Help Please

[charles50]

My estranged Thai wife has taken our daughter (4 years old) who is

both Thai and British (with British Passport)back to live in

Thailand

with her. They live in Udon Thani.

Please can you tell me what standard of education my daughter can

expect in the Thai educational system. Will she be able to achieve

an education up to Universty entrance level in a normal Thai school,

or is their standard inferior to the British standard, and would she

need

a "fee paying Scool" to achieve the standard of a British education.

If you cannot help, please can you direct me to someone who can.

Many thanks,

Charles

Please PM .

Edited July 19, 2011 by Rooo
Email removed.

[MeMock]

Sound like a nasty situation.

To achieve 'British Standard' I believe you would need a fee paying school for sure.

Can you not get your child back to live with you in England?

[afarang]

Yes, she can be educated to attend a Thai uni. But highly unlikely , given the family situation, which places little importance on education of girls, if she is in a village environment. Girls , in particular are somewhat "persona non grata"educationally. If there is an emphasis , it is on the males , who, in the main ,are stupid and lazy. The girls are the workers and are more intelligent ,and should be promoted, but it is a male oriented society, Which is changing, maybe not quite quick enough for you.Personally ,My children attended village Primary school , in Thailand. Then they were shipped off to Australia ,to complete their education. I am lucky , in that ,I am ,now, an old age pensioner, so their secondary education is basically free.Sadly ,not so their tertiary education. But they do qualify for HECS.Have to see how it works out. Interestingly , over 70 % of students at Thai unis, are FEMALE. but 99% are Chinese Thais. So few Isarn people. Very sad.You see Pattaya and Phuket etc. are still seen as the best career opportunities.For females.!!!! I have to declare myself ,I taught English , From Kindergarten to Post -Grad , for around for close on 20 years, including 15+ years at what are now unis and changed their status to degree awarding institutes, while I was teaching at them.

[MeMock]

"over 70 % of students at Thai unis, are FEMALE. but 99% are Chinese Thais"

Got any stats to back this up as I disagree.

"You see Pattaya and Phuket etc. are still seen as the best career opportunities.For females.!!!!"

Totally disagree with this statement. Seriously - what part of Thailand are you living in?

[kokesaat]

You can get an idea what others in Udon are going through at

http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/schooling-in-udon-thani-t15686.html

[a99az]

As a teacher here in Thailand, I would advise you get her back and put her into school in the UK.

[afarang]

Practical experience ,old son .Try Rajaphat Suan Dusit( the name bestowed by the King) for starters. Most likely the highest ranking Rajaphat in Thailand, where I spent 12 years ,teaching, Prior to that I taught at Rajamangala ( pronounced Raja Mong Khon) Borpit Pimuk Mahamek,For just on 3 years.Seriously(as per your request), I live and have done so in Southern Buriram for the past 12 years, full time. Prior to that , I was a regular visitor to my Family , for a further 8 years. Making my association ,with this area ,of approx. 20 years duration. May I be permitted ask where you live?( sorry my apologies ,I should have asked the question beginning with "seriously"). Should you desre to estimate the ratio offemales to male, an easy starting point is to stand at the front gate ,and do a head count yourself. Also very easy go to any Rajaphat and count White skin against Dark skinned students .Very simple,actually. Isarn natives , lack the financial resources to go to uni., or hadn't you noticed?However ,with a newly elected Govt., of the right political persuasion, that may change ,HOPEFULLY

Edited July 18, 2011 by afarang

[zzaa09]

"over 70 % of students at Thai unis, are FEMALE. but 99% are Chinese Thais"

Got any stats to back this up as I disagree.

Probably nothing to back it up but proverbally repeated myths.

The indifference of said country families towards the education of girls tends to be everything but that.

TO THE OP: If you find yourself truly concern for your daughter's education, you might set up a financial trust or funding in her name with the stipulation that such underwriting is limited to her educational-related future. Attach in her name only, if you might be mistrusting of the respective family.

