 minutes ago, muratremix said:

My budget is around 300k a year for international schools. However, I also want my son to learn his mother tongue, Thai properly. I’ll make my decision depending on my kid’s thai language level. I’ll prefer Thai education for first few years or until mid school if my son’s Thai language skills are subpar. I’ll avoid EP for now since my aim is to make sure my son can speak (and write) Thai. 

300K for your age bracket gets you a wider choice over the Catholic schools. Why not query the schools directly? 

[stevenl]

33 minutes ago, muratremix said:

My budget is around 300k a year for international schools. However, I also want my son to learn his mother tongue, Thai properly. I’ll make my decision depending on my kid’s thai language level. I’ll prefer Thai education for first few years or until mid school if my son’s Thai language skills are subpar. I’ll avoid EP for now since my aim is to make sure my son can speak (and write) Thai. 

My kids go to an international school, Palm House in Rawai, and they get on average 2-3 days a week one hour extra Thai lessons. I'm happy with that for both English and Thai.