[afarang]

"over 70 % of students at Thai unis, are FEMALE. but 99% are Chinese Thais"

Got any stats to back this up as I disagree.

Probably nothing to back it up but proverbally repeated myths.

The indifference of said country families towards the education of girls tends to be everything but that.

TO THE OP: If you find yourself truly concern for your daughter's education, you might set up a financial trust or funding in her name with the stipulation that such underwriting is limited to her educational-related future. Attach in her name only, if you might be mistrusting of the respective family.

Not a myth .Practical experience, which you would have seen ,if you had read my posts.

[newtronbom]

Perhaps in some "rural areas" it is true to say that guys are promoted towards education more than girls, but go stand at the front gate of any Uni in Bangkok and you will see far more girls than guys. If your daughter is to be educated in the provinces as opposed to up here in BKK, I have to agree with the private school option. I don't talk about the quality of the teachers, just the resources or more the lack thereof, at provincial schools. In your case too, I really think you need to look at the "big picture" or the long term time frame. Depending on your continuing support, both in the financial sense and in the sense of you as her Dad, it will not be easy if you remain separated from your daughter. I will even go so far as to say, that you will be taken advantage of sooner or later by her mother and or her Thai family. I despise generalizing, but most here will say you will be looked at as a financial milk cow - and they are most likely correct!

[afarang]

Perhaps in some "rural areas" it is true to say that guys are promoted towards education more than girls, but go stand at the front gate of any Uni in Bangkok and you will see far more girls than guys. If your daughter is to be educated in the provinces as opposed to up here in BKK, I have to agree with the private school option. I don't talk about the quality of the teachers, just the resources or more the lack thereof, at provincial schools. In your case too, I really think you need to look at the "big picture" or the long term time frame. Depending on your continuing support, both in the financial sense and in the sense of you as her Dad, it will not be easy if you remain separated from your daughter. I will even go so far as to say, that you will be taken advantage of sooner or later by her mother and or her Thai family. I despise generalizing, but most here will say you will be looked at as a financial milk cow - and they are most likely correct!

Not just Unis in Bkk..Any Uni ,anywhere in Thailand will have a massive preponderance of females, mainly Chinese Thais ,as it is only a few years since compulsory attendance to year 12 was introduced + most Isarn Thais still lack the financial resources to attend Uni.Some change is very slowly occuring

[AjarnNorth]

I taught at a Rajamangala in Isaan for three years. Most of the students were females. The majority of them were not Chinese Thais. (99 percent, afarang? Hyperbole, no?) The majority of them were Isaan girls from poor to lower middle class families, which is why they were not studying in Bangkok. Many of them have gone on to become teachers themselves. There is a Rajaphat right next door, and I doubt very much that the majority of the young women who study there are Chinese Thais either.

I've been teaching in Thailand for 15 years. I also taught in NYC. Getting a good education for your kid in any place where the general quality of education is substandard is almost always possible, but usually requires the parent / parents being proactive.

I don't know Udon. Is there an elementary school that has a bilingual program? Is there a high school with an EP? Are there private language schools where your daughter can be instructed in English after school hours?

Talk to be people who live in Udon and find out. Make a visit to Udon and visit some schools and talk to the teachers there. Talk to other parents, especially those like yourself who are looking for somehing a little better than the usual 50 kids in a room with a teacher lecturing in monotone through a microphone.

Your daughter is 4. Take it slow. At that age, education is mostly about learning how to share toys in the sandbox. Get her a bunch of Dr. Seus books and such like for the time being, do some research to wee what is available in the area, and be prepared to spend a little money. Stay involved and talk to her teachers and follow up and make changes as the need presents itself. You might find that there is a perfectly good program there with an EP where she can attend high school.

Good luck.

[Trembly]

To the OP :

As things stand she hasn't got a hope of achieving a British standard of education in Isaan. I presume from your post that the mother and her family are unlikely to encourage any particular appreciation of non-Thai heritage in her.

I know from the experience of some of my Thai friends that some employers in the west (public and private sector) simply refuse to acknowledge a Thai degree as valid.

Have you considered legal action on the grounds that your daughter's future will suffer without your support and presence? Thai family courts have no 'natural carer' bias as in the UK and will almost always grant custody to the parent who is most able to provide for the child's well-being and future.

Given that she is 4 you do have some time to get your ducks in a row and load your guns, but as time goes by it will become more emotionally complicated for your daughter.

In my own humble and outside opinion I think that it would be best for your daughter to access to both sides of her heritage, but that would depend on whether it is an option for you to come to live in Thailand and support her through international schools (no mean financial feat). There are several international schools in Thailand which teach the British curriculum and / or International Baccalaureate (very rigorous and accepted in Britain and the rest of the world). From my experience the costs are similar to fee-paying schools in Britain but from what I've been reading on TV there are schools with more reasonable fees too.

Best of luck and do keep us posted.

Apologies for going off topic . . .

Practical experience ,old son .Try Rajaphat Suan Dusit( the name bestowed by the King) for starters. Most likely the highest ranking Rajaphat in Thailand, where I spent 12 years ,teaching, Prior to that I taught at Rajamangala ( pronounced Raja Mong Khon) Borpit Pimuk Mahamek,For just on 3 years.Seriously(as per your request), I live and have done so in Southern Buriram for the past 12 years, full time. Prior to that , I was a regular visitor to my Family , for a further 8 years. Making my association ,with this area ,of approx. 20 years duration. May I be permitted ask where you live?( sorry my apologies ,I should have asked the question beginning with "seriously"). Should you desre to estimate the ratio offemales to male, an easy starting point is to stand at the front gate ,and do a head count yourself. Also very easy go to any Rajaphat and count White skin against Dark skinned students .Very simple,actually. Isarn natives , lack the financial resources to go to uni., or hadn't you noticed?However ,with a newly elected Govt., of the right political persuasion, that may change ,HOPEFULLY

I paraphrase : "99% of female university students in Thailand are Thai-Chinese, just count how many white ones there are compared to dark ones"

It may come as a surprise to you that the anthropological specimens of Buriram are not representative of the rest of Thailand, unless you forgot to mention that you had also spent significant amounts of time in contact / observation of university students in the North, West and South as well (not to mention the far north East) . . .which would only add weight to the expression "you were there and you didn't know (sparing the Anglo-Saxon) what you saw", given your apparent criteria for identifying 'Thai' / Chinese.

Edited July 20, 2011 by Trembly

[afarang]

Absolutely," I wuz there" I taught at tertiary level for nigh on 15 years ,a fact you would have discerned ,if you had read my posts , with understanding .One Commercial College ,I taught at had many students from all over Thailand. Most Isarn natives ,have dark skin ,Most Chinese Thais have white skin. Not difficult to tell the difference. Most Isarn natives are from Farming Families are fairly bereft of the funds required to attend a tertiary institution. Most Chinese Thais come from the commercial class, and do have the funds to send their little darlings to a tertiary institute.+ the fact that until quite recently, very few Isarn natives completed Year 12 , at Secondary School. Most were lucky to have completed year 9.Many were forced to leave school At Primary 3, Due to financial pressures, that is very ,very ,few Farming Families could afford to educate their children. In the past. Things are slowly changing ,as I have already noted,. However the percentage of native Isarn children attending tertiary institutions , is still small.

[soihok]

We have had a move back to Korat in our future plans, but due to the poor choice of schools it seems that our plans will change.

This is in the interest of our 3 year old daughter receiving good schooling.

Having read the net and contacted forum members with experience, the decision is....that it's not good enough.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/07/28/opinion/Isaan-being-failed-by-inequalities-in-education-sy-30161350.